> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.citivus.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Identifying your competitors
> Know exactly who you're competing against in AI search — and who's gaining ground.
In AI search results, your brand doesn't exist in isolation. Every time an AI assistant mentions your brand, it's usually alongside several others. Citivus helps you track these competitors, compare your performance head-to-head, and alert you to emerging threats before they become established rivals.
## Why competitor tracking matters
When someone asks ChatGPT "What's the best electric vehicle for long-range driving?", the response typically mentions 5-10 brands. Your **mention rate**, **rank**, and **share of voice** are only meaningful when compared to the other brands in those same responses.
Competitor tracking in Citivus helps you:
* **Benchmark your performance** — See where you stand relative to known competitors
* **Identify trends** — Spot when a competitor is gaining or losing ground
* **Discover threats** — Get alerted when new brands start appearing in your space
* **Prioritize actions** — Focus optimization efforts on the competitors who matter most
## Adding competitors
When you set up a new brand, Citivus **automatically identifies potential competitors** based on your website analysis. You'll see a list of suggested competitors — toggle them on/off and add any that were missed.
To add competitors after onboarding:
1. Navigate to **Competitors** in the sidebar
2. Click the **"Add Competitor"** button
3. Enter the competitor's brand name
4. The competitor will start appearing in your analytics with the next prompt run
Start with 3-5 direct competitors — the brands you most frequently compete with for customers. You can always add more later as you discover who's appearing in your AI search results.
## The competitors dashboard
The **Competitors** page gives you a comprehensive view of how each tracked competitor is performing:
| Column | What it tells you |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Competitor** | The brand name and number of **co-mentions** (times they appeared in the same response as your brand) |
| **Avg rank** | Their average position in AI responses — lower is better |
| **Mentions** | Total number of AI responses that mentioned this competitor |
| **Citations** | Total source citations associated with responses where they appeared |
| **Share of voice** | Their percentage of total brand mentions across all your prompts |
| **Growth** | Percentage change in their performance — positive means they're gaining ground |
| **Threat level** | Citivus's assessment: **High**, **Medium**, or **Low** based on their performance and trajectory |
**Co-mentions are key.** A high co-mention count means this competitor frequently appears in the same AI responses as your brand. These are your most direct rivals in AI search. If a competitor has high mentions but low co-mentions, they may be strong in prompts where you're not even appearing — a different kind of threat.
## Understanding threat levels
The competitor has strong mention rates, growing share of voice, and frequently appears alongside your brand. They're actively competing for the same AI "real estate" you are.
The competitor shows moderate activity with some growth indicators. They may be gaining traction in specific prompt topics but aren't dominant yet.
The competitor has minimal mentions or declining presence. They may not be a major factor in AI search results currently, but it's worth keeping an eye on them.
## Emerging threats
One of Citivus's most valuable features is **Emerging Threats detection**. This automatically identifies brands that are appearing in your AI search results but that you're **not currently tracking** as competitors.
On the **Competitors** page, scroll down to the **Emerging Threats** section (or click the **"Emerging Threats"** tab). Each emerging threat card shows:
* **Brand name** and when it was **first seen** in your results
* **Threat classification** — "Growing Threat" or "Immediate Threat"
* **Threat score** — A 1-10 rating based on frequency, position, and co-mention patterns
* **Total mentions** — How many times this brand has appeared across all prompts
* **Key metrics** — Average position, co-mention percentage, and number of unique prompts they appeared in
* **AI-generated suggestions** — Actionable recommendations for how to respond
### Threat classifications
| Classification | What it means |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Immediate threat** | High threat score (7+), strong positioning, frequent appearances — act now |
| **Growing threat** | Rising presence with upward trajectory — monitor closely |
Review your Emerging Threats regularly. When you see a brand that's clearly a competitor, click **"Track"** to add them to your monitored competitors list.
Even if an emerging threat doesn't seem like a direct competitor, consider tracking them. In AI search, the brands mentioned alongside yours influence how AI models perceive your market — even tangential competitors matter.
## Competitor comparison
Click on any competitor's name in the Competitors table to view a **detailed comparison page**. This gives you a head-to-head breakdown including:
* Per-prompt performance comparison
* Provider-specific ranking differences
* Share of voice trends over time
* Content and citation overlap analysis
This is where you'll find the most actionable insights for competitive strategy.
## Best practices
* Add your 3-5 most direct competitors during onboarding
* Let Citivus's Emerging Threats feature discover who else appears in your space
* Check the Emerging Threats section at least once a week
* Track any brand with a threat score above 6
* If a competitor's growth percentage is consistently positive, investigate what they're doing differently
* If your growth is negative while a competitor's is positive, prioritize that competitive gap
* High co-mention competitors are your most direct AI search rivals
* Focus content optimization efforts on outranking high co-mention competitors