How To Guides

Step-by-step guides to help you succeed

Account Setup

How to Create Your SurfRank Account

Setting up your SurfRank account is quick and easy.

Step 1: Go to app.surfrank.ai and click "Get Started Free"

Step 2: Enter your email and create a password, or sign up with Google

Step 3: Check your inbox for a verification email and click the verification link

Step 4: Log in and complete your profile with your name and company

Step 5: You're ready to add your first website and start tracking AI visibility

Your free account includes access to 1 AI engine and basic visibility tracking. You can upgrade to a paid plan at any time for expanded coverage.

How to Add and Manage Websites

You can track multiple websites depending on your plan.

Adding a website:

1. From your dashboard, click "Add Website"

2. Enter your domain (e.g., example.com)

3. Add a brief description of your business

4. Select your primary industry/category

5. Click "Create" to start tracking

Managing websites:

View all your websites from the main dashboard

Click on any website to see its detailed visibility analytics

Add competitor domains from the website settings

Update keywords and tracking preferences at any time

The number of websites you can track depends on your plan tier.

How to Select Your AI Engines

If you're on a Free or Paid plan, you can choose which AI engines to prioritize.

Step 1: Go to Settings → Engine Selection

Step 2: Review the available engines and their descriptions

Step 3: Select the engines most relevant to your audience

Step 4: Save your preferences

Tips for choosing engines:

If your audience uses Google products, prioritize Gemini

For general consumer audiences, ChatGPT has the widest reach

For research-oriented users, consider Perplexity and Claude

For Asian markets, Qwen may be particularly relevant

Expansion and higher plans include all engines automatically

Analysis & Reports

How to Run Your First AI Visibility Analysis

Once you've added a website, running your first analysis is simple.

Step 1: Navigate to your website dashboard

Step 2: Click "Run Analysis" or wait for the automatic analysis cycle

Step 3: SurfRank will query AI models about your brand and industry

Step 4: Wait for the analysis to complete (typically a few minutes)

Step 5: Review your results on the dashboard

Your first analysis establishes your baseline Visibility Score™. This baseline is crucial for measuring improvement over time.

Tip: Add competitor domains before running your first analysis to get competitive insights from the start.

How to Read and Interpret Your Reports

SurfRank reports provide detailed insights into your AI visibility. Here's how to get the most from them.

Start with the Overview: Your Visibility Score™ gives you a quick snapshot. Check if it's trending up or down compared to previous analyses.

Dig into the Engine Breakdown: Identify which AI platforms mention you and which don't. Focus improvement efforts on high-traffic engines where you're currently weak.

Review Mention Analysis: Read the actual AI responses about your brand. Note any inaccuracies you can address through content updates.

Check Competitor Comparison: See where competitors outperform you and analyze what they're doing differently.

Follow Recommendations: SurfRank provides prioritized action items. Start with the highest-impact recommendations and work your way down.

Track Progress: Compare reports over time to see if your optimization efforts are working.

Optimization

How to Improve Your AI Visibility Score

Improving your Visibility Score™ requires a multi-faceted approach. Here's a practical guide.

Improve Mentions (25 pts):

Create content that directly answers questions in your industry

Build brand mentions across authoritative websites and publications

Ensure consistent brand information across all online directories

Improve Prominence (30 pts):

Become the go-to authority in your niche with comprehensive content

Build strong backlinks from trusted industry sources

Create content that AI models are likely to cite first

Improve Sentiment (20 pts):

Encourage positive customer reviews across platforms

Address negative mentions and feedback promptly

Create content that highlights your unique value proposition

Improve Competition (15 pts):

Analyze what competitors are doing well in AI responses

Differentiate your brand with unique positioning

Target gaps where competitors are weak

Improve Citations (10 pts):

Implement structured data (schema markup) on your website

Create linkable, reference-worthy content

Build presence on platforms that AI models frequently cite

How to Track Competitors in SurfRank

Competitor tracking helps you understand your relative AI visibility and identify opportunities.

Adding competitors:

1. Go to your website dashboard

2. Navigate to Settings → Competitors

3. Enter competitor domain names

4. SurfRank will include them in your next analysis

Using competitor insights:

Compare your Visibility Score™ against each competitor

See which AI engines favor your competitors over you

Identify topics or categories where competitors are mentioned and you're not

Analyze the content and authority signals driving their visibility

Tip: Track 3-5 direct competitors for the most actionable insights. Include at least one market leader and one emerging competitor.

Integrations

How to Connect Google Analytics to SurfRank

Connecting Google Analytics to SurfRank takes less than a minute. Here's how:

**Prerequisites**

A Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property set up for your website
Google Analytics tracking code (gtag.js) installed on your site
Admin or Editor access to the GA4 property

**Step 1: Open Website Data**

Navigate to your website in SurfRank and click the Website Data tab. You'll see a Google Analytics card at the top of the page.

**Step 2: Click Connect**

Click the Connect button. A confirmation dialog will appear explaining what data SurfRank accesses and how it's used. Review the information and click Connect to proceed.

**Step 3: Sign in with Google**

A popup window will open asking you to sign in to your Google account. Select the account that has access to your GA4 property.

**Step 4: Grant Read-Only Access**

Google will ask you to allow SurfRank to view your Analytics data. SurfRank only requests read-only access — we never modify your Analytics settings or data.

**Step 5: Select Your Property**

After granting access, you'll see a dropdown listing all GA4 properties on your account. Select the property that matches the website you're connecting, then click Link Property.

**Step 6: View Your Data**

Once connected, switch to the Overview tab. You'll see two new charts: AI Referral Traffic (showing visits from each AI engine) and Visibility vs AI Traffic (correlating your visibility score with actual visits over time).

**Disconnecting**

You can disconnect Google Analytics at any time from the Website Data tab. Click the Disconnect button next to the connected property. This immediately removes all stored tokens and stops data access.