1---
2name: competitor-alternatives
3description: "When the user wants to create competitor comparison or alternative pages for SEO and sales enablement. Also use when the user mentions 'alternative page,' 'vs page,' 'competitor comparison,' 'comparison page,' '[Product] vs [Product],' '[Product] alternative,' 'competitive landing pages,' 'how do we compare to X,' 'battle card,' or 'competitor teardown.' Use this for any content that positions your product against competitors. Covers four formats: singular alternative, plural alternatives, you vs competitor, and competitor vs competitor. For sales-specific competitor docs, see sales-enablement."
4metadata:
5  version: 1.1.0
6---
7 
8# Competitor & Alternative Pages
9 
10You are an expert in creating competitor comparison and alternative pages. Your goal is to build pages that rank for competitive search terms, provide genuine value to evaluators, and position your product effectively.
11 
12## Initial Assessment
13 
14**Check for product marketing context first:**
15If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
16 
17Before creating competitor pages, understand:
18 
191. **Your Product**
20   - Core value proposition
21   - Key differentiators
22   - Ideal customer profile
23   - Pricing model
24   - Strengths and honest weaknesses
25 
262. **Competitive Landscape**
27   - Direct competitors
28   - Indirect/adjacent competitors
29   - Market positioning of each
30   - Search volume for competitor terms
31 
323. **Goals**
33   - SEO traffic capture
34   - Sales enablement
35   - Conversion from competitor users
36   - Brand positioning
37 
38---
39 
40## Core Principles
41 
42### 1. Honesty Builds Trust
43- Acknowledge competitor strengths
44- Be accurate about your limitations
45- Don't misrepresent competitor features
46- Readers are comparing—they'll verify claims
47 
48### 2. Depth Over Surface
49- Go beyond feature checklists
50- Explain *why* differences matter
51- Include use cases and scenarios
52- Show, don't just tell
53 
54### 3. Help Them Decide
55- Different tools fit different needs
56- Be clear about who you're best for
57- Be clear about who competitor is best for
58- Reduce evaluation friction
59 
60### 4. Modular Content Architecture
61- Competitor data should be centralized
62- Updates propagate to all pages
63- Single source of truth per competitor
64 
65---
66 
67## Page Formats
68 
69### Format 1: [Competitor] Alternative (Singular)
70 
71**Search intent**: User is actively looking to switch from a specific competitor
72 
73**URL pattern**: `/alternatives/[competitor]` or `/[competitor]-alternative`
74 
75**Target keywords**: "[Competitor] alternative", "alternative to [Competitor]", "switch from [Competitor]"
76 
77**Page structure**:
781. Why people look for alternatives (validate their pain)
792. Summary: You as the alternative (quick positioning)
803. Detailed comparison (features, service, pricing)
814. Who should switch (and who shouldn't)
825. Migration path
836. Social proof from switchers
847. CTA
85 
86---
87 
88### Format 2: [Competitor] Alternatives (Plural)
89 
90**Search intent**: User is researching options, earlier in journey
91 
92**URL pattern**: `/alternatives/[competitor]-alternatives`
93 
94**Target keywords**: "[Competitor] alternatives", "best [Competitor] alternatives", "tools like [Competitor]"
95 
96**Page structure**:
971. Why people look for alternatives (common pain points)
982. What to look for in an alternative (criteria framework)
993. List of alternatives (you first, but include real options)
1004. Comparison table (summary)
1015. Detailed breakdown of each alternative
1026. Recommendation by use case
1037. CTA
104 
105**Important**: Include 4-7 real alternatives. Being genuinely helpful builds trust and ranks better.
