One question we hear often is: How do I choose the right prompts to monitor in AI Search?
This comes up a lot, and it’s no surprise. User behavior is evolving. More people are shifting from Google to ChatGPT for their research, and instead of relying on keywords, they’re using prompts.
Some prompts are incredibly long, while others are short and to the point. So, where should you even begin when it comes to monitoring them?
Insights from Semrush’s ChatGPT Study
I frequently refer to the latest study by Semrush, published in February 2025. This research analyzed over 80 million clickstream records to examine the influence of ChatGPT on website traffic and user behavior.
You can explore the full study here. Below are some of the findings I found particularly fascinating regarding search behavior:
Search Prompt Length
There’s a notable difference between how people use ChatGPT versus ChatGPT Search. The study revealed that the average ChatGPT prompt is 23 words long, compared to just 4.2 words for ChatGPT Search. This demonstrates a significant variation in search habits depending on the platform.
(source)
Put simply, enabling SearchGPT significantly reduces prompt length, making it more comparable to traditional Google searches.
What Does This Mean for You and Your Business?
Here’s a general guideline:
If your primary focus is on ChatGPT’s web search results, there’s no need to rely on lengthy prompts. Instead, you can use shorter prompts that resemble your Google keyword strategy.
Search Intent Analysis
The Semrush study not only examined the length of search prompts but also delved into search intent—why users are turning to ChatGPT. For brands and marketing teams, this insight is critical for understanding user behavior and optimizing your content and website to align with these search intents.
When comparing search intent between Google and ChatGPT, it’s clear that users often turn to ChatGPT for informational queries (learning about topics) rather than navigational queries (locating specific websites). This trend aligns with our observations and data, as users increasingly see ChatGPT as an “answer engine.
(source)
Which Search Prompts Should you Track?
If you’re tracking or optimizing for prompts on ChatGPT (or other AI Search Engines like Perplexity), we generally recommend you to consider:
1. Informational Queries
These are closest to traditional search keywords:
- “What is [topic]?”
- “How does [process] work?”
- “Benefits of [product/service]”
- “Alternatives to [competitor]”
📌 Example:
For a CRM SaaS → “Best CRM tools for small business” or “HubSpot alternatives for startups”
2. Comparative Prompts
Users often compare tools directly:
- “[Tool A] vs [Tool B]”
- “Is [Tool] better than [Competitor]?”
3. Task-Based or Instructional Prompts
How-to or step-by-step tasks:
- “How to set up email automation in [tool]”
- “Create a marketing plan for a SaaS startup”
4. Evaluative Prompts
Judgment-seeking or decision-making:
- “Is [Product] worth it?”
- “Best tools for [use case] under $50/month”
5. Prompt-Starters for Ideation/Creation
These are growing:
- “Give me 10 ideas for…”
- “Write a blog post about…”
- “Generate a pros/cons list for…”
📊 To Track:
Use your keyword list and turn those into prompt variants. You could group and monitor them by intent (informational, transactional, navigational, etc.) and see how often your brand or content shows up.
How OtterlyAI Can Help You Discover the Best Search Prompts
Over the past few months, OtterlyAI has welcomed thousands of marketing managers and SEO professionals to our monitoring platform. Through this journey, we’ve gained valuable insights into identifying and crafting the most effective search prompts.
And with our latest product updates, we’ve made Prompt Research even easier for you. You now have three simple ways to get started:
- Brand-Based Prompts: Provide your brand name, and we’ll generate relevant search prompts for you.
- SEO Keywords: Share your key SEO terms, and our tool will transform them into actionable prompts.
- URL-Based Prompts: Input any website URL, and our tool will extract key topics to create search prompts.
After logging into your OtterlyAI account, head over to AI Keyword Research.
OtterlyAI simplifies the process of generating relevant search prompts for you. You can review each suggestion and choose the ones you’d like to monitor continuously. That’s it! Once you’ve added your selected search prompts, they will appear in AI Search Monitoring. From there, we’ll handle the rest, automatically tracking them for you. Each week, you’ll receive updated reports directly in your OtterlyAI account.
Tracking brand mentions and link citations on AI Search has never been simpler. Give it a try here.
Additional Resources and Tools
Below are some useful resources and tools designed to streamline your work in SEO and GEO.