Alternatives page

What is an alternatives page?

An alternatives page is a page built for buyers who are looking at one product and want to see their other options. It targets searches like "Gong alternatives" or "Mailchimp alternatives for B2B". Its close cousin, the comparison page, targets two-name searches like "Jira vs Linear" or "Asana vs ClickUp".

Let's say you sell a conversation intelligence tool for sales teams. A sales ops lead at a 60-person company has a Gong demo booked, but the quote is more than her budget. She searches "Gong alternatives for small sales teams". Your alternatives page lists six tools, says who each one fits and is honest about where Gong is the better pick. Yours is on the list, with a clear note on why it suits teams her size.

Both page types are BOFU content. The person searching already knows the category and has at least one name in mind. They want help choosing.

Why alternatives pages matter for B2B SaaS

The search intent behind "X alternatives" is about as close to buying as organic search gets. The searcher has a budget, a problem and a shortlist. The only question left is which tool.

Most of these searches show small volumes in keyword tools. I'd build them anyway. Here's why:

• They catch buyers at the switch: People search for alternatives when a contract is up, a price goes up or a tool stops fitting. That's the moment they'll take a demo.
• They feed AI answers: When a buyer asks ChatGPT for "a cheaper option than Gong", the answer leans on alternatives pages and roundups. Your page can be one of the sources.
• They give sales a page to send: Reps hear "how are you different from X?" every week. A fair page with a table answers it before the call.

How to build an alternatives page

The best alternatives pages read like advice from someone who knows every tool on the list. Here's my process:

• Pick competitors from your deals: List the tools you meet most often in won and lost deals. I check the search volume with SEMRush and Google, then read Reddit threads to see which tools buyers compare in their own words.
• Say who each tool fits: Open each entry with one sentence on what the product does well and who it suits best. Then give the facts: starting price, main features, integrations and setup time.
• Add a comparison table: Put every tool in one table with the columns buyers care about, like price, team size and key features. Put a "last checked" date above it.
• Be fair about your own product: Say where you fit and where another tool is the better choice. A buyer who sees you admit that trusts the rest of the page more.
• Help them switch: Explain what moving from the competitor to you involves, like data import, setup time and who does the work. It's often the last question before a buyer commits.
• Give one next step: End each section about your product with a trial or demo link, and repeat it near the top for buyers who decide fast.

Alternatives page examples

Some of the clearest examples come from project and knowledge tools, where buyers compare a lot. Here are two I like:

• ClickUp vs. Asana: ClickUp's page opens with a short verdict on the main differences, then shows a side-by-side table split into "at a glance", features and pricing, with a last-updated date. It adds a "which is right for you" section by team type and a three-step guide to importing Asana data.
• Notion vs Confluence: Notion's page is built around moving off Confluence. Its FAQ points to a Confluence importer for self-serve moves and a migration assessment for big teams, and it speaks to on-premise Confluence users planning a move.

Review sites run alternatives pages at scale too. G2 has an alternatives page for most products it lists, built from its user reviews, so your own page competes with those for the same searches.

We build these pages for clients as part of our BOFU SEO methodology. For Anduin, a private equity SaaS company, we mapped 10.8K in search volume and built 19 BOFU assets around it.

Here's how a hypothetical conversation intelligence company might plan its first set:

How to measure alternatives pages

Traffic will look small, so judge these pages by what they do in deals. Here's what I'd track:

• Demo and trial rate: The share of visits that turn into a demo request or trial sign-up. Compare it with your site average in GA4.
• Pipeline by landing page: Pass the page URL into a hidden form field and send it to your CRM. Then count the opportunities each page started.
• Rankings for every variant: Track the main search and the long versions, like "gong alternatives for startups". One good page usually ranks for dozens of them.
• AI mentions: Run "X alternatives" prompts in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode each month. Check whether you're named and whether your page is cited.
• Sales usage: Ask reps how often they send the page in deals. A page sales won't share needs work.

Common alternatives page mistakes

• Trashing the competitor: A page that makes every rival look bad reads like an ad, and buyers stop trusting it. Say what each tool does well.
• Listing yourself first with no reason: If you put your product at number one, say exactly who it's best for. A plain "we're the best" gives the buyer nothing.
• Letting prices go stale: Competitors change plans every few months. A wrong price on your page is the fastest way to lose the reader.
• Thin entries: Two sentences per tool won't help anyone choose. Give each one enough facts to compare.
• Skipping the switching question: Buyers worry about the move as much as the tool. Cover import, setup time and who helps.

Here's a first step for this week. Ask your sales team which competitor comes up most in deals, then search "[that competitor] alternatives". Who shows up, and are you on any of those pages?