Which prompts should I track for AI search?
Track the questions a buyer types at each stage of choosing a product, not your keyword list. Cover discovery, comparison, objections and your own brand name, write each the way a person would ask it, and keep the set fixed so results are comparable month to month.
Free to read, no signup. Nova drafts a prompt set from your site and competitors.
What the engines say about how answers are built
No engine publishes a list of prompts to track, so this Maneuver builds the set from how buyers ask.
One question becomes several searches
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may run several related searches across subtopics for one question. A good prompt set therefore includes the follow-on questions buyers ask next.
AI features and your websiteAI features show up in Search Console
Pages that appear in Google's AI features are counted in the Web search type in Search Console. That shows queries you already earn, which is a good source of prompt ideas.
AI features and your websiteFive steps to build a prompt set
Do it by hand with these steps, or hand the whole thing to Nova.
List the stages of buying
Split the buying journey into stages: finding options, comparing them, checking objections, and asking about a brand by name.
Nova: proposes the stages from your product and market.
Write prompts the way buyers type
Write full questions, not keywords: "What is the best [category] for a team of 20?" Use their words, not your product terms.
Nova: drafts prompts from your site, your reviews and your sales questions.
Add competitors, use cases and roles
Add "[brand] vs [competitor]", "[category] for [use case]" and the questions a specific role would ask.
Nova: adds your competitors and use cases automatically.
Mine questions you already earn
Look at Search Console queries and customer emails for real phrasing. Keep the questions that show intent to buy.
Nova: suggests prompts from your search and redmagnet data.
Fix the set and rerun it monthly
Freeze about 25 to 50 prompts. Change them rarely, so you can compare results over time.
Nova: tracks the set across engines and flags prompts to add.
Short on time? Nova, your AI brand visibility expert, runs this Maneuver on your brand and tracks the result.
Take it to NovaA prompt set by buying stage
| Stage | Prompt | Intent | Why track it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | What is the best [category] for small teams? | Find options | Where you are first named |
| Compare | [Brand] vs [Competitor] | Choose between two | Where deals are won |
| Objection | Is [brand] worth the price? | Reduce doubt | Where wrong claims appear |
Nova then runs the set across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini and shows where you appear.
Take this Maneuver into your own AI agent
Get prompt-portfolio.md, a ready-to-use skill file with the buying stages, prompt patterns and a template for a fixed set. Drop it into Claude, Cursor or any agent that reads SKILL.md files.
Skill file for Claude, Cursor and other agents
- Buying stages and prompt patterns
- Competitor, use-case and role variants
- A fixed-set template for monthly reruns
Questions, answered.
Relevant reads
All articlesLet Nova build and track your prompt set
Nova opens with this Maneuver loaded. You approve every prompt before it is tracked.