> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.haloxlabs.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What to do when AI answers mention only competitors

> Use HaloX to diagnose competitor-only AI answers by reviewing Share of Voice, citations, source visibility, and question coverage.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/afterworklab/lupD4-jE5SvWCVgz/images/concepts/page-thumbnails/en-guides-competitor-only-ai-answers.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=lupD4-jE5SvWCVgz&q=85&s=794932e1525db2e322453c4055f9086e" alt="HaloX guide page thumbnail summarizing What to do when AI answers mention only competitors in five cards" width="1600" height="900" data-path="images/concepts/page-thumbnails/en-guides-competitor-only-ai-answers.png" />
</Frame>

When AI answers mention only competitors, the issue may not be awareness alone. Competitors may have stronger source evidence, clearer comparison pages, more reusable external mentions, or better entity structure.

Use this guide for intents such as “ChatGPT recommends competitors only,” “AI search competitor comparison,” and “AI answer share of voice.”

## What should you prepare

| Input                              | Why it matters                             |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Competitor list                    | Defines the Share of Voice comparison set. |
| Comparison and alternative prompts | Finds where competitors dominate.          |
| Competitor source URLs             | Shows which evidence is selected.          |
| Official URLs                      | Defines source candidates to strengthen.   |

## Execution steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="1. Split the prompt market">
    Separate branded, non-branded, comparison, buying-review, and vertical recommendation prompts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2. Read Share of Voice with AVI">
    Use [GEO Dashboard](/en/features/geo-dashboard) and [AVI](/en/features/ai-visibility-index) to compare brand and competitor visibility.
  </Step>

  <Step title="3. Decompose competitor citations">
    Record competitor URLs, media, directories, reviews, and community sources that support the answer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="4. Build comparison and source content">
    Add comparison criteria, alternative positioning, FAQs, official evidence, and offsite-source tasks to the content brief.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How do you verify

| Signal            | Improvement                                              |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Share of Voice    | Competitor-only answers decrease.                        |
| Question coverage | The brand appears in non-branded and comparison prompts. |
| Citation          | Owned and external source candidates increase.           |
| Reporting         | Weekly actions are tied to prompts and URLs.             |

## What commonly blocks progress

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Should we write direct comparison pages?">
    Often yes, but keep them objective. Compare criteria, audience fit, strengths, limitations, and alternatives without attacking competitors.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if offsite sources are weak?">
    Strengthen owned pages and build external evidence through PR, partner pages, directories, reviews, and case studies.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is one positive answer enough?">
    No. Track repeated prompt sets and citation candidates weekly.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Start the diagnosis

Move the brand name, primary URL, competitors, and problem prompts from this guide into the HaloX app. Docs explain the decision criteria; the app shows the live scores, evidence, and report workflow.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Start in the HaloX app" icon="rocket" href="https://haloxlabs.ai/app">Enter the primary URL and target prompts to create the first AI visibility baseline.</Card>
  <Card title="First 30-minute checklist" icon="timer" href="/en/introduction/quickstart">New teams should confirm the workspace, site diagnosis, and first report sentence.</Card>
  <Card title="Free diagnosis lead asset" icon="sparkles" href="/en/guides/free-ai-visibility-diagnosis">Connect AI visibility diagnosis, ChatGPT brand mention checks, and Perplexity source checks to lead capture.</Card>
  <Card title="Adoption planning" icon="route" href="/en/introduction/plans">Choose the first 30-day operating scope for internal, agency, PR, B2B, or local-brand teams.</Card>
</CardGroup>

## Related docs

* [Share of Voice](/en/glossary/share-of-voice)
* [Brand Mention Tracking](/en/glossary/brand-mention-tracking)
* [Client proposal template](/en/guides/client-proposal-template)