🌐 Website
This playbook requires the following signals:
Monitored Signals
1. Why should I care about a comparison page?
Here’s why it’s a big deal:
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2. Examples of comparison pages
This is a classic marketing tactic in competitive B2B SaaS markets. For example, project management tools like Asana, ClickUp, and Monday.com all have dedicated pages comparing their features against each other. Similarly, in the customer support space, Intercom and Zendesk have long used comparison pages to differentiate their offerings.
These pages are powerful sales and SEO assets designed to capture prospects who are actively comparing solutions. A real-world example of a direct comparison can be seen with form-building tools like Typeform and its competitor Tally.
3. How to monitor competitors for comparison pages
A comparison page is a public asset, but you need a system to detect it the moment it goes live.
Zimt is the go-to competitor monitoring tool for B2B SaaS companies. We have over 35 competitor playbooks you can launch on autopilot, including one designed specifically for this scenario. Activating the playbook allows you to:
Monitor Website for New Pages: Automatically get alerted when a competitor publishes a new page on their website, especially one that contains your brand name in the title, URL, or page content.
Track Branded Keywords in Ads: Monitor the competitor's paid ad campaigns to see if they are bidding on your brand name and directing traffic to their new comparison page.
Access This Playbook: Put this playbook, and many more, to work. Automated.
If you're not using Zimt, you must regularly search Google for "[Your Company] alternative" and manually check competitor websites for new pages.
4. Playbook Response Options
4.1 Ignore and Focus on Your Own Strengths
ⓘ Best for: When the competitor is a much smaller, less credible player, and responding would only give them more attention and validate their claims. | ||
Goal: Avoid amplifying the competitor's message and maintain focus on your own marketing and product roadmap. | ||
Strategic Rationale: Sometimes, the best response is no response. Engaging a minor competitor can give them the "oxygen" of publicity they are seeking. This strategy relies on the belief that your brand and market position are strong enough to withstand the attack without direct retaliation. |
Assess the competitor's market credibility.
Determine if the competitor is a genuine threat or a minor player. Analyze their market share, brand authority, and the quality of traffic to their "VS" page.
Create an internal "FUD-buster" FAQ.
Develop a one-page internal document for the sales team that provides concise, factual rebuttals to the main claims on the competitor's page, but instruct them not to reference the page proactively.
Double down on positive marketing content.
Instead of reacting, accelerate the publication of your own positive content, such as customer case studies, testimonials, and thought leadership pieces that highlight your unique value.
Monitor the impact on competitive win rates.
Closely track win/loss data for any increase in deals lost to this competitor, and listen for mentions of the comparison page in sales call recordings.
4.2 Launch a Counter Comparison Page
ⓘ Best for: When the competitor is a significant player in your market and their comparison page is gaining traction or contains misleading information that needs to be corrected publicly. | ||
Goal: Reclaim the narrative, correct inaccuracies, and turn the situation into an opportunity to highlight your own strengths directly against the competitor. | ||
Strategic Rationale: This is a direct, "fight fire with fire" approach. A well-crafted comparison page can be a powerful SEO and sales asset and shows you are not afraid to compete head-to-head. The main risk is escalating a public marketing war. |
Conduct a deep analysis of their "VS" page.
Identify every claim made on their page. Categorize them into "true," "true but lacks context," and "false or misleading." This analysis will form the basis of your counter-page.
Build your own dedicated, SEO-optimized comparison page.
Create a new page on your website with a URL like yoursite.com/vs/[competitor]. Structure it to be more helpful, objective, and comprehensive than their page.
Ensure all claims are factual and legally reviewed.
Back up every claim on your page with data, testimonials, or public information. Have your legal team review the page to ensure all claims are verifiable and defensible.
Launch a promotional campaign for your new page.
Run paid ad campaigns targeting your competitor's branded keywords and drive traffic to your new, more authoritative comparison page.
Train sales on how to use the new page.
Coach the sales team to proactively use the comparison page as a tool in competitive deals to frame the conversation and build trust.
4.3 Outrank Them with "Alternative" Content
ⓘ Best for: When you don't want the confrontational approach of a direct "VS" page but still need to compete for the same search keywords. | ||
Goal: Capture the search traffic for "[Competitor] alternative" and "[Your Company] alternative" with objective-sounding, high-value content that positions you favorably. | ||
Strategic Rationale: This is a sophisticated content marketing and SEO play. Instead of a direct attack, you create helpful, top-of-funnel content that intercepts prospects during their research phase. This builds trust and allows you to frame the comparison on your own terms. |
Perform keyword research for comparison terms.
Identify the high-volume keywords that prospects are using to compare solutions in your category, such as "[Competitor] alternatives," "best [product category] software," or "[Feature] comparison."
Create a comprehensive guide or blog post.
Develop a high-value content piece, such as "How to Choose the Best [Product Category] Tool for Your Business," that provides a seemingly objective framework for evaluation.
Subtly position your product as the superior choice.
Within the guide, use the evaluation framework to naturally highlight your product's strengths and unique differentiators without aggressively attacking the competitor.
Launch an SEO and backlink campaign.
Promote the content piece to industry blogs and publications to build backlinks and authority, with the goal of outranking the competitor's direct "VS" page in search results.