106 
107---
108 
109### Format 3: You vs [Competitor]
110 
111**Search intent**: User is directly comparing you to a specific competitor
112 
113**URL pattern**: `/vs/[competitor]` or `/compare/[you]-vs-[competitor]`
114 
115**Target keywords**: "[You] vs [Competitor]", "[Competitor] vs [You]"
116 
117**Page structure**:
1181. TL;DR summary (key differences in 2-3 sentences)
1192. At-a-glance comparison table
1203. Detailed comparison by category (Features, Pricing, Support, Ease of use, Integrations)
1214. Who [You] is best for
1225. Who [Competitor] is best for (be honest)
1236. What customers say (testimonials from switchers)
1247. Migration support
1258. CTA
126 
127---
128 
129### Format 4: [Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]
130 
131**Search intent**: User comparing two competitors (not you directly)
132 
133**URL pattern**: `/compare/[competitor-a]-vs-[competitor-b]`
134 
135**Page structure**:
1361. Overview of both products
1372. Comparison by category
1383. Who each is best for
1394. The third option (introduce yourself)
1405. Comparison table (all three)
1416. CTA
142 
143**Why this works**: Captures search traffic for competitor terms, positions you as knowledgeable.
144 
145---
146 
147## Essential Sections
148 
149### TL;DR Summary
150Start every page with a quick summary for scanners—key differences in 2-3 sentences.
151 
152### Paragraph Comparisons
153Go beyond tables. For each dimension, write a paragraph explaining the differences and when each matters.
154 
155### Feature Comparison
156For each category: describe how each handles it, list strengths and limitations, give bottom line recommendation.
157 
158### Pricing Comparison
159Include tier-by-tier comparison, what's included, hidden costs, and total cost calculation for sample team size.
160 
161### Who It's For
162Be explicit about ideal customer for each option. Honest recommendations build trust.
163 
164### Migration Section
165Cover what transfers, what needs reconfiguration, support offered, and quotes from customers who switched.
166 
167**For detailed templates**: See [references/templates.md](references/templates.md)
168 
169---
170 
171## Content Architecture
172 
173### Centralized Competitor Data
174Create a single source of truth for each competitor with:
175- Positioning and target audience
176- Pricing (all tiers)
177- Feature ratings
178- Strengths and weaknesses
179- Best for / not ideal for
180- Common complaints (from reviews)
181- Migration notes
182 
183**For data structure and examples**: See [references/content-architecture.md](references/content-architecture.md)
184 
185---
186 
187## Research Process
188 
189### Deep Competitor Research
190 
191For each competitor, gather:
192 
1931. **Product research**: Sign up, use it, document features/UX/limitations
1942. **Pricing research**: Current pricing, what's included, hidden costs
1953. **Review mining**: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius for common praise/complaint themes
1964. **Customer feedback**: Talk to customers who switched (both directions)
1975. **Content research**: Their positioning, their comparison pages, their changelog
198 
199### Ongoing Updates
200 
201- **Quarterly**: Verify pricing, check for major feature changes
202- **When notified**: Customer mentions competitor change
203- **Annually**: Full refresh of all competitor data
204 
205---
206 
207## SEO Considerations
208 
209### Keyword Targeting
210 
211| Format | Primary Keywords |
212|--------|-----------------|
213| Alternative (singular) | [Competitor] alternative, alternative to [Competitor] |
214| Alternatives (plural) | [Competitor] alternatives, best [Competitor] alternatives |
215| You vs Competitor | [You] vs [Competitor], [Competitor] vs [You] |
216| Competitor vs Competitor | [A] vs [B], [B] vs [A] |
217 
218### Internal Linking
219- Link between related competitor pages
220- Link from feature pages to relevant comparisons
221- Create hub page linking to all competitor content
222 
223### Schema Markup
224Consider FAQ schema for common questions like "What is the best alternative to [Competitor]?"
225 
226---
227 
228## Output Format
229 
230### Competitor Data File
231Complete competitor profile in YAML format for use across all comparison pages.
232 
233### Page Content
234For each page: URL, meta tags, full page copy organized by section, comparison tables, CTAs.
235 
236### Page Set Plan
237Recommended pages to create with priority order based on search volume.
238 
239---
240 
241## Task-Specific Questions
242 
2431. What are common reasons people switch to you?
2442. Do you have customer quotes about switching?
2453. What's your pricing vs. competitors?
2464. Do you offer migration support?
247 
248---
249 
250## Related Skills
251 
252- **programmatic-seo**: For building competitor pages at scale
253- **copywriting**: For writing compelling comparison copy
254- **seo-audit**: For optimizing competitor pages
255- **schema-markup**: For FAQ and comparison schema
256- **sales-enablement**: For internal sales collateral, decks, and objection docs
257