Ahrefs adds custom AI prompt tracking as brands watch how chatbots talk about them

Ahrefs has added custom AI prompt tracking to its Brand Radar product, giving companies a way to see how their brand is mentioned in answers generated by artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

In a statement, Ahrefs said the update reflects a shift in how people research products, services and ideas. Instead of typing short keywords into search engines, users are increasingly asking detailed questions directly to AI assistants. Those answers can shape perceptions and decisions in ways that are harder for brands to track using traditional search analytics.

Brand Radar already includes a native index of prompts drawn from popular, high-volume topics. These are broad questions that many people ask, such as comparisons between well-known tools or explanations of common problems. The new custom prompt feature extends that coverage to what Ahrefs describes as the “long tail” of queries.

For a lay reader, long-tail prompts are the more specific, nuanced questions that individual users ask when they are closer to making a decision. Examples might include “Is this software suitable for a small legal firm?” or “What’s the best alternative if I need feature X but not feature Y?” While each question is asked less often, together they can strongly influence buying choices.

“Custom prompts are about granularity,” said Tim Soulo, chief marketing officer at Ahrefs. He said the aim is to give teams a more detailed and realistic picture of how AI systems describe their brand across different contexts, rather than relying only on generic, high-level questions.

Ahrefs said it is also building workflows to help customers generate and expand prompt lists, reducing the risk that teams only track questions that confirm their existing assumptions. By broadening the range of prompts monitored, the company says brands can spot gaps, inconsistencies or negative framing in AI-generated answers that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The move highlights a growing concern among marketers and communications teams. As AI-generated answers become a starting point for research, companies have less direct control over how information is presented. Unlike search results, which link back to multiple sources, chatbot responses often synthesise content into a single narrative, making visibility and tone more important.

Ahrefs positioned the feature as an extension of its focus on organic visibility, updated for an AI-driven environment. The company said it remains bootstrapped and profitable, with more than $100m in annual recurring revenue and no external funding, an unusual position in a sector dominated by venture-backed firms.

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Custom AI prompt tracking is available immediately within Brand Radar for paid Ahrefs customers. Usage is based on the number of checks performed and can be managed through included allowances, prepaid bundles or pay-as-you-go options, according to the company.

As AI tools increasingly act as intermediaries between brands and audiences, products like this suggest a new category of analytics is emerging. Instead of asking how often a website appears in search results, companies are now asking a more abstract question: what does the AI say about us when someone asks?

The Recap

• Ahrefs adds custom AI prompt tracking to Brand Radar.
• Tool monitors AI answers across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
• Feature available now for paid customers with flexible usage.