Prompt
A prompt is a question someone asks an AI platform, in their own words. In AI search it takes the place the keyword had in classic search.
A prompt is a question someone types or says to an AI platform like ChatGPT or Perplexity. In AI search, the prompt does the job the keyword used to do in classic search: it's the thing you track to see whether you show up.
The difference is length and intent. People search Google with a few words. They ask an AI platform a whole question, often with their situation spelled out.
Prompt or keyword?
"invoicing software" is a keyword. "What's a good invoicing tool for a two-person design agency that bills in euros?" is a prompt.
The second one tells the platform a lot more, and the answer changes with every detail. A platform might name one set of tools for a design agency and another for a freelance developer. That's why tracking a handful of keywords doesn't tell you much about AI search. You need the questions your customers actually ask.
What makes a good prompt
A good prompt sounds like a customer who hasn't heard of you yet. They know their problem, they don't know your name, and they want a recommendation.
For example, a coffee roaster might track "Which coffee subscriptions deliver beans roasted in the last week?" and "Is a coffee subscription cheaper than buying beans at the supermarket?" Both are questions a buyer asks before they've chosen anyone, which is where being named matters most.
A prompt that names your brand is useful too, but it answers a different question: what the platform believes about you. See branded prompt.
Prompts in AnswerOrbit
In AnswerOrbit, your prompts are the questions we ask the AI platforms for you every day. Each prompt has a market, the country and language it's asked from, and sits in a topic. Each prompt in each market counts once toward your plan.
You can type prompts in, pick from suggestions, start from what people ask on the Demand tab, or import a file. Changing a prompt's words makes it a new prompt, so its history starts again. Topics and prompts walks through all of it.