Search presence audit: where buyers find a competitor
We check Google, YouTube, AI assistants, Reddit, directories and reviews. You get a gap map, a 30-day plan and a budget.
30 queries on 6 platforms: where you are, where a competitor is, where nobody is
Each cell answers one question: who does a buyer see after typing this query here? Empty cells are the cheapest opportunity. Red cells are buyers going to a competitor.
In this sample, the brand shows up in roughly one cell out of six. A competitor takes almost half, and a third of the spots are open: that’s where you can get in fastest.
A sample. The report covers 30 queries in your niche and 3 real competitors.
Six signs buyers are choosing someone else
Tick the ones that sound familiar. The more you tick, the more decisions are being made without you, before a buyer ever talks to sales.
A report that tells you what to do on Monday
Not a list of two hundred issues, but four parts that answer the questions an owner and a marketer actually have.
- 01
Your offer and competitors
What you sell and to whom, who takes your buyers and with which arguments: pricing, reviews, comparisons, mentions.
- 02
Presence map
30 queries on 6 platforms: where buyers find you, where they find a competitor and why. Every gap comes with a reason, not just a red cell.
- 03
Step-by-step plan
What to do and in what order: which platforms to cover first, which materials you need, who makes them and how to measure results.
- 04
Budget estimate
What it costs to close the gaps in-house and with us. You see the numbers before you decide, not after.
The plan: what to fix first and what can wait
We score every gap on the map by two questions: how much it affects the buyer’s choice and what it costs to close. At the top is whatever pays off fastest for the least money. Click a row to see the details.
1 Reply to reviews[brand] reviews 2 weeks
A review platform sits on top, with three fresh negative reviews and no replies.
Reply to the reviews, update the profile and ask happy clients for reviews through the platform’s own tool.
A buyer checking you out before a purchase sees a company that’s alive, not silence.
2 Complete the directory profile[category] pricing 3 days
The profile is half filled in and has no pricing, so AI takes the numbers from a competitor.
Add pricing, categories, screenshots and who the product is for.
AI answers and comparisons quote your actual prices instead of guesses.
3 Comparison page vs a competitor[brand] vs [competitor] 3 weeks
The only comparison lives on the competitor’s site, and that’s the one AI retells.
An honest comparison page on your site: a table, pricing, a last-updated date.
A buyer choosing between the two of you reads your side of the comparison.
4 How-to videohow to fix [problem] 1 month
Google’s AI answer cites a competitor’s video.
A reference video with chapters built around this query.
Buyers see you while they’re still figuring out the problem.
5 Get into “best of” listsbest [service] for [task] 2-3 months
The competitor is in four of the five lists on page one. You’re in none.
Outreach to list authors: facts, screenshots, trial access.
You show up in the list buyers and AI use to pick two or three candidates.
6 Reddit threadswhich [category] to choose in 2026 Later
The threads go on without you, but few buyers in this market read them.
Leave it for now: first close the gaps that matter more to the choice.
The budget doesn’t go where it would barely move anything.
An illustrative sample. In your report, the plan covers every gap from your map, with pricing for the first 30 days.
A fixed scope keeps the audit fast and the price clear
Branded, commercial and informational: how people search for you, how they choose and how they solve the problem.
Google, YouTube, AI assistants, Reddit, industry directories and marketplaces, review platforms.
The ones buyers see instead of you. We pick them together at the briefing.
The map, the plan and the budget in one format. We walk you through it on a call.
Anything beyond this scope is work inside the Search Presence program, not part of the audit.
SEO audit, AI monitoring or Search Presence Audit
All three are useful. The difference is which question each one answers. We’re upfront about where the others are stronger.
If your site is slow or blocked from indexing, you need an SEO audit first. We’ll tell you so at the briefing.
The audit costs $900 and is credited to the program
The scope is known in advance, so the price is fixed.
