Prompts in Surva.ai
In Surva.ai, "prompts" are the search queries and questions you want to monitor across AI platforms. When tracking AI visibility, these prompts are sent to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews to see how your brand appears in responses. Choosing the right prompts is the foundation of effective AI visibility tracking.
What is a Prompt?
A prompt is any phrase or question that users might ask an AI assistant. These reflect how real people search for solutions, compare products, or ask questions in your industry. Examples:
- "best project management software for small teams"
- "how to improve customer retention rate"
- "Asana vs Monday.com comparison"
- "what is CRM and do I need one"
- "top email marketing tools 2025"
The key difference from traditional keywords: prompts should sound like natural questions people would type into an AI assistant, not just search engine keywords.
Prompts vs Traditional SEO Keywords
Traditional SEO focuses on ranking for specific search queries in Google. AI visibility tracking is related but works differently:
| Aspect | Traditional SEO | AI Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Query style | Exact match keywords | Natural language questions |
| Platforms | Single search engine (Google) | Multiple AI platforms simultaneously |
| Success metric | Ranking position (1-100) | Mentioned or not mentioned + mention quality |
| Traffic driver | Click-through rate from SERP | Brand awareness + citation traffic |
| Content format | Page optimized for one keyword | Comprehensive content covering related topics |
In practice, strong organic SEO and strong AI visibility reinforce each other. Content that ranks well on Google is more likely to be cited by AI platforms.
Types of Prompts to Track
A well-rounded prompt strategy covers multiple types of queries that map to different stages of the buyer's journey:
Informational Prompts (Top of Funnel):
- Questions users ask when learning about a topic
- Examples: "What is...", "How to...", "Why does...", "Guide to..."
- These have high AI visibility potential because AI assistants excel at educational content
- Best for building brand awareness and establishing thought leadership
Comparison Prompts (Middle of Funnel):
- Users actively evaluating options and alternatives
- Examples: "X vs Y", "best alternatives to Z", "top 10 tools for..."
- Critical for competitive positioning because these directly influence purchase decisions
- AI platforms frequently generate comparison tables and ranked lists for these queries
Transactional Prompts (Bottom of Funnel):
- Users ready to make a purchase decision
- Examples: "best [product] for [use case]", "[product] pricing", "[product] reviews"
- High commercial intent means these mentions directly impact revenue
- Competition for these prompts is often fierce
Brand Prompts (Defensive):
- Your brand name combined with common modifiers
- Examples: "[your brand] reviews", "[your brand] pricing", "[your brand] alternatives"
- Essential for defensive monitoring - you need to know what AI says about you
- Also track competitor brand prompts to monitor their positioning
Prompt Strategy by Funnel Stage
A balanced prompt portfolio should cover all stages. Here is a recommended allocation:
- 30-40% Informational - Build broad visibility and establish authority
- 25-35% Comparison - Win in the evaluation phase where decisions happen
- 15-20% Transactional - Capture high-intent queries closest to purchase
- 10-15% Brand - Defend your reputation and monitor competitors
Prompt Data We Collect
For each prompt you add, Surva.ai collects and tracks:
- Search Volume - Monthly searches on Google, showing the overall demand for this query
- CPC - Cost-per-click in Google Ads, indicating commercial value
- Trend Score - Current search momentum (0-100), highlighting rising and falling topics
- Competition Level - How competitive the prompt is in paid and organic search
- AI Coverage - Which AI platforms respond to this prompt and whether you appear
- Brand Mentions - Which brands are mentioned by each platform for this prompt
- Citations - URLs referenced in AI responses, especially on Perplexity and Google AI Overviews
- Historical Data - All data is stored over time so you can track trends and changes
Prompt Limits by Plan
Each subscription plan includes a set number of prompts:
- Starter - 50 prompts
- Growth - 100 prompts
- Business - 150 prompts
Need more? Prompt add-on packs give you +25 additional prompts each. You can purchase multiple add-on packs.
Similarly, keyword limits for organic tracking are separate: 30 keywords on Starter, 75 on Growth, and 250 on Business.
Adding Prompts
You can add prompts in several ways:
- Manual entry - Type prompts directly on the Prompts page
- Bulk import - Upload a list of prompts
- Prompt Discovery - Use Surva.ai's Prompt Discovery tool to find relevant prompts automatically based on your industry and competitors
- Competitor analysis - Add prompts based on keywords your competitors are targeting
Best Practices for Prompt Selection
- Start focused - Begin with 10-20 high-priority prompts that represent your most important topics before expanding
- Mix prompt types - Include a balance of informational, comparison, and transactional prompts. Do not over-index on one type.
- Think like your customer - What would they actually ask an AI assistant? Use conversational, natural language rather than keyword-stuffed phrases.
- Include competitor names - Track prompts like "[competitor] alternatives" and "[your brand] vs [competitor]" to monitor competitive positioning
- Update regularly - Review and add new prompts as your market evolves. Use Prompt Discovery to stay on top of emerging queries.
- Use long-tail prompts - Specific prompts like "best CRM for real estate agents" often reveal more actionable insights than broad prompts like "best CRM"
- Monitor gaps - Check the Answer Gaps section to find prompts where competitors appear but you do not - these are high-priority opportunities
Frequently Asked Questions
How are prompts different from keywords in Surva.ai?
Prompts are the queries sent to AI platforms to check brand visibility. Keywords are traditional search terms tracked for organic Google rankings. Both are tracked separately and have separate plan limits (prompts: 50/100/150, keywords: 30/75/250).
Can I change or remove prompts after adding them?
Yes. You can edit, pause, or delete prompts at any time. Deleted prompts free up your quota immediately, but historical data for that prompt is retained.
Should I track the same terms as both prompts and keywords?
Often yes. Tracking a term as both a prompt (AI visibility) and a keyword (organic ranking) gives you the most complete picture of your visibility for that query.