PresenceKit is a full-service AI SEO agency. We do one thing across every client: make a business the one that gets found and named, in Google search, in the map pack, and in AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Content, paid media and analytics sit around that to turn being found into booked work.

How much does PresenceKit cost?

Every engagement starts with a paid Diagnostic Audit that reads the whole business and ranks the gaps by what each one is costing you. Ongoing work is then a Growth engagement for a single market or a Scale engagement across multiple locations, markets or service lines. Pricing is scoped after the audit, so it is based on evidence rather than a guess.

Do you help with AI search visibility?

Yes. We specialize in SEO and AI search optimization (AEO/GEO) to help your business show up in ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI assistants when people search for solutions like yours.

What types of businesses do you work with?

We do not specialise by industry, we specialise in search and AI visibility. The businesses we fit are the ones where a stranger chooses you after a short search and the decision carries real money, whether that search happens in Google, in the map pack or inside an AI assistant. The method is the same across them; what changes is the market and the queries.

How to Research Your Competition Online

Your competitors are advertising, ranking in search results, collecting reviews, and building their online presence. And they're leaving clues everywhere about what's working for them.

Here's how to gather competitive intelligence and use it to improve your own marketing.

Why Competitive Research Matters

You're not starting from zero. Others have tested approaches, made mistakes, and found what works in your market. Learning from their experience saves you time and money.

Competitive research helps you:

Identify gaps you can fill
Avoid mistakes others have made
Find opportunities they're missing
Benchmark your own performance
Develop differentiated positioning

Google Search Analysis

Search for Your Services

Search for what your customers would search: "plumber Denver," "family lawyer Chicago," "HVAC repair near me."

Note:

Who appears in the top 3-5 organic results?
Who's running ads? What do their ads say?
What appears in the local pack (map results)?
What content types rank well?

Analyze Their Websites

Visit competitors' websites and observe:

What services do they emphasize?
How do they describe their value proposition?
What calls-to-action do they use?
Do they have case studies, testimonials, or reviews?
What content are they publishing?
How fast does the site load?
Is it mobile-friendly?

Check Their SEO

Use free tools like:

Ubersuggest: See estimated traffic and top keywords
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools: Check backlinks (free for your own site)
SEMrush: Free tier shows some competitor data

Look for:

What keywords are they ranking for?
How much organic traffic are they getting?
What content is performing best?

Google Business Profile Analysis

Search for competitors and look at their Google Business Profiles:

Review Analysis

How many reviews do they have?
What's their average rating?
What do customers praise or complain about?
How do they respond to reviews?

This is gold. Customer complaints about competitors are opportunities for you.

Profile Completeness

Are all sections filled out?
Do they have photos?
Do they post updates?
Are services listed?

Compare to your own profile. If they're doing things you aren't, consider adding them.

Social Media Research

Find Their Profiles

Check Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and any relevant platforms.

Observe Engagement

How often do they post?
What type of content gets engagement?
How do they interact with followers?
What's their follower count?

Check Their Ads

On Facebook, visit their page and click "Page Transparency" then "See All." This shows all active ads they're running. Study their messaging, offers, and creative.

Review Site Analysis

Check Google, Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific review sites.

What Customers Love

Identify patterns in positive reviews. These are the things customers value most.

What Customers Hate

Identify patterns in negative reviews. These are opportunities for you to differentiate.

Response Patterns

How do competitors handle negative reviews? Do they respond professionally? Ignore them? Get defensive?

Pricing Research

Public Pricing

If competitors list prices, analyze their structure:

Are they higher or lower than you?
What's included?
How do they package services?

Hidden Pricing

If pricing isn't public, consider mystery shopping:

Call as a potential customer
Request quotes
Note the sales process and pricing presented

This is completely legitimate competitive research.

Content Analysis

Blog Content

What topics do they cover?
How often do they publish?
What gets engagement (comments, shares)?
What's missing that you could create?

Advertising Research

Google Ads

Search for your keywords and note:

Which competitors are advertising?
What headlines and descriptions do they use?
Where do their ads send you?
What offers are they promoting?

Facebook Ads Library

Facebook's Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library) shows all active ads any page is running. Search for competitors and analyze their approach.

Display Ads

Tools like SpyFu and SEMrush (free tiers available) can show historical ad data.

Organizing Your Findings

Create a Competitor Matrix

List competitors in columns and key factors in rows:

Services offered
Pricing (if known)
Review count and rating
Website quality (1-5)
Content activity
Social presence
Key differentiators

Identify Patterns

After research, look for:

What do all successful competitors do? (Table stakes)
What do none of them do? (Possible opportunities)
Where are they weak? (Your potential advantages)
What are they all saying? (Market expectations)

Prioritize Insights

Not everything you learn is actionable. Focus on:

Gaps you can realistically fill
Weaknesses you can exploit
Tactics you can adapt
Differentiators you can develop

Using Competitive Intelligence

Don't Just Copy

The goal isn't to become a clone. It's to learn, then differentiate.

Fill Gaps

If no competitor in your market has video testimonials, be the first. If none offer transparent pricing, stand out by publishing yours.

Counter Weaknesses

If competitors are known for poor communication, make responsiveness your hallmark. If they're slow, emphasize your speed.

Match Table Stakes

Some things are baseline expectations. If every competitor has online booking, you probably need it too. Don't differentiate by being worse.

Ongoing Monitoring

Competitive research isn't one-time. Set up systems to stay informed:

Google Alerts for competitor names
Follow competitors on social media
Quarterly review of search results
Regular check of review sites

Markets change. Competitors adjust. Stay informed.

The Bottom Line

Your competitors are running a marketing experiment on your behalf. They're testing what works in your market, and the results are publicly visible.

Use that intelligence. Learn from their successes and failures. Then build something better.

Want help analyzing your competitive landscape? Let's take a look together.