- 30 queries, 6 platforms, 3 competitors
- Presence map with the reasons behind each gap
- Step-by-step plan and budget estimate
- “First 30 days” section with pricing
- Walkthrough call with answers to your questions
Credited to the program
If you start the Search Presence program within 30 days of the audit, we take $900 off the first month. The audit becomes the first step of the work, not a separate expense.
We present the report on a call instead of just emailing a file, so you get answers right away and see where to start. You keep the file.
Four steps from briefing to plan
- 1
Briefing
Your product, markets, competitors and what you have already tried.
30 minutes - 2
Research
We check 30 queries on 6 platforms and break down competitors’ arguments.
- 3
Walkthrough call
We present the map and the plan and answer your questions.
60 minutes - 4
30-day plan
You decide: do it in-house, with another contractor or with us.
The method grew out of our own branded search research
Before selling the audit, we analyzed the first page of branded search for 1,595 operators: who holds it and what that costs the business.
Who owns your brand
The entire UK gambling category, no sampling: who ranks on page one for the brand name and what that means for the operator.
- 1 in 6spots on page one for the brand name is held by the brand itself, on average
- 30%of those spots go to review platforms, not the company’s website
“A realistic timeline, a clear plan, reports every two weeks and no hidden extras.”
The audit is done by people, not a botOlena, Lada and Anton: you’ll meet them on the report walkthrough.
What the audit doesn’t include
The audit is a diagnosis, not a treatment. That makes it easier to see whether you need the program at all.
- No 200-point technical SEO audit of your site
- No promises of rankings or traffic based on the audit
- No fixes as part of the audit
- No report handed over without a walkthrough call
What you definitely get
A clear picture of where and why buyers choose a competitor, and a plan your team can carry out on its own. If it turns out you don’t need the program, we will tell you.
Order the auditAudit FAQ
What it is and who it’s for
01How is a Search Presence Audit different from an SEO audit?
An SEO audit checks your website: speed, errors, meta tags. A Search Presence Audit checks what buyers see outside your website: in search results, on YouTube, in AI answers, on Reddit, in directories and reviews. That is where most buying decisions are made.
02Who is this audit for?
For companies that already spend on ads and marketing but see leads leave “to think about it” and never come back. Most often these are SaaS, FinTech, iGaming and B2B services entering the European and US markets.
03Which platforms do you check?
Six: Google, YouTube, AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI answers), Reddit, industry directories and marketplaces, review platforms.
Format and price
04How much does the audit cost?
$900. If you start the Search Presence program within 30 days of the audit, this amount comes off the first month.
05Why do you present the report on a call?
Without explanation, the map is just a table of colored cells. On the call we go through the reasons behind the gaps and answer your questions, so you know right away where to start. You keep the report file.
06Can we do everything from the audit ourselves?
Yes. The plan is written so that your team or any contractor can carry it out. We point out plainly what you can do on your own.
07How many queries and competitors are included?
30 queries, 6 platforms and 3 competitors. The scope is fixed to keep the audit fast and the price clear. Anything more is part of the program.
Before you order
08What do you need from us?
Your website, the markets and countries you sell in, the three competitors you consider the main ones, and 30 minutes for a briefing. No access to analytics or ad accounts is needed: we look at what buyers see from the outside.
09How is the audit different from the free check?
The free check covers a few queries on a few platforms, just to see whether there’s a problem at all. The audit is the full picture: 30 queries, 6 platforms, 3 competitors, the reason behind every gap, a 30-day plan and a budget.
10Do you work with our niche and market?
Most often with SaaS, FinTech, iGaming and B2B services in the US, UK and European markets. If your niche is new to us or the market is hard to check from the outside, we’ll say so at the briefing, before you pay.
11What if the audit shows we’re doing fine?
That happens too. Then the report shows what holds your positions and where competitors could catch up. We won’t sell you a program you don’t need.
See where buyers find a competitor instead of you.
Share your website and a short description of the task. We will agree on 30 queries and 3 competitors, give you a timeline and answer questions before any payment.
iGaming / Affiliate