Do alternatives and vs pages convert?
Yes. In the most detailed public data we found, they converted better than every other page type measured. Grow and Convert's study of 95 client articles (last updated 26 January 2026) measured six months of organic traffic and product-related conversions, meaning trial starts, demo requests and sales form fills. Pages ranking for competitor and alternatives searches averaged 8.43%, the highest of any keyword type it measured. "Vs." pages averaged 5.45%.
| Page type (Grow and Convert's labels) | Average conversion rate | Conversions per 1,000 visits (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Alternatives and competitors | 8.43% | 84 |
| "Vs." keywords | 5.45% | 55 |
| Main category ([what you sell] software) | 4.85% | 49 |
| Jobs to be done (how to [task]) | 2.44% | 24 |
A worked example with those averages: an alternatives page with 300 visits a month would bring about 25 conversions. A jobs-to-be-done post would need about 1,040 visits to match it. Treat that as an illustration: the agency adds that most of the 23 alternatives posts it measured converted at under 4%. The data is one agency's client work, the page gives no dates for the six months, and your rates will differ.
One founder reported the same direction. In a January 2022 Indie Hackers thread, the founder of Pallyy, a social media scheduling tool, said the site got about 60,000 to 70,000 visits a month that didn't convert well. Many of its 60 to 100 blog posts ranked, but the ones that did weren't aimed at the product. The founder said they had better success with alternative pages comparing Pallyy with tools such as Later, Sendible and Hootsuite, most of which ranked on the first page. If your traffic looks like that, our post on why SEO traffic grows without signups shows how to check which searches the growth came from.
Should you write a 1-vs-1 page or an alternatives list?
Match the format to the search. Someone who types "X vs Y" has already narrowed it to two tools; someone who types "X alternatives" wants a shortlist. Ross Simmonds, an SEO adviser who has worked with Moz, Canva and Mailchimp, named five kinds of "SEO money pages" in an Indie Hackers newsletter issue from March 2024: alternative, comparison, migration, feature and solution pages. Simmonds describes alternative pages as showcasing yourself and others as alternatives to a competitor.
| Search | Page to write | What it must include |
|---|---|---|
| [You] vs [competitor] | 1-vs-1 comparison | A side-by-side table and a "who should pick which" section |
| [Competitor] vs [other competitor] | 1-vs-1 between them, with you as a third option | A fair verdict on the two before you mention yourself |
| [Competitor] alternatives | A list of 4 to 8 tools, including yours | One "best for" line per tool and the reason someone leaves the competitor |
| Best [category] tools | A ranked or grouped list | Your criteria stated up front, and why each pick is best for its use |
| Switch from [competitor] / [competitor] export | A migration page | Steps, what carries over, what doesn't, how long it takes |
Pallyy's founder went the other way on "alternative to X" searches, writing one-to-one comparisons, and said those were easy to rank. That is one company's choice, so test both. Our rule of thumb: a list works when the searcher is open to several tools; a 1-vs-1 page works when you know why people leave that one competitor. For the migration page, our guide to winning customers from a competitor covers making switching cheap.
What makes a comparison page fair?
A fair page names the cases where the competitor is the better pick, and backs every claim with something the reader can check. Google's guidance on writing high quality reviews (last updated 10 December 2025) lists vendors among the people who write reviews: "An expert staff member or a merchant who guides people between competing products." Its best practices include explaining what sets something apart from its competitors, covering which option might be best for certain uses, and discussing benefits and drawbacks based on your own original research.
The rules on comparative claims point the same way. This is not legal advice. Two sources are worth reading before you publish:
- United States. The Federal Trade Commission's policy statement on comparative advertising (16 CFR 14.15, August 1979) says its policy encourages naming competitors but requires clarity and, if necessary, disclosure to avoid deceiving the consumer.
- United Kingdom. The CAP Code rules on comparisons say they must compare products meeting the same needs, must objectively compare material, relevant, verifiable and representative features, which may include price, and must not discredit or denigrate a competitor.
A real example of the "when to pick them" section: PostHog's PostHog vs Mixpanel page (28 January 2026) recommends itself for engineering-led teams and Mixpanel for product management teams wanting a polished interface. Write yours the same way: name the buyer the competitor suits better.
A comparison table you can copy
Copy this structure, then fill every cell from a page you have opened that day. Each row ends with a source and a date, so a reader, or you in three months, can check it.
| Row | [Your product] | [Competitor] | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | [team type, one line] | [team type, one line] | Your judgement, stated as such |
| Starting price | [price, billing period] | [price, billing period] | Both pricing pages, checked [date] |
| Free plan or trial | [yes or no, limits] | [yes or no, limits] | Pricing pages, checked [date] |
| Key feature 1 | [what it does] | [what it does] | Product docs, checked [date] |
| Where they are stronger | n/a | [at least one honest row] | Docs or reviews, checked [date] |
| Setup time | [your measured time] | [their stated time, or "not published"] | Your test, or their docs |
| What reviewers complain about | [your top complaint] | [their top complaint] | Review sites, checked [date] |
Three rules keep the table fair:
- Compare like with like. Plan with plan at the same seat count and billing period. If the tiers don't line up, say so in a note under the table.
