A buyer who is choosing between two businesses wants a straight comparison. A page that shows both sides fairly, with dates and sources, is useful to that buyer. It is also easier for a tool to quote without repeating a claim that turns out to be false.
This guide is practical advice, not legal advice. If you sell in a regulated field, or you plan to name a competitor in an advert, ask a lawyer in your country.
The short answer
Compare yourself with one named competitor on a handful of features that matter to a buyer. Give each side its honest strengths. Put every fact in a table with the date you checked it and a link to where you found it. Say who each option suits. Do not use words like "better" or "best" where you cannot prove them.
Step 1: pick the comparison a buyer actually makes
Choose one competitor that buyers really weigh you against. Ask your sales team or look at the questions customers send. Make one page per pair. A page that compares you with ten others turns into a list nobody reads.
Pick the features that decide the choice for a buyer: price, what is included, contract length, support hours, where you operate, setup time. Skip features nobody asks about.
Step 2: collect facts you can check
For each row in your table, you need the fact and where it came from. Use the competitor's own public pages: their price list, terms, help centre. Take a dated screenshot or note the date you read it. If a fact is not public, leave it out or write "not stated publicly".
Do not use rumours, old reviews or "we heard". If you cannot verify a row, delete the row.
Step 3: write down their strengths first
This is the hard step and the one that earns trust. Write two or three real strengths of the other business. Then write yours. Examples for a fictional bookkeeping service, Example Books, compared with a fictional rival, Sample Ledger:
- Sample Ledger has a mobile app. Example Books does not.
- Example Books gives each client one named bookkeeper. Sample Ledger uses a shared support team.
If you cannot think of a single strength of the other side, you have not looked closely enough.
Step 4: build the table
Keep the table plain. Use the same wording for both sides. Add a "checked" date.
| Feature | Example Books | Sample Ledger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly price, sole trader | 60 euros | 49 euros |
| Named bookkeeper | Yes | No, shared team |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Contract length | Monthly | 12 months |
| Facts checked on | 15 Oct 2026 | 15 Oct 2026 |Under the table, add a line for each source: the page on the competitor's site, and the date you read it.
Step 5: say who each one suits
End with a short, honest "choose X if, choose Y if" section. This is the part a buyer remembers.
A note on EU law
In the EU, comparing yourself with a named competitor in advertising is allowed only under conditions. The rules are in Directive 2006/114/EC on misleading and comparative advertising, which countries apply through their own laws. In summary, Article 4 says the comparison must:
- not be misleading;
- compare goods or services that meet the same needs or serve the same purpose;
- objectively compare one or more material, relevant, verifiable and representative features, and price may be one of them;
- not discredit or denigrate a competitor's marks, names, goods, services, activities or circumstances;
- not take unfair advantage of the reputation of a competitor's marks or names;
- not present your product as an imitation or replica of a protected one;
- not create confusion between you and the competitor.
Two more conditions cover products with a designation of origin: compare them only with products that have the same designation, and do not take unfair advantage of that designation. The Directive says its purpose is to protect traders against misleading advertising and to set the conditions under which comparative advertising is allowed. The first condition also points to the EU rules on unfair business-to-consumer practices, so other consumer rules can apply too. The text we read is the version published on legislation.gov.uk. Check the current text on EUR-Lex or with a lawyer before you rely on it. The practical lesson: stick to facts a reader can verify, compare like with like, and keep your tone neutral. Outside the EU the rules differ.
Keep the page honest over time
- Show the date. Google's guidance says to show a clear, visible date and to keep it consistent. It also says not to use a future date.
- Do not change the date unless the facts changed. Google's helpful content advice warns against faking freshness.
- Recheck the table every quarter, or when either side changes its prices. Write what changed.
- If the competitor writes to you with a correction and they are right, fix the page quickly.
How to check it worked
- Ask someone who works for the other side to read it. Would they call it fair? Any row they dispute needs a source or has to go.
- Check every row against its source once more. Look at the dates.
- Read the page as a buyer. Do you know, by the end, which option you would choose for your situation?
- Ask an AI assistant to compare the two businesses a few times. See if what it says matches your table. Our free check can show what assistants say about you on buyer questions.
What this won't do
- It will not make an AI assistant prefer you. A fair page may even send some buyers to your rival, which is the point.
- It does not replace legal advice. The summary above is a short plain-language version of the Directive, and your country's law may add more.
- It will not work if the facts are wrong or old. A stale table does more harm than no table.