Which tool to choose
To read and compare the texts of several sites, any general-purpose AI assistant in its most recent version works fine: you paste in the content and it analyzes it. If instead you want the AI to go read the pages on its own, you need a web-connected tool: an assistant with search active, or Grok when you're also interested in what people are saying about that competitor on X in real time (reviews, complaints, recent launches). For the bulk of the work, manual copy-paste remains the most reliable: you see exactly what you're feeding the AI and you don't risk pages read badly.
How to do it
- Choose three to five real competitors: the ones a customer of yours would compare you with, not the unreachable giants of the sector.
- For each, open the pages that matter (home, services or products page, "About us", the pricing page if there is one) and select the text. From browser or app the gesture is the same: select, copy.
- Paste the texts into the AI one at a time, indicating which competitor it is.
- When you've loaded them all, ask for the cross-comparison with a precise prompt.
The operational syntax for the final comparison:
I've pasted you the site texts of four competitors in my sector (bicycle repair, Turin area). For each one extract: the main promise in one sentence, who it's aimed at, the strengths they claim, the customer questions they answer. Then do one thing only: tell me which typical customer needs or doubts NONE of the four address. List only the real gaps, don't invent any.
Check: if the AI gives you back a list of "gaps" that one of the sites actually covered, you've caught it padding. Push back: "Gap number 2 is already covered by competitor 3 on the services page. Remove it and give me another real one."
A concrete example
Marta has a small tax consultancy practice and wants to redo her site. She copies the texts of four firms in her city and gives them to the AI. The comparison reveals that they all say "experience", "professionalism" and "tailored solutions", and none explains what concretely happens at the first appointment or how much a basic consultation costs. Marta writes a page that starts right there: "What to bring to the first meeting and how much it costs". She's the only one in the area to answer that question, and it's the page that brings her the most contact requests.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI makes up what the competitor would say
It happens if you give it little text or a link it can't read: it fills the gaps with plausible but false sentences. Always give it the real text copied by hand, not just the site address. If you use a tool that reads pages on its own, ask it to quote the exact sentence taken from the site: if it can't quote it, it made it up.
If the gaps it finds are obvious and useless
"Nobody has live chat" is not a strategy. Narrow the field to the customer: "Think of a person who has this specific problem and is choosing who to turn to. Which of their fears or concrete questions goes unanswered on all these sites?". You shift the analysis from missing features to uncovered needs.
If all the competitors say the same things
This is the best case, not the worst: it means the sector speaks with a single voice and you can stand out by saying something different. Ask the AI: "They all use the same generic language. Give me three honest ways to say the same promise so it sounds human and specific."
A tip from someone who actually uses it
Don't copy the best competitor: study them to understand what they DON'T do. The site that intimidates you most is often the one that invested a lot to say the same things as everyone else, just with prettier graphics. Your advantage doesn't lie in redoing that page better, it lies in answering the question they skipped. Save the list of gaps in a document of your own: it becomes the outline of all the pages and articles you'll write afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
How many competitors should I analyze?
Three to five, well chosen. Fewer than three and you don't see the recurring patterns, more than five and the analysis becomes a mush where everything looks the same. Better four sites read thoroughly than ten skimmed.
Can the AI tell me the keywords they rank for?
Only partly, and with caution: without connected SEO tools the AI doesn't see real traffic data, so it guesses. Use it to understand the themes and language they use, not for precise search numbers. For those you need dedicated tools.
Won't studying competitors make me build a site just like theirs?
It's the risk if you copy the answers. It becomes the opposite if you look for the silences. Whoever looks at competitors to imitate them builds the tenth identical site; whoever looks at them to find the skipped question builds the only site that answers it. The study serves to set you apart, not to align you.