- Use their words for their features. Link their docs rather than describing a feature in your terms, and never mark a feature missing unless their docs or pricing page confirm it.
- Include your own weak spot. Fill in your own top complaint, not only theirs. Our guide to finding out what users hate about competitor products shows where to collect theirs.
Why do AI assistants cite alternatives pages?
Because "alternatives to X" questions ask for exactly what those pages contain, and one founder's tracking data suggests answer engines pick them for that question shape. Promvia, a start-up that checks whether AI answers name a product, posted its own tracking on Indie Hackers on 3 September 2026: about 2,150 cited URLs over 14 days across six answer engines in one niche, software tools. For "alternatives to X" prompts, comparison-shaped pages (paths such as /vs, /alternatives and /compare, on vendor sites as well as review sites) made up 34% to 43% of citations. For "best X" prompts, they made up 2.8%.
The founder listed the caveats: one niche, two weeks, and pages classified by URL path rather than by reading them. A later reply in the same thread added a less flattering finding. In one week's run across 40 buyer questions, 92% of the cited domains appeared in exactly one question. The domains cited repeatedly were mostly platforms and publishers, led by Reddit and YouTube; the founder later corrected an earlier reply to add a few vendor domains, such as Zapier.
So in that data, an alternatives page gave answer engines something to cite for that one question shape, while most repeat citations went to platforms and publishers. Our post on why ChatGPT recommends a competitor instead of you covers getting named on those third-party pages.
How do you keep competitor facts accurate?
Recheck every competitor fact on a schedule, and change the page the week something changes. The facts on a comparison page belong to someone else, and they change without telling you. A routine for a small team:
Put a "checked on" date above each table
Readers see how fresh it is, and you see which page is due.
Recheck pricing pages monthly
Open each competitor's pricing page, compare it with your table, and update the date even if nothing changed.
Update the week a competitor ships or reprices
Siela's Competitor Watch sends a briefing every Monday morning on what each competitor launched, priced, hired or posted, with links, and shows only what changed since the last report.
Invite corrections
Add a line asking anyone, the competitor included, to report an error, and fix it within a week if they are right.
When you write a new comparison page, Siela's SEO Blog Writer checks search volume, cost per click and the top 10 Google results for the comparison query, checks product facts, and writes an outline you approve before drafting each section in your brand voice. Whoever drafts the page, open each competitor's pricing page on the day you publish.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to name a competitor on a comparison page?
US and UK rules both allow it when the comparison is accurate. In the US, the FTC's 1979 policy statement on comparative advertising encourages naming competitors but requires clarity and, where needed, disclosure to avoid deception. In the UK, the CAP Code requires comparisons to be objective, verifiable and not denigrating. This is not legal advice; check with a lawyer for your market before you publish claims about a named rival.
Should my alternatives page list my product first?
You can, as long as you say it is your product and explain who it suits. Don't write every competitor entry as a weaker version of yours. Give each tool a specific best-for line and a reason to pick it, including the ones that beat you on some criteria.
Should I include competitors that are better than me?
Include the ones searchers are already considering, even if they win on some criteria. A list that leaves out the obvious leader looks incomplete, and Google's review guidance asks writers to cover which option might be best for certain uses. Say where they are stronger, then say clearly which buyers your product suits better and why.
How often should I update a vs page?
Recheck competitor prices at least monthly and rewrite the affected rows the week a competitor launches a feature or changes its pricing. Show a checked-on date above the comparison table so readers can see how current it is.
Is a vs page better than an alternatives page?
They answer different searches. In Grow and Convert's client data, alternatives and competitor pages averaged 8.43% conversion and vs pages 5.45%, but both beat most other page types. Write a vs page when people search two named tools together, and an alternatives list when people search one competitor plus the word alternatives.
Sources
- Grow and Convert: What's the Average Conversion Rate of Different SEO Keywords?, Meg Riley (last updated 26 Jan 2026)
- Indie Hackers: My SaaS finally seeing decent growth after ~2 years (Pallyy founder's thread) (23 Jan 2022)
- Indie Hackers newsletter: What's New: SEO money pages (Ross Simmonds, by James Fleischmann) (2 Mar 2024)
- Indie Hackers: What 2,150 cited URLs taught us about getting recommended by ChatGPT (Promvia, vendor's own tracking) (3 Sep 2026)
- Google Search Central: Write high quality reviews (last updated 10 Dec 2025)
- eCFR: 16 CFR 14.15, FTC statement of policy regarding comparative advertising (44 FR 47328, 13 Aug 1979; checked 24 Oct 2026)
- ASA: CAP Code section 3, misleading advertising (comparisons) (checked 24 Oct 2026)
- PostHog: In-depth: PostHog vs Mixpanel (28 Jan 2026)