Overview
When you run a GBP (Google Business Profile) Audit in Search Atlas, the tool automatically identifies competitors based on signals such as your business category, location, and keyword relevance. This process is designed to surface the businesses most likely competing with you in local search results.
Some customers find that the auto-selected competitors do not feel relevant to their business. This article explains why that happens and what options are currently available.
How Competitor Selection Works
Search Atlas automatically determines which businesses appear as your GBP Audit competitors. Because Google's local algorithm weights multiple factors dynamically, the competitors selected by the audit are intended to reflect real-world search competition rather than only the businesses you might consider direct rivals.
Current Limitation: Manual Competitor Selection
At this time, Search Atlas does not support manually selecting, replacing, or excluding individual competitors within the GBP Audit. The competitor set is determined automatically and cannot be edited on a per-audit basis.
We understand this can be frustrating, especially when:
- Your business serves a niche audience not fully reflected by category alone.
- Auto-selected competitors operate in an adjacent but different segment.
- A listed competitor has closed or changed its business focus.
What You Can Do Right Now
While manual competitor replacement is not yet available, there are steps you can take to get the most value from your GBP Audit results:
- Review the audit insights in context. Even if some competitors feel tangential, the ranking gaps and optimisation suggestions they reveal often apply broadly to your category.
- Focus on actionable recommendations. The audit highlights missing attributes, photo gaps, review velocity, and category alignment — all improvements that help regardless of which specific competitor triggered the insight.
- Ensure your Google Business Profile category is precise. Log in to your Google Business Profile directly in Google and confirm your primary category is as specific as possible. A more precise category may help Search Atlas surface closer competitors in future audits.
- Submit a feature request. The ability to manually select or exclude competitors is a feature our team has logged for consideration. To register your interest and help prioritise this on the roadmap, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform, type human teammate, and let our team know you'd like manual competitor selection added to the GBP Audit. Your feedback directly informs product decisions.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.