What prompts are and why they matter

What a prompt is

A prompt is a question we put to AI assistants on your behalf during a scan, the kind of thing a real person might ask ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini when researching your market.

Why they matter

AI assistants answer in their own words, drawing on what they "know" about your industry. Your prompts decide what we test. A good spread of prompts tells you:

• Whether you get mentioned at all when someone asks an open question.
• Where you land when an assistant lists options.
• How you stack up when a buyer compares you to competitors.

What a prompt carries

A prompt is more than its text. Each one also has:

• A type, which says what kind of question it is (does it name you, does it compare you, does it ask the category at large). See Prompt categories explained.
• A topic, an optional tag for what the question is about, like pricing or integrations, so you can read results by subject instead of only by question type.
• A search term, the Google search that matches it. It is what lets us check the prompt against Google AI Overviews. Some prompts have no useful search equivalent (a bare brand name, for instance) and are marked as not eligible, so they simply skip that check.

Building a good set

Aim for a mix that reflects how buyers actually search: some that name your brand, and many that don't. Size is set by your plan; balance is up to you, and balance is what matters. The categories help you cover the full range; see Prompt categories explained. You can generate a starter set with AI and refine from there.