Feature category heatmap
Visualize which features each model attributes to which brand.
Last updated: 2026-05-05
Feature category heatmap
The feature category heatmap visualises your perception strength per feature category against each competitor in a single grid. It's the fastest way to spot competitive holes and dominance zones simultaneously.
How to read it
- Rows are feature categories (e.g., Pricing, Performance, Security, UX, Integrations). The categories are derived from your industry taxonomy and refined by the attributes that actually appear in scan data.
- Columns are brands — your brand plus registered competitors.
- Cell colour encodes perception strength on a green-to-red scale:
- Deep green: dominant in this category
- Light green: above average
- Grey: neutral / no signal
- Light red: weak
- Deep red: explicitly negative perception
- Cell number is the 0–1 perception score for that brand in that category.
A "blue line" of green down your column = you're broadly perceived as strong. A red row = nobody owns that category yet (an opportunity).
Colour scale reference
| Cell colour | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Deep green | Dominant in this category | Reinforce with more content on this theme |
| Light green | Above average | Push to own it outright |
| Grey | Neutral or no signal | Check the empty state prompt in the cell |
| Light red | Weak perception | Investigate the driver behind it |
| Deep red | Explicitly negative perception | Treat as a priority remediation |
Smart empty states
| Empty state prompt | Why it appears | Action it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Register competitor | The brand isn't in your competitor list yet | Competitor registration |
| Re-analyze | Perception data exists but predates the active date range | A fresh perception run |
| Run scan | The brand has no underlying scan data | A new AI Scan |
This routes you to the exact action needed to fill the gap.
Practical reads
- Find your moat. A column with one or two deep-green cells and the rest grey means you own a niche — double down on content that reinforces those categories.
- Find the contested category. A row where two or three brands are all light green is a battle zone. Comparison content here pays off.
- Find the blank category. A row of all grey/red is a category where nobody is winning the AI narrative. If it matters to your customers, you can claim it cheaply.
Caveats
- Categories with very low total mentions are flagged as low-confidence (similar treatment to Narrative Drivers).
- Heatmap defaults to Unaided + Problem-Solving + Feature prompts (perception's standard scope) and ignores Aided.
- Switching country or model filters re-renders the heatmap from scratch.
Related articles
- Brand Perception overview
- Perception scoring methodology
- Manage competitors
- Narrative Drivers