Competitors may be cited because their pages more directly address the question, provide distinctive evidence, or are easier for the relevant search system to access. Your site may also lack a clear explanation of a service or have outdated information. Different engines retrieve and select sources differently, so one missing citation does not identify the cause or prove that your entire strategy has failed.
Inspect the cited pages for a repeatable pattern: what task they solve, what evidence they contribute, and which details your page lacks. Check indexing and access before rewriting content. Then improve the strongest relevant page with accurate, original information rather than copying a competitor’s wording. Repeat comparable observations over time to assess whether the gap narrows, keeping in mind that model changes and answer variability can also affect results.