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Direct answer

Compare exposed source domains and URLs within answers that mention a selected DIRECT competitor and answers that mention your brand. Use the same filters and state whether the comparison is answer-level, domain-level, or URL-level.

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Data required

  • Completed answers in a fixed scope
  • SELF and selected DIRECT competitor mention detections
  • Exposed citation domains and URLs for those answers
  • Correct SELF and DIRECT source classifications
  • Full answer text and source context

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Workflow

  1. In Cockpit > Compare, select one DIRECT competitor and a fixed analysis scope.
  2. In Monitor > Response Analysis, identify competitor-mentioned and SELF-mentioned answer cohorts.
  3. In Monitor > Source Explorer or an export, list the domains and URLs cited within each cohort.
  4. Calculate competitor-only, shared, and SELF-only sets at one declared unit.
  5. Read the answers to confirm that a competitor-only source is relevant to the recommendation or claim.
  6. Review redirects, syndicated copies, subdomains, and duplicate URLs before prioritizing a source.

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Interpretation

A source cited in a competitor-mentioned answer is associated with that answer; it is not necessarily cited as evidence for the competitor. Product Citation Rate uses answers citing SELF sources over answers citing SELF or DIRECT sources and does not directly provide this cohort overlap. Domain-level and URL-level gaps answer different questions. Keep citation frequency, answer count, and prompt breadth separate.

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Possible next actions

  • Test outreach to a relevant independent source when your evidence belongs there.
  • Improve a SELF page when the competitor-only source covers a criterion your site does not document.
  • Correct a false gap caused by redirects, aliases, or domain classification.
  • Track later citations in the same prompt cohort.
Treat backlinks and future citations as hypotheses; placement does not guarantee provider use.

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Limitations

  • Qwairy records citations exposed with stored answers, not every source used internally.
  • Co-occurrence does not prove that a source caused a competitor mention.
  • Source sets can be sparse or unstable across runs.
  • Editorial access and backlink feasibility are outside the observed dataset.