In the awareness stage, you test whether AI knows you as a possible solution to your prospect’s problem. The comparison stage is more challenging. You want to know whether AI includes you when a potential customer compares providers. It is not just whether you are mentioned, but who appears beside you, how you are described, and whether your competitor sounds more concrete than you.
On 11 September 2026, Search Engine Land reported that longer, more specific queries are gaining impression and conversion share while short queries are losing ground. I found that interesting because it fits how B2B buyers compare options. They do not just search for “marketing agency” or “software partner”. They ask complete questions with context: which provider fits our situation, what should I look out for, and which providers are often compared? Search Engine Land
Use these questions to test your visibility in the comparison stage
Want to know whether AI includes you when prospects compare providers? Test the questions below without using your brand name, except where the question explicitly asks you to enter your organisation or main competitor. Fill in your service category, industry, competitor and customer type. Run the questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. You can also ask me to run an AI Competitor Scan for you; it is more comprehensive, and I can help interpret the results.
| No. | Comparison question |
|---|---|
| 1 | Which B2B providers are strong in [service category] for medium-sized companies? |
| 2 | What should I look for when choosing a partner to solve [problem]? |
| 3 | Which providers are often compared with [your organisation or main competitor]? |
| 4 | What are the main differences between providers of [service category]? |
| 5 | Which provider is a better fit for [industry]: [competitor A] or a specialist provider? |
| 6 | Which providers have proven experience with [specific challenge]? |
| 7 | Which [service category] partners are suitable for companies with [size/situation]? |
| 8 | What questions should I ask to compare [service category] providers properly? |
| 9 | Which providers combine [service 1] with [service 2]? |
| 10 | Which provider is a good fit for a company that considers [requirement] important? |
Copy and paste the full answers, including links, so you can review: are you mentioned, which competitors appear, which sources AI uses, and how it explains the differences between providers. Run each question three times in an anonymous or new browser window, or use anonymous chat. Your prospect also starts searching without a history in your area of interest.
If you are missing, you have a challenge in the comparison stage. If you are mentioned but your competitor is described more concretely, the issue may be positioning rather than visibility. The first improvement is usually sharper service pages, better comparison information, clearer case studies and evidence that shows who you are and are not the right provider for. Do not only measure whether AI mentions you. Measure whether it can explain what makes you different. In my next article, I explain how to test whether you also make the shortlist in the buying stage.
Also read the questions for the awareness stage and the buying stage.
This translation was made by AI.