📌 Overview
If you change the competitors in your AI Visibility project and the update does not appear right away, your changes have most likely not been lost. This article explains why a short sync delay can happen, how to update competitors correctly, and how to download your AI Visibility report.
⏳ Why Competitor Changes May Not Appear Right Away
AI Visibility compares your brand with competitors across AI-generated answers. When you change your competitor list, the list itself is saved right away, but existing scores, citations, and rank are not rebuilt. Until you save which competitors appear on the chart, and until a new analysis includes the new competitor, the page can keep showing your previous competitors.
Common reasons a change looks like it was not saved:
- Sync delay: The competitor list updates as soon as the change is saved. Metrics for a new competitor do not appear until the next analysis run, if AI platforms mention that competitor. That can be a manual Re-run Analysis, or the project's scheduled refresh (every 15 days by default).
- Unconfirmed changes: Adding or removing a competitor is saved immediately. Choosing which competitors appear on the chart is saved when you click Save changes. Cancel closes the drawer, and if you already changed the list it can still save that chart selection. There is no confirmation message.
- Cached page: Your browser is showing an older version of the report.
- Invalid entry: Enter the competitor's domain, such as example.com, not a company name. Extra spaces, https://, www, and a trailing path are removed automatically. A value that is still not a valid domain is rejected, and the Add button stays disabled.
- Multiple edits at once: Several changes made quickly do not take longer to process. Each add, remove, or visibility change is saved on its own. Wait until the current save finishes before making the next change.
🛠️ How to Change Competitors in AI Visibility
- Open the brand in Site Explorer, then open its AI Visibility page.
- On the AI Visibility page, click Manage Competitors. This opens the Manage Competitors drawer.
- Add a new competitor, or remove one you no longer want to track. Use the competitor's main domain (for example, example.com) so it can be recognized.
- Click Save changes. This stores which competitors are shown on the chart and closes the drawer. No confirmation message appears. Add and remove are saved by their own buttons before this.
- Stay on the page for a moment, then refresh it to check whether the new list has loaded.
Making all your edits in one session, then saving once, helps avoid conflicts and speeds up processing.
✅ What to Do If Your Changes Still Do Not Appear
Work through these steps in order:
- The competitor list itself is current as soon as it is saved. Refreshing the page does not create scores for a new competitor. Those appear after the next analysis, either from Re-run Analysis or from the scheduled refresh.
- Do a hard refresh. Press Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac to bypass the cached version of the page.
- Check your entries. Make sure each competitor is spelled correctly and uses a valid domain with no extra spaces.
- Confirm the save. Re-open the competitor settings and see whether your changes are listed there.
- Try another browser or a private window. This rules out extensions or cache problems.
- Repeat the change once. If the list is still unchanged after a reasonable wait, make the edit again and save it.
Please avoid making many repeated edits while waiting, since each new change can restart processing.
📥 How to Download Your AI Visibility Report
- Open the AI Visibility report you want to save.
- Choose the date range, filters, or competitor set you want to include so the file matches what you see on screen.
- Look for a Download or Export option, usually near the top of the report.
- Select the format offered and confirm the download.
- Check your browser's downloads folder for the file.
The exact button label and location may vary depending on your plan and the report view you are in. If you do not see a download option, try switching to the main report view, then check again.
💡 Tips for a Smoother Experience
- Finish your competitor changes before downloading, so the report reflects your latest list.
- If you just edited competitors, wait for the sync to finish before exporting. Otherwise, the file may show older data.
- If the download does not start, make sure your browser is not blocking pop-ups or downloads from Search Atlas.
- Keep your competitor list focused on the brands you most want to compare against, so reports stay clear and easy to read.
💬 Need More Help?
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.
To help us resolve your issue faster, mention the project name, the competitors you tried to add or remove, and whether you saw an error message.