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Quick answer
Build a competitor comparison from public websites, ads, and reviews.
At a glance
All outcome figures are estimates from cited sources, not independent verification by us.
- What it is allowed to do
- Read-only
Only reads, researches, or summarizes. It never drafts outbound content or changes anything.
- Time saved (estimate)
- Roughly 2–4 hours per competitor scan
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Tools needed
- Claude, Google Docs
- Typical cost
- Claude / ChatGPT: free tiers include web search; no paid tools required.
Reviewed Oct 19, 2026
Basis (estimate): Estimate only: manual competitor scans typically take an afternoon of tab-hopping; no timed study compares AI-assisted versus manual.
What does this setup do?
Build a competitor comparison from public websites, ads, and reviews. Positioning, pricing, strengths, and the one question they answer better than you, then turn it into copy and one test.
Who is it for?
Small business owners who know they should watch competitors but never find a free afternoon to do it properly.
How do you set it up?
Tools
- Claude or ChatGPT with web search enabled
- Links to 1–3 competitor websites
- Screenshots of competitor ads or offers (for pages that block scraping)
- A doc to save the comparison table
Steps
- Write down your business in two sentences: who you help, your offer, one thing you want to improve.
- Pick 1–3 competitors a customer would realistically consider instead of you.
- Paste the master prompt and answer its setup questions; let it search the web.
- For blocked pages, upload screenshots with the URL and capture date.
- Ask it to compare the sites through three customer perspectives: first-time visitor, price shopper, skeptic.
- End with one table: positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and your single biggest opening.
Example output
Illustrative. Your results will differ.
- 8 sources scanned, 3 worth your time
- Key points in 5 bullets, each linked to its source
- Check the links. Trust the sources, not the summary.
Where to paste this prompt
Claude: Claude → Project knowledge & custom instructions
Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
I own [business name]: [two sentences on who I help and what I sell]. One thing I want to improve: [e.g., homepage headline, pricing page].
Competitors to research: [1-3 names + website URLs].
For each competitor, find from public sources: positioning (who they claim to serve), pricing or pricing signals, 3 strengths, 3 weaknesses, and anything new in the last 90 days. Then compare all of them against my business through the eyes of three customers: a first-time visitor, a price shopper, and a skeptic.
Deliver: a comparison table, the ONE question each competitor answers more clearly than I do, and my single biggest opportunity plus my single biggest threat. Cite the source URL for every factual claim. Do not invent prices, reviews, or news, if you cannot verify it, say so.Newsletter
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Free starter pack with five beginner copy-paste prompts after you confirm, plus three sourced setups in your inbox each week. Unsubscribe anytime.
What usually goes wrong?
Where agents tend to stall on this job. More patterns in Where AI gets stuck.
- Simulated customer perspectives are not real interviews. Use the output to choose what to test, not as proof.
- Public ads and pages do not show profit; a competitor can look strong online and be weak underneath.
- Models will confidently fill gaps when sources are thin; the "cite every claim" line is load-bearing.
Common questions
- What does this setup do?
- Build a competitor comparison from public websites, ads, and reviews.
- Who is it for?
- Small business owners who know they should watch competitors but never find a free afternoon to do it properly.
- What does it cost to run?
- Claude / ChatGPT: free tiers include web search; no paid tools required.
- What usually goes wrong?
- Simulated customer perspectives are not real interviews. Use the output to choose what to test, not as proof. Public ads and pages do not show profit; a competitor can look strong online and be weak underneath.
- How much time might it save?
- Roughly 2–4 hours per competitor scan Estimate only: manual competitor scans typically take an afternoon of tab-hopping; no timed study compares AI-assisted versus manual.
Where should you go next on this site?
What tips make it smoother?
- Start with one competitor. The follow-up prompts work better than one giant first prompt.
- Save the comparison table in the same doc each quarter; trends matter more than snapshots.
- Turn the single biggest opportunity into one website change and one ad test, then stop researching.
Where do the claims come from?
Summaries use public sources linked below, not independent verification. How setups are picked.
- Read MavGPT’s write-up (mavgpt.ai)
MavGPT: Full competitor-analysis workflow in Claude: master prompt, website comparisons, ad breakdowns.
- Read Panoramata’s write-up (www.panoramata.co)
Panoramata: Copy-paste prompts for mapping competitors and refining by niche.
- Read Chatsmith’s write-up (chatsmith.io)
Chatsmith: Competitive analysis builder prompt: positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses table.
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