competitor-page-research

name

competitor-page-research

description

Research competitor or comparable pages for a website brief by inspecting messaging patterns, structure, CTA behavior, proof mechanisms, differentiation opportunities, and overused tropes. Use when Codex needs external page research for a new or updated landing page, product page, help page, comparison page, solution page, or similar web page brief. Do not use it for same-site pattern analysis or final brief assembly.

Competitor Page Research

Overview

Study how comparable companies frame similar pages without copying them.

This skill produces research notes for a brief, not page copy.

Workflow

1. Confirm the page type, topic, target audience, and page goal.
2. Use web search to identify 3-5 relevant competitors or comparable pages. If fewer than 3 credible live pages exist, use the smaller set and state the gap.
3. Review the most relevant live pages first, using primary sources where possible.
4. Capture:
   • positioning patterns
   • section patterns
   • CTA patterns
   • proof mechanisms
   • objection handling
   • repeated clichés or overused framing
5. Distill what is useful to learn from versus what should be avoided.
6. Call out concrete differentiation opportunities for the target page.
7. Translate the research into page-brief implications: what to add, what to answer earlier, what to avoid saying, and what proof competitors use that the target page should match or counter.

Selection Order

Choose pages in this order:

1. user-named direct competitors
2. same-category competitors
3. credible analogs serving the same audience or job

If no direct competitors are known, state why the analogs were chosen.

Rules

• Use web search and live page inspection for every run of this skill.
• Do not use memory, unstated assumptions, or generic competitor guesses to choose pages or describe what they say.
• Prefer direct page inspection over second-hand summaries.
• Use browsing or page-fetch tools instead of memory. In Ink's local MCP setup, read ../linkedin-social-writer/references/mcp-tools.md first.
• If the user names direct competitors, include them. If not, choose the closest credible analogs and say why.
• Focus on message architecture and proof strategy, not surface design imitation.
• Turn research into execution guidance for the target page. Do not stop at competitor observations.
• Never copy competitor phrasing, claims, testimonials, or section text.
• Never invent competitor specifics. If the evidence is weak, mark it as uncertain.
• Do not write speculative competitor messaging to fill gaps.
• Do not let competitor norms override the site's own positioning.
• Do not output code or finished page copy.

Output Shape

Return these exact headings:

• Competitor pages reviewed
• Observed patterns
• Reusable patterns worth considering
• Differentiation opportunities
• Implications for the target page
• Things to avoid
• Research gaps and low-confidence observations