Be fair, specific and current. Help the reader choose, including when someone else is the better fit.
For SaaS teams whose buyers compare options before booking a call. You will produce a page a prospect would trust and sales would share.
Someone searching for alternatives to a named product is already looking to switch. That makes an alternatives page one of the highest-intent pages you can build. It is also easy to do badly: pages that read like adverts get ignored by readers and discounted by search engines and AI tools alike.
1Choose the comparison for a reason
Start with competitors that real buyers name, and where you can describe the other product accurately. You are looking for searches such as alternatives to a named tool, or that tool versus another.
- Check which competitors come up in your sales conversations
- Check search demand for alternatives and versus queries for each
- Skip any competitor you cannot describe accurately from their own materials
- Start with two or three and expand only once they earn their place
2Open with who each product suits
Put a plain summary at the top, before any table: which kind of team should choose which product. Include a type of team where you are not the best fit. It sounds risky, but it is what makes the rest of the page believable.
An advert
Fernhollow is the smarter, faster, more affordable alternative to Rival, trusted by thousands of retailers.
A summary
Rival suits large retailers with a data team and many stores. Fernhollow suits independent retailers with up to a few stores who want reports without setup. If you need custom data pipelines, choose Rival.
The second version tells a reader quickly whether the page is for them, and it names a case where you lose.
3Compare on what buyers weigh
Choose six to eight factors that decide the choice, and fill each from the competitor's own public pages, with a link. Use the same wording for both products so the comparison is fair.
| Factor | Fernhollow | Rival |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Independent retailers, 1 to 5 stores | Large retailers with a data team |
| Pricing model | Per seat, monthly or annual | Usage-based, quote required |
| Setup | Same day, no developer | Implementation project |
| Integrations | Shopify, Square, WooCommerce | Broad, including custom connectors |
| Support | Email and chat | Dedicated account manager on higher plans |
4Be fair about trade-offs
Name two real strengths of the competitor and the trade-offs of your own product. Readers and AI systems both discount pages where one side wins every row.
- Where the competitor is stronger, say so plainly
- Where you are weaker or younger, say what the cost is
- Avoid superlatives you cannot support
- Avoid negative claims about the other company you cannot source
5End with a verdict by scenario and one next step
Choose Rival if you need custom data pipelines or have a data team.
Choose Fernhollow if you want reports the same day and have no developer.Then offer a single next step to the readers who match your strengths, such as a trial or a short call. Keep it to one.
Worked example
A page sales actually sends (illustrative)
A made-up reporting tool publishes an alternatives page for its largest rival. It opens with who each product suits, admits the rival is stronger for enterprise needs, and cites the rival's own pricing page with the date checked. Sales start sending the link to prospects who ask how the two differ, because it answers honestly and shortens the conversation.
Say it in 30 seconds
The 30-second version
Pick a competitor buyers actually search for, open with who each product suits, then compare on the factors buyers weigh with sourced, dated facts. Say where the rival is stronger, state your own trade-offs, and end with one clear next step.
Worksheet
Alternatives page build sheet
The full guide and a worksheet to fill in, as a PDF you can print or share with your team. The worksheet covers:
- Pick the competitor and check the search demand for alternatives to it
- Confirm you can describe the competitor accurately
- Write who each product suits, in one paragraph each, including where you are not the best fit
- Choose six to eight comparison factors buyers weigh
- and 7 more
One email with the PDF. No list, no follow-ups.
