Tools to see why competitors get recommended, where their traffic comes from and which topics are rising.
5 minute read
Dorcas AdisaOrganic and AI Search Strategist
When an AI answer recommends a competitor instead of you, there is usually a reason: more coverage on trusted sites, clearer pages, better structured data or simply more content on the topic.
This list covers the tools I use to find that reason, from traffic and technology lookups to audience research and trend data.
In this guide, I share the tools I use to find that reason, from traffic and technology lookups to audience research and trend data.
The 10 tools at a glance
Jump to any tool, or scan what each one is best for.
Best for estimating a competitor's traffic and where it comes from
Free tierTool
Similarweb estimates how much traffic a website gets and how it splits across search, social, referral and direct. The free website checker allows a few lookups a day, and paid plans add deeper data. The numbers are modeled estimates, so use them to compare sites rather than as exact counts.
Tip: Compare your site with the competitors AI tools recommend, and look at which channels drive most of their traffic.
Best for seeing what technology powers any website
Free tierTool
BuiltWith shows the technology behind a website, including its CMS, analytics, ad tools and hosting. Individual lookups are free; paid plans add lead lists and market data.
Tip: Look up competitors to see which CMS and analytics they use, which can explain differences in speed and structured data.
Best for identifying a site's tech stack as you browse
Free tierTool
Wappalyzer is a browser extension that shows the technologies a site uses as you visit it. The extension is free, and paid plans add bulk lookups and data exports.
Tip: Keep it on while you review competitor sites, and note any that run tools you are missing, such as a schema plugin.
Best for finding the websites, podcasts and accounts your audience follows
Free tierTool
SparkToro shows what a given audience reads, watches, listens to and follows, based on the people who talk about a topic or follow an account. The free plan includes a small number of searches each month.
Tip: Search for people who talk about your category, then list the podcasts and publications they follow as targets for mentions.
Best for spotting topics and products before they peak
Free tierTool
Exploding Topics lists topics whose search interest is growing fast, often before they become popular. You can browse some trends for free, and the paid version adds the full database, with a 7-day free trial.
Tip: Browse your industry's category every quarter and plan content on rising topics before competitors cover them.
Best for adding real search volume and growth figures to Google Trends
Free tierTool
Glimpse is a Google Trends add-on that shows absolute search volume, growth rates and forecasts, plus which channels people discuss a topic on. You can start for free, and paid plans unlock more data.
Tip: Install the extension, then use Google Trends as usual and read the volume and growth figures it adds.
Best for seeing whether interest in a topic is rising, falling or seasonal
FreeTool
Google Trends home page showing search interest over 24 hours
Google Trends shows how search interest in a term changes over time and by region, on a scale of 0 to 100 rather than in absolute numbers. It is useful for spotting rising topics and seasonal patterns, and for comparing two terms against each other.
Tip: Compare your category's old and new names, such as SEO and AEO, to see which one your market is moving toward.
Best for connecting prompts, citations and AI-referred traffic
PaidTool
Similarweb AI Search Intelligence page
Similarweb AI Search Intelligence connects real-user prompts, AI answers, citations, sentiment and competitor visibility with the traffic AI platforms send to websites. Its figures are estimates, so review the methodology before treating them as exact.
Tip: Use it to show leadership how AI answers turn into visits, and which competitors gain the most AI traffic.
Brand Radar tracks brand mentions and citations across AI platforms and search, and compares your share of voice with competitors. It sits inside Ahrefs, so it suits teams who already pay for the SEO suite.
Tip: Track share of voice against competitors over time and report it monthly.
Best for finding the most shared content, publishers and journalists in a topic
PaidTool
BuzzSumo shows which articles in a topic get the most engagement and links, which publishers write about it and which journalists cover it. There is no free plan, but there is a 7-day free trial.
Tip: Search your category to find the publications that cover it most, then pitch the ones AI answers already cite.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free competitor analysis tool?
Similarweb's free website checker, BuiltWith lookups and the Wappalyzer extension cover traffic estimates and technology for free. For AI visibility, run the same buying prompts across AI tools and note who gets named.
How do I find out why AI recommends a competitor?
Run your buying prompts, record the sources each answer cites, then compare those sources with your own coverage. The gap is usually mentions on third-party sites, clearer answers on the competitor's pages, or both.
How accurate are competitor traffic estimates?
They are modeled estimates, not real analytics. Use them to compare sites and spot trends, not as exact visit counts.
Where to start
Start with the AI answers themselves. Note who gets named and which sources are cited, then use these tools to understand why.
If you want a quicker read on your own brand, my free tools can help:
AI Search Scorecard: See how your brand shows up in AI answers, Google, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn and the press, with next steps for each channel.
This guide is part of The AI Search Stack, my list of the best free and paid resources for SEO, AEO and GEO.
Dorcas AdisaOrganic and AI Search Strategist
