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Managing Your Prompts

Prompts are the foundation of your AI search monitoring strategy. Unlike traditional SEO keywords, prompts are natural language questions that represent how real users interact with AI assistants. This guide will teach you how to create, manage, and optimize your prompts for maximum insight.

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Why Prompts Matter

Key Insight: AI models work with natural language questions, not traditional keywords. Visibility in AI means being mentioned or having your content cited when users ask relevant questions.

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The AI Search Paradigm Shift

Traditional SEO focuses on keywords and rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). AI search is fundamentally different:

Traditional SEO

  • Keyword-based
  • Page ranking focus
  • Click-through competition
  • SERP position tracking

AI Search

  • Question-based
  • Mention and citation focus
  • Direct answer generation
  • Response content tracking
RankSmith tests your prompts across multiple AI models every 24 hours, giving you continuous visibility into how AI engines perceive and discuss your brand.
Unlike traditional SEO, AI search tracking requires patience. Results take time to be meaningful. Consistent monitoring over weeks and months reveals true patterns and trends.

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Accessing Prompt Management

Navigate to the prompts page from your dashboard sidebar:
1

Open Dashboard

Log in to your RankSmith account and access your dashboard
2

Click 'Prompts'

Navigate to PromptsFind the Prompts section in the left sidebar navigation
3

View Your Prompts

View Prompts SettingsSee all your active, paused, and archived prompts with their performance metrics

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Prompt Management Features

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Filtering and Organization

Filter Prompts Organize your prompts effectively:

Filter by Status

  • Active: Currently being monitored
  • Paused: Temporarily disabled
  • Archived: Stored for reference

Filter by Category

Category Filter
  • Aspirational
  • Reputational
  • Competitive
  • Educational

Search Function

Quickly find specific prompts using keyword search

Customize View

Adjust columns and display settings to match your workflow

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Creating Effective Prompts

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The Anatomy of a Good Prompt

A well-crafted prompt should:
Write prompts as actual questions users would ask an AI assistant. Avoid keyword stuffing or awkward phrasing.Good: “What are the best project management tools for remote teams?”Bad: “project management software tools remote work best”
Target your actual audience and use-cases rather than generic queries.Good: “Which CRM is best for real estate agents managing 50+ leads per month?”Bad: “best CRM software”
Think about what problems your customers are trying to solve and how they’d ask an AI for help.Good: “How can small businesses reduce customer churn?”Bad: “customer churn statistics”
Create prompts for awareness, consideration, and decision stages.Awareness: “What is AI search monitoring?”Consideration: “How does RankSmith compare to traditional SEO tools?”Decision: “Is RankSmith worth it for a SaaS startup?”

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Adding a New Prompt

Follow these steps to add a new prompt to your monitoring:
1

Click 'Add Prompt'

Add New Prompt ButtonFrom the prompts page, click the “Add New Prompt” or ”+” button
2

Write Your Prompt

Type a natural language question that your potential customers would ask an AI assistant
3

Select a Category

Select CategoryChoose the category that best fits your prompt’s purpose
4

Configure Settings

Set processing frequency and platform preferences (optional)
5

Save and Monitor

Click save - RankSmith will begin tracking this prompt within 24 hours

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Prompt Categories Explained

RankSmith organizes prompts into four strategic categories:

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Aspirational

Purpose: Track future goals, innovation, and industry trends Use for prompts about:
  • Industry future and predictions
  • Emerging trends and technologies
  • Innovation and new approaches
  • Vision and thought leadership
Example Prompts: 
"What's the future of AI search in marketing?"
"How will SEO evolve with AI assistants?"
"What emerging trends are shaping customer experience?"

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Reputational

Purpose: Monitor brand image, perception, and sentiment Use for prompts about:
  • Brand mentions and awareness
  • Company reputation and reviews
  • Trust and credibility
  • Customer satisfaction
Example Prompts: 
"What do users think about [Your Brand]?"
"Is [Your Brand] reliable for enterprise use?"
"[Your Brand] reviews and customer experiences"

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Competitive

Purpose: Analyze market position and competitor comparisons Use for prompts about:
  • Direct competitor comparisons
  • Alternative solutions
  • Market positioning
  • Differentiation
Example Prompts: 
"Compare [Your Product] vs [Competitor Product]"
"What are alternatives to [Competitor]?"
"Best [product category] for [use case]"

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Educational

Purpose: Track knowledge sharing and learning opportunities Use for prompts about:
  • How-to questions
  • Educational content
  • Problem-solving
  • Best practices and guides
Example Prompts: 
"How to improve AI search visibility"
"What is the best way to track brand mentions?"
"Guide to AI SEO optimization"
Maintain a balanced portfolio across all four categories for comprehensive AI search visibility tracking.

