Creating Prompts

The Art of Prompt Design

Prompts are the queries SearchRank AI sends to AI search engines to check for brand mentions. Well-designed prompts reveal how and when your brand appears in AI responses, providing actionable insights for your visibility strategy.

Types of Monitoring Prompts

Direct Recommendation Prompts

Ask AI to recommend solutions for specific needs:

"What are the best tools for [your use case]?"
"Which [product type] do you recommend for [specific need]?"
"Top [number] [product category] for [industry/purpose]"

Comparative Analysis Prompts

Request comparisons to understand positioning:

"How does [Your Brand] compare to [Competitor]?"
"What are the alternatives to [Competitor]?"
"[Your Brand] vs [Competitor]: which is better for [use case]?"

Problem-Solving Prompts

Frame around customer problems:

"How can I solve [specific problem]?"
"What's the best way to [achieve outcome]?"
"I need help with [challenge]. What tools should I use?"

Educational Prompts

Request information about your domain:

"Explain [concept] and list resources"
"What companies are leaders in [your industry]?"
"Who are the key players in [market segment]?"

Creating Your First Prompt

1. Navigate to your domain's Prompts section
2. Click "Create New Prompt"
3. Enter your prompt text
4. Add optional metadata (category, tags)
5. Save and optionally execute immediately

Prompt Design Principles

1. Mirror Real User Queries

Write prompts that match how real users would ask questions:

Good: "What's the best project management tool for small teams?"
Poor: "List software products in project management category"

2. Be Specific Enough

Include relevant context without being overly narrow:

Good: "Best AI visibility tracking tools for SaaS companies"
Too Broad: "Good software"
Too Narrow: "AI visibility tracker for B2B SaaS startups in fintech with 10-50 employees"

3. Avoid Leading Questions

Don't bias the AI toward your brand:

Good: "What are the top SEO tools?"
Poor: "Is [Your Brand] the best SEO tool?"

4. Cover Different Intents

Create prompts for various user journeys:

• Awareness: "What is [category]?"
• Consideration: "Best [category] tools"
• Decision: "[Brand A] vs [Brand B]"

Prompt Categories

Product Discovery

"What tools help with AI search visibility?"
"Best platforms for monitoring brand mentions in AI"
"Software for tracking ChatGPT recommendations"

Feature-Specific

"Tools with competitor tracking features"
"AI monitoring with fuzzy matching capabilities"
"Brand detection software with API access"

Use Case Based

"How to monitor brand visibility in AI search"
"Track when my company is mentioned by ChatGPT"
"Measure AI search performance for marketing"

Industry-Specific

"Best AI monitoring for e-commerce brands"
"AI visibility tools for SaaS companies"
"Brand tracking in AI for healthcare industry"

Building a Prompt Library

Start with Core Queries (10-15 prompts)

• Main product category recommendations
• Key competitor comparisons
• Primary use case solutions

Expand to Edge Cases (20-30 prompts)

• Niche use cases
• Alternative phrasings
• Regional or industry variations

Maintain and Iterate

• Add prompts based on customer questions
• Test variations of successful prompts
• Remove low-value prompts

Prompt Optimization

A/B Testing Variations

Version A: "Best AI monitoring tools"
Version B: "Top AI visibility tracking software"
Version C: "Leading AI search monitoring platforms"

Compare: Which phrasing gets more brand mentions?

Length Optimization

Generally, 10-20 word prompts perform best. Too short lacks context, too long adds unnecessary complexity.

Keyword Inclusion

Include keywords your target audience would use, but keep it natural.

Common Prompt Mistakes

Too Generic

❌ "What's good software?"
✓ "What's the best software for tracking AI search visibility?"

Mentioning Your Brand

❌ "Should I use SearchRank AI?"
✓ "What tools should I use for AI visibility monitoring?"

Too Complex

❌ "If I have a mid-sized B2B SaaS company in the healthcare
    vertical and need to track mentions across ChatGPT,
    Perplexity, Claude, and Google Bard with competitor
    analysis and sentiment tracking and API integration..."

✓ "Best AI visibility tools for B2B SaaS companies"

Measuring Prompt Effectiveness

• Mention Rate: How often your brand appears
• Response Relevance: Are responses in your domain?
• Competitive Insights: Does it reveal competitor data?
• Actionable Results: Can you use the insights?

Best Practices

1. Start with 10-15 core prompts covering main use cases
2. Write as a real user would query
3. Include variety: recommendation, comparison, problem-solving
4. Test and iterate based on results
5. Document which prompts provide the best insights
6. Update prompts as your product evolves

Save time with pre-built options in Prompt Templates.