Getting Started with RivalHound

Welcome to RivalHound! This guide will help you set up AI search monitoring for your brand and start tracking your visibility across AI platforms.

Quick Setup (5 minutes)

1. Create Your Account

• Sign up