# Competitor research with an AI agent

> Every marketing team tracks competitors. These guides show how to see where they rank, what they advertise, which AI answers name them, and where their gaps are.

## What is competitor research?

Competitor research is the work of seeing where rivals rank on Google, what ads they run, which AI prompts name them, which backlinks they have, and where their gaps leave room for you. It reveals what works in your category and where to compete.

## Guides

- [The best MCP servers for marketing teams](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/blog/best-mcp-servers-for-marketing.md): Marketing teams juggle SEO, paid ads, CRM, analytics, social listening, and outbound campaigns. Here are the best MCP servers to connect your AI agent to marketing data, organized by what they do and how they charge.

## The data behind these guides

- [The competitors prompt](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools#prompts)

## Questions

### How often should I check competitors?

Run a baseline check monthly to catch new campaigns, rank changes and content. For high-stakes launches or shifts in your category, check weekly.

### Which competitors should I track?

Track the three to five brands buyers compare you to most often in sales calls and support tickets, plus one aspirational rival ahead of you.

### What data should I collect?

Focus on the channels that matter to your buyers: organic rankings, paid ads, AI answer mentions, backlink sources, and social presence. Ignore channels your customers do not use.