> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerorank.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How ZeroRank works

> Every day we ask AI engines your questions and check if your brand shows up.

ZeroRank runs the same tracking loop daily. You pick the questions you care about. We ask the AI engines those questions. We read every answer. Then you see how your brand is doing.

Here is the loop, step by step.

<Steps>
  <Step title="You pick your questions">
    You choose the questions your customers are likely to ask AI engines. In ZeroRank these questions are called **prompts**. A [prompt](/start/glossary) is a question we ask AI engines for you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="ZeroRank checks the AI engines ">
    We send each prompt to 7 AI engines: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overview, Grok, and Bing Copilot. We do this for you, automatically, every day.
  </Step>

  <Step title="ZeroRank analyzes each answer">
    Each response from an AI engine is saved as a [chat](/start/glossary). ZeroRank reads each chat and extracts the key information, including brand mentions, ranking position, sentiment, and citations.

    We save every answer, so you can read the full chats yourself any time on [Recent chats](/results/recent-chats).
  </Step>

  <Step title="You see scores and trends">
    ZeroRank turns those answers into scores, charts, and trends, so you can see how your visibility changes over time. Everything in one unified dashboard, no spreadsheets to build.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zerorank/S7ptC1g7Ty0AUnDA/ZeroRank-Dashboard.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S7ptC1g7Ty0AUnDA&q=85&s=1a8522dcc86fe7e2c3ce9b976c022e49" alt="Zero Rank Dashboard" width="2930" height="1480" data-path="ZeroRank-Dashboard.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What we measure in each answer

Every time we read a chat, we check four things about your brand:

* **Mentions** — Whether the answer mentions your brand.
* **Rank** — Where your brand appears in the answer compared to competitors.
* **Sentiment** — Whether the AI describes your brand positively, neutrally, or negatively.
* **Citations** — Which websites the AI uses or points to as sources. (Learn more about [citations](/start/glossary) in the glossary)

<Note>
  On Starter, Pro, and Enterprise plans, your prompts run **every day**. On AppSumo lifetime plans, your prompts run **once a week** instead.
</Note>

## A quick example

Let's say you work for Adplexity, a platform that helps advertisers research competitor ads. You want to know how often AI platforms recommend Adplexity when users ask:

**"What are the top native ad spy platforms for Outbrain and Taboola ads?"**

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zerorank/S7ptC1g7Ty0AUnDA/Adplexity-Example.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S7ptC1g7Ty0AUnDA&q=85&s=69645c5905bbb6af02e514d09164b0fa" alt="Adplexity Example" width="2456" height="1466" data-path="Adplexity-Example.png" />
</Frame>

You might discover that competitors are consistently being cited by software review sites, industry publications, or comparison articles that HubSpot is not mentioned in.

Based on these insights, ZeroRank provides recommendations to help improve your visibility, such as creating missing content, strengthening key topics, or increasing your presence on the sources AI platforms rely on most.

That is the core idea behind ZeroRank: track the questions that matter to your business, understand what influences AI-generated answers, and improve your visibility over time.

## How ZeroRank collects data

Some AI visibility platforms rely on APIs, which may provide limited data or omit parts of the user experience.

ZeroRank collects answers directly from AI platforms and analyzes the same responses users see. This is known as data scraping. It allows us to track visibility, mentions, rankings, sentiment, and citations based on real AI-generated answers rather than a limited API dataset.

<Info>
  API vs. scraping: API data shows what's available. Scraped answers show what users actually see. ZeroRank analyzes real AI-generated responses to give you a more accurate picture of your visibility.
</Info>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What is ZeroRank?" icon="circle-help" href="/start/what-is-zerorank">
    Get the big picture of what ZeroRank does and who it is for.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sign up and set up" icon="user-plus" href="/start/sign-up-and-set-up">
    Create your workspace, add your brand, and pick your first prompts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>