When a buyer asks an assistant "which is better, A or B" or "what are the alternatives to A", the assistant looks for a page that already did the comparison. In our checks on 2026-10-20, the pages cited for tool-choice questions were comparison articles, roundups and review sites. Vendor homepages and pricing pages were not cited once. A fair, specific, dated comparison page is the single most citable thing a small company can publish, and most never publish one because it feels awkward to write about competitors.
This guide is how to write one that an assistant will quote and a buyer will trust, including the parts that protect you: sourcing, disclosure, and saying when the other product is the better choice.
We make Seen42, an AI visibility tool, so read our product notes with that in mind. Everything else in this guide works without it.
Why assistants like comparison pages
A comparison page answers the question in the shape the assistant wants to give its answer: a short verdict, a table, a recommendation by situation. The one controlled study of generative engines found that pages with citations, quotations and statistics gained 30 to 40 percent in visibility within answers, and comparison pages are naturally full of all three. They also match the prompt. "A vs B" in the title and the first sentence is as close as a page gets to the question a buyer typed.
The structure
- The verdict first. Two or three sentences that answer the question with names in them: "A is cheaper and simpler; B handles multi-currency and approvals. Teams under ten people usually choose A." The assistant quotes this paragraph; write it last, once the rest is true.
- Disclosure, once. Say who you are and where the competitor facts come from. One sentence, near the top, then move on.
- Who each is for. A short list: choose A if, choose B if. Include the situations where the competitor wins. An assistant answering a prompt with a constraint in it ("for a team of 50") will pick the page that addressed that constraint honestly.
- The table. The same criteria for both products: price at entry, what the entry plan includes, limits, integrations, hosting or deployment, support, trial. Put restrictions in the cell. Say what each row means if it is not obvious.
- The differences in prose. Three to five short sections, each opening with a sentence that stands on its own: "A includes Gemini in its base price; B charges extra for it."
- A dated sources list. Every competitor fact links to the competitor's own page, with the date you checked it. Mark third-party reviews as third-party.
- A visible FAQ in buyer phrasing: "Is A cheaper than B?", "Can I use both?". Two to four standalone sentences each.
The rules that keep it fair, and keep you safe
Take competitor facts from the competitor's own pages, not from other comparisons, and record the date. Prices and plans change; a stale number quoted by an assistant with your name next to it is a problem for you, not for the competitor.
Describe what their pages say rather than what you believe. "Daily checks, per their documentation" is a claim you can defend. "Unreliable" is not.
Do not invent or imply customer results, testimonials or market share for either side. Do not claim a feature is missing because you could not find it; write "not described on the pages we reviewed".
Say when they win. A comparison that always ends in your favour is read, correctly, as an advert, by buyers and by assistants that have read a thousand of them.
Refer to the competitor by its name, plainly, as you would in conversation. You can name a competitor to compare with it; you cannot use their logo or styling or suggest an affiliation.
Update it. Put the review date on the page, re-check the competitor pages on a schedule, and change the date when you do.
Which comparisons to write
Start from your prompt list: the comparison prompts where a competitor is named and you are not. Then write the pages buyers ask for in this order. "You vs the competitor you lose deals to" first. "Alternatives to [the market leader]" second, with yourself as one honest option among several. "Best [category] for [your exact audience]" third, where you can be the right answer for a narrow reader. Each page should be the best answer to its question for a human; that is also what makes it citable.
An example of the opening
For a page called "Acme vs Contoso for small agencies":
Acme and Contoso both run payroll for agencies. Acme is cheaper at entry ($29 a month for up to 10 staff) and includes Xero and QuickBooks sync; Contoso costs more ($79) and adds multi-country payroll and approval workflows. Agencies paying staff in one country usually choose Acme; agencies with contractors abroad usually need Contoso. We make Acme; Contoso's details come from its pricing and documentation pages, checked on 20 October 2026.
Everything an assistant needs is in that paragraph: both names, the differentiator, the prices with their conditions, the recommendation by situation, the disclosure and the date.
Where Seen42 fits
Seen42 checks the prompts your buyers ask on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews, shows who is named and cited instead of you, and builds and hosts comparison, facts and guide pages from your own facts. Paid plans start at $39 a month for 15 prompts; the Free plan checks 10 prompts once on ChatGPT and Gemini. Its comparison pages follow the structure above: a verdict first, who each product is for, a table with the same criteria for both, competitor details taken from the competitor's own pages with the date checked, and a claim check that holds back publishing until every claim traces to one of your facts or a dated source. Our own comparisons are written the same way, including the sections on when Peec AI, Profound or OtterlyAI is the better fit.