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Editing and Managing Prompts

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Editing Existing Prompts

Edit Prompts Update prompts as your strategy evolves:
1

Locate the Prompt

Find the prompt you want to edit in your prompts list
2

Open Menu

Edit MenuClick the three-dot menu icon next to the prompt
3

Select 'Edit'

Choose the edit option from the dropdown menu
4

Modify Settings

Update the prompt text, category, or processing frequency
5

Save Changes

Click save - changes take effect in the next monitoring cycle

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Prompt Actions

Available actions for each prompt:

Edit

Modify prompt text, category, or settings

Pause

Temporarily stop monitoring without deleting

Archive

Remove from active view but preserve historical data

Delete

Permanently remove prompt and its data

Duplicate

Create a copy to test variations

View Results

See detailed performance and AI responses

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Prompt Strategy Best Practices

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Start with Core Coverage

Begin with 5-10 prompts covering:
1

Brand Awareness

2-3 prompts asking directly about your brand or product
2

Problem/Solution

2-3 prompts about problems your product solves
3

Competitor Comparison

2-3 prompts comparing you to main competitors
4

Use Case Specific

1-2 prompts targeting your key customer segments

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Expand Strategically

As you learn what works:
  1. Test Variations - Create multiple versions of high-performing prompts
  2. Cover Long-Tail - Add specific, niche prompts for targeted audiences
  3. Monitor Trends - Add prompts about emerging topics in your industry
  4. Fill Gaps - Create prompts where competitors appear but you don’t
Don’t create too many prompts at once. Start with 10-15 and expand to 30-50 over time as you understand patterns.

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Prompt Maintenance Schedule

Establish a regular review cycle:
  • Weekly: Review performance of all active prompts
  • Bi-weekly: Add 2-5 new prompts based on insights
  • Monthly: Archive low-value prompts and audit categories
  • Quarterly: Major strategy review and realignment

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Advanced Prompt Techniques

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Competitor Monitoring Prompts

Track competitor visibility effectively: 
"Compare [Your Product] with [Competitor A] and [Competitor B]"
"What are the pros and cons of [Competitor Product]?"
"Why choose [Your Product] over [Competitor]?"
"Alternatives to [Competitor Product] for [specific use case]"

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Problem-First Prompts

Focus on customer problems: 
"How to [solve specific problem your product addresses]"
"Best way to [achieve outcome your product enables]"
"What causes [problem] and how to fix it"
"Tips for [improving situation related to your product]"

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Decision-Stage Prompts

Capture high-intent queries: 
"Is [Your Product] worth the investment?"
"[Your Product] pricing and ROI"
"How to get started with [Your Product]"
"[Your Product] vs [alternative approach]"

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Measuring Prompt Performance

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Key Metrics Per Prompt

Track these indicators for each prompt:

Mention Rate

How often your brand appears in responses (0-100%)

Average Rank

Average position when mentioned (lower is better)

Trend

Is performance improving, declining, or stable?

Competitor Comparison

How you perform vs. competitors on this prompt

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Optimization Decisions

Based on performance:
  • High performing prompts (Rank 1-3, 60%+ mention rate): Maintain and create similar prompts
  • Medium performing prompts (Rank 4-7, 30-60% mention rate): Opportunity for improvement through content
  • Low performing prompts (Rank 8+, < 30% mention rate): Major content gaps - high priority for new content creation
  • No mentions: Critical gaps - create comprehensive content immediately or reconsider prompt relevance

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid creating 20 variations of the same question. Spread coverage across different topics and intents.
Low performance indicates content opportunities. Don’t just delete them - use them to guide content strategy.
Language and trends evolve. Review and refresh prompts quarterly to stay current.
Most AI searches don’t mention brands directly. Focus on problems, solutions, and use cases.
AI search optimization takes weeks or months. Don’t judge prompts by first-day performance.

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Prompt Templates by Industry

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SaaS/Software

"Best [software category] for [specific use case]"
"How to choose [your category] software"
"[Your Tool] vs [Competitor] comparison"
"What features to look for in [software category]"
"[Problem your software solves] solutions"

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E-commerce/Retail

"Where to buy [product category] online"
"Best [product type] for [specific use case]"
"[Brand] product reviews and recommendations"
"How to choose [product category]"
"[Product] vs [alternative product] comparison"

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Professional Services

"How to choose a [your service type]"
"What makes a good [your profession]"
"[Your service] pricing and costs"
"When do I need a [your service]?"
"Questions to ask [your profession type]"

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B2B Services

"Enterprise [your solution] providers"
"How to improve [problem you solve]"
"ROI of [your service category]"
"[Your service] for [industry vertical]"
"Choosing between [your approach] and [alternative approach]"

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Next Steps

View Your Dashboard

See how your prompts are performing

Getting Started Guide

Review setup basics if you’re new to RankSmith

FAQ

Find answers to common questions

Contact Support

Get personalized help with your prompt strategy
Remember: Quality over quantity. 15 well-chosen prompts will provide more value than 50 random ones. Focus on prompts that reflect real customer questions.
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