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- Prompt tracking focuses on longer, specific phrases
- Start by turning your top SEO money keywords into natural questions people would ask an AI.
- Look at your customer FAQs or ask your audience to find the best prompts to monitor for your business.
In 2026, AI search has changed how people find businesses. AI overviews now appear in approximately 68% of local searches, and AI systems are predicted to handle 25% of all global search queries. At Morningscore, we spotted this shift early – I predicted back in 2024 that SEO would be reshaped by AI. Prompt monitoring is something that gets harder to ignore – even if it less precise than keyword tracking.
If you want to track your visibility in ChatGPT, for example, you will need to know what prompts to add for tracking.
Maybe you are used to keyword tracking. Prompt tracking is similar, but the difference is that:
- Prompts are usually longer and more specific than keywords
- They track mentions of your brand names, not only a blue link to your website
That second point matters more than it looks. AI responses often mention brands without linking back to their websites. So if you only track web traffic, you are likely missing a big part of your actual AI visibility.
Examples of typical keywords and their prompt translation
| SEO Keyword | Corresponding Prompt |
|---|---|
| “Buy laptop” | “Where can I buy a high-performance laptop for video editing under $1500?” |
| “Car insurance quotes” | “Provide car insurance quotes for a 30-year-old driver with a clean record in Los Angeles.” |
| “Best web hosting” | “What are the best web hosting providers for a small e-commerce business with high traffic?” |
| “Personal injury lawyer” | “Find a personal injury lawyer in London specializing in car accident cases.” |
| “Online marketing agency” | “Recommend online marketing agencies that focus on SEO and online advertising for lawyers in Ireland.” |
| “plumber near me” | “Find a 24-hour emergency plumber near Amsterdam that specializes in burst pipes and leaking water heaters.” |
| “debt consolidation” | “Provide a list of companies that offer debt consolidation loans for individuals” |
Notice how specific these prompts are compared to the original keyword.
SEO researcher Ann Smarty said, “more and more people are using prompts instead of keywords.”
So even if this is harder to track precisely, something is better than nothing in my opinion.
How to know which prompt to choose when I can’t see search volume?
In SEO, you can often see an estimate of how many people search for a keyword per month. This is not currently possible with AI chats.
So the tricky part is you kind of have to guess what people prompt for. And there is no bulletproof solution to this.
But here are some actionable step-by-step tips to get you going:
1. Turn your best SEO keywords into short prompts or use them directly
- Use an SEO tool to discover your best keywords with good search volume on Google
- Focus on money keywords like “laptop repair Birmingham” and NOT keywords like “learn how to repair a laptop”
- Now turn those keywords into prompts based on the table above
2. Use your FAQ
- If your website has an FAQ or generally answers typical questions from customers:
- Then use those as ideas for prompts
A simple example: if customers often ask “Do you offer same-day delivery in London?”, that question is already a solid prompt to monitor. You probably already have the answer on your website, too.
3. Figure out what potential customers ask about
- Ask customer support what types of questions potential customers ask
- Ask friends and family what they would ask ChatGPT to find a business like yours
4. Use your website traffic analytics tool (like Google Analytics) to check ChatGPT referrals
- This only works if you are lucky enough to already get traffic from ChatGPT to your website
- See this little practical guide on how to get prompt ideas from ChatGPT traffic
Prompt categories:
| Category | Example Prompt |
|---|---|
| Best product or service | What is the best cheap SEO tool? |
| Planning | I want to go to London during summer. Which central bars have an outside area? |
| Local search | Show me a list of florists in Amsterdam that sell tulips |
| Knowledge search | What are the pros and cons of roll grass for a home garden? |
Above, I listed the typical categories your brand could be mentioned in and an example prompt to use. This is a priority list.
So, “best product or service” is where I suggest you track most of your prompts. This matches current 2026 AI SEO practices – conversational queries like “what is the best X for Y situation” are now central to AI visibility, more so than broad informational terms.
Planning prompts are only relevant for some businesses.
Local search has developed fast. AI overviews now appear in approximately 68% of local searches. This makes local discovery more integrated with AI answers.
Knowledge search is really hard to find the top prompts for since this is such a big and diverse category. And I don’t believe you will get your brand listed in the results very often, even if, for example, an AI used your website as a source to give the user information.
That’s it, folks. Hope this guide helps.
If you need more advice, you are always welcome to ask in our chat 😊
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between search keywords and prompts?
Keywords are specific words used to trigger search engine results, like “buy laptop.” Prompts are longer instructions or questions designed to get a specific answer from an AI chat. While keywords focus on broad search intent, prompts focus on guiding AI behavior and getting a direct answer. You can read more about how this works directly from OpenAI.
How do I choose which prompts to monitor?
The best way is to look at your existing money keywords and turn them into natural questions. You should prioritize prompts strictly related to your core products or services. As outlined earlier in our guide on finding prompts, using your customer FAQs is simply the easiest place to start.
How can I improve my brand’s AI search visibility?
To get mentioned in AI chats, you need to build authority online. This means getting references from trusted sources and keeping your website data clear. Focusing on reputation management and PR efforts will help AI systems trust your brand as an answer. Forbes points out that consistent business information across platforms is key.
Is prompt tracking replacing normal keyword research?
No, prompt tracking is not replacing keyword research. They are two different things that just work well together. Traditional research helps optimize your website content, while tracking AI prompts shows your brand visibility within AI-generated answers. You still need both tools in your belt.
Can I track prompts about my competitors?
Yes, monitoring competitor prompts is a smart way to see how AI views them compared to you. You can craft prompts that ask AI directly to compare your product with a competitor’s. Asking these types of strategic questions can uncover deep competitor insights and show where you might be losing market share.
