How the Shortlist Sprint is tested.
It starts with buyer questions, records who gets recommended and which sources are cited, then adds Google demand, CPC and ranking difficulty. One fix follows, then a retest.
Four steps from buyer question to a fix you can ship.
CompeteDesk tests the questions that decide vendor shortlists across search and AI answers, then returns a ranked loss list, demand metrics, a cited source pack, one fix brief and a retest.
Questions
Around 12 high-intent questions buyers ask before they shortlist vendors, with your named competitors and your own pages captured.
Tests
Each question is run across Google, Google AI Overview, ChatGPT and Perplexity, plus the cited pages behind them. Strong losses are repeated so one odd answer cannot drive the result.
Demand
Google search volume, CPC and ranking difficulty are added to the buyer questions so the report can separate a painful loss from a low-demand distraction.
Fix and retest
Pick the most valuable loss, brief one change to publish and index, then run the same questions again and compare before and after.
What the report contains.
- Buyer loss cardsThe question, who appeared instead, the cited source and the evidence class, in one place.
- Cited source mapThe pages, reviews, threads and answer citations that explain the current shortlist.
- Demand metricsGoogle volume, CPC and ranking difficulty for the buyer searches worth chasing.
- First fix briefOne asset or page change that addresses the strongest repeated loss.
- Retest planThe same questions, run again after the fix is published and indexed.
A paid report only sends when the evidence clears the bar.
Automated checks run first. Every paid report is reviewed by a person before it is sent. Within one working day, we send the report. If we cannot produce one that meets our evidence standard, we refund the payment.
- 12 buyer questionsThe report must cover a varied set of buyer searches, not small wording changes on one prompt.
- Required surfacesGoogle organic, Google AI Overview, ChatGPT and Perplexity must complete without required-surface errors.
- Strong loss cardsEach main card needs named rivals, at least two agreeing surfaces, buyer-grade sources and enough observations to explain the loss.
- Demand checkThe key lost buyer question needs DataForSEO demand, difficulty, CPC or paid-competition data.
- Specific fixThe report needs a concrete three-step fix and a retest condition. Generic SEO advice does not clear review.