A prospect searches "[Your Product] vs [Competitor]." The first result is your competitor's comparison page, positioning themselves favorably. The second result is a third-party review site getting basic facts wrong. Your company's content? Nowhere.
You just lost a sales conversation before it started.
Here's reality: B2B buyers conduct competitive research with or without your input. If you're not creating credible comparative content, they're making decisions based on competitor claims and incomplete third-party information.
Most companies avoid competitive content because they're afraid of looking defensive, saying something legally risky, or giving competitors ammunition. So they cede the comparison conversation entirely.
That's a mistake.
After creating competitive content programs at three B2B SaaS companies (and watching competitors do it well and poorly), I've learned that honest, credible competitive content wins more deals than ignoring comparisons ever will.
Here's how to do it right.
Start With How Buyers Actually Compare
Don't create competitive content based on what you want to say. Create based on how buyers actually evaluate alternatives.
What buyers are searching for:
- "[Your product] vs [Competitor A]"
- "[Competitor B] alternatives"
- "Best [category] for [use case/industry]"
- "[Competitor C] pricing"
- "[Your product] reviews"
These searches represent active evaluation intent. Content that ranks for these terms reaches buyers at decision-making moments.
What buyers are asking sales:
Listen to early sales calls. What questions come up?
- "How are you different from [Competitor]?"
- "Why shouldn't we just go with [established player]?"
- "We're looking at [Product A], [Product B], and you. What makes you different?"
Create content that directly answers these questions, so prospects can self-educate before (and after) talking to sales.
The Three Types of Competitive Content
Different competitive scenarios require different content approaches.
1. Head-to-head comparison pages
Format: "[Your Product] vs [Specific Competitor]"
When to create: For your top 3-5 direct competitors who you encounter in 50%+ of deals.
Structure:
- Clear, honest opening: "Comparing [Your Product] and [Competitor]? Here's what you need to know."
- Side-by-side feature comparison table (be accurate—don't claim features they have as "missing")
- Key differentiators: Where you genuinely differ, not just where you're "better"
- Ideal customer profiles: "Choose them if [scenario]. Choose us if [different scenario]."
- Customer quotes/examples of people who chose you
- Clear CTA: Try, demo, contact sales
Example opening:
"Both [Your Product] and [Competitor] are strong project management platforms. The key difference: we're built for [specific market/use case], while they optimize for [different market/use case]. Here's how to choose."
This positions it as helping buyers make the right choice, not convincing them you're universally better.
2. Alternative pages
Format: "[Competitor] Alternative" or "Looking for [Competitor] Alternatives?"
When to create: For competitors where a segment of buyers is actively seeking alternatives (often due to pricing changes, feature gaps, or service issues).
Structure:
- Acknowledge why people seek alternatives: "Common reasons teams look for [Competitor] alternatives: pricing, limited [capability], or need for [feature]."
- Position your solution: "Here's how [Your Product] addresses these needs"
- Migration/switching support: Make it easy to consider switching
- Customer examples of successful switches
- Comparison table addressing specific pain points
Example opening:
"If you're looking for a [Competitor] alternative, you're likely facing one of three challenges: [A], [B], or [C]. Here's how [Your Product] solves these differently."
3. Category/roundup pages
Format: "Best [Category] for [Use Case]" or "[Number] [Category] Solutions Compared"
When to create: When you can credibly include yourself in a balanced comparison of category solutions.
Structure:
- Objective criteria for evaluation
- Include 5-8 solutions (including yourself, positioned honestly among them)
- Pros/cons for each solution
- Recommendations by use case or buyer type
- Your product featured but not exclusively promoted
Example:
"Best Marketing Automation Platforms for Mid-Market B2B Teams"
Include HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, ActiveCampaign, and yourself. Be honest about each solution's strengths. Position yourself as best for specific scenarios, not universally best.
This builds trust by being genuinely helpful, even if that means sometimes recommending alternatives for certain use cases.
The Rules for Credible Competitive Content
Competitive content that looks like biased marketing gets ignored. Credible content wins.
Rule 1: Be factually accurate
Every claim about a competitor must be verifiable and current. Check their website, documentation, and recent reviews. Don't claim they lack features they actually have.
One inaccuracy destroys credibility.
Rule 2: Acknowledge competitor strengths
Don't pretend competitors have no strengths. Acknowledge where they're strong:
"[Competitor] has excellent [specific capability] and is a strong choice if [scenario]. Our advantage is [different area] which matters more when [different scenario]."
This honesty builds trust.
Rule 3: Differentiate, don't bash
Good: "We're built specifically for [use case] while they optimize for [different use case]."
Bad: "Their product is outdated and difficult to use."
Focus on how you're different (which is factual) rather than how you're better (which is subjective and looks defensive).
Rule 4: Use "we" vs "you" framing, not "us vs them"
Good: "We focus on [X] because [reason]. You might choose them if you prioritize [Y]."
Bad: "They're slow and expensive. We're fast and affordable."
The first positions you as a helpful guide. The second sounds like marketing spin.
Rule 5: Include customer proof
Don't just claim you're better. Show customers who switched and why:
"[Company] switched from [Competitor] because [specific reason]. After 6 months, they've achieved [specific outcome]."
Customer stories are more credible than your own claims.
SEO for Competitive Content
Comparison content is some of the highest-converting content you can create, but only if people find it.
Optimize for comparison keywords:
Target exact searches:
- [Your Product] vs [Competitor]
- [Competitor] alternative
- [Competitor] vs [Other Competitor]
Include variations in content naturally.
Use comparison keywords in URL, title, and headers:
URL: yoursite.com/yourproduct-vs-competitor-comparison
Title tag: "[Your Product] vs [Competitor]: Comparison Guide [Year]"
H1: "Comparing [Your Product] and [Competitor]"
This signals relevance to search engines and users.
Update regularly:
Comparison content gets stale fast. Add "Last updated: [Date]" and refresh quarterly with:
- Current pricing
- New features launched by either company
- Recent customer examples
- Updated screenshots
Outdated comparison content damages credibility.
Build backlinks:
Comparison content can attract backlinks if it's genuinely useful. Promote to:
- Industry forums and communities
- Software review sites
- Bloggers covering your category
Handle Legal and PR Concerns
Competitive content makes legal and PR teams nervous. Address concerns proactively.
What's legally safe:
- Factual comparisons of publicly available information (features, pricing)
- Truthful customer testimonials about switching
- Honest statements of differentiation
What's legally risky:
- False or misleading claims about competitors
- Using competitor trademarks improperly (in ways that imply endorsement)
- Claims you can't substantiate
Best practice: Have legal review your template and approach once, not every individual comparison page. Get approval on the structure and rules, then create pages following those guidelines.
Trademark usage:
Using competitor names and trademarks for comparison purposes is generally legal under trademark law (comparative advertising doctrine), but check with legal on proper usage:
Acceptable: "[Your Product] vs [Competitor Name]" in content clearly comparing products
Not acceptable: Using competitor's logo in ways that imply partnership or endorsement
Distribute Competitive Content Strategically
Don't just publish comparison pages and hope for organic traffic. Actively distribute.
Sales enablement:
Give sales direct links to comparison pages for each major competitor. When prospects ask "how are you different from X?", reps can send the comparison page.
Email nurture:
For leads evaluating multiple solutions, include relevant comparison content in nurture sequences.
Paid search:
Run paid ads on competitor comparison keywords. This is expensive but captures high-intent traffic.
Remarketing:
If someone visits your site and then visits a competitor's site, remarket to them with comparison content.
Measure Competitive Content Performance
Track whether competitive content actually influences deals.
SEO metrics:
- Rankings for "[Your Product] vs [Competitor]" keywords
- Organic traffic to comparison pages
- Conversion rate from comparison pages to demo/trial
Sales usage:
- How often do sales reps share comparison pages?
- Which comparison pages get shared most?
- Sales feedback: is this content helpful in deals?
Deal influence:
- Win rates on deals where comparison content was used vs. not used
- Common objections before vs. after creating comparison content
If sales isn't using the content or win rates aren't improving, the content needs revision.
When Not to Create Competitive Content
Competitive content isn't always appropriate.
Skip competitive content when:
- You're not actually competing with them (different markets, different buyers)
- They're so dominant that comparison looks like wishful thinking
- Your product is clearly inferior and honest comparison hurts more than helps
- Legal/regulatory constraints make comparisons too risky
Focus competitive content on battles you can win honestly.
The Mindset Shift
Most companies view competitive content as "responding to attacks" or "defending against competitors."
Better framing: "Helping buyers make informed decisions when they're evaluating multiple options."
When you approach competitive content as buyer enablement rather than competitive warfare, you create more credible, more effective content.
Buyers are going to compare you to competitors whether you participate in that conversation or not. Create honest, helpful comparison content and you control the narrative. Avoid it entirely and you let competitors and incomplete third-party sources define how you're perceived.
Honest competitive content isn't about being the best at everything. It's about being clear about how you're different and who you're best for. That clarity wins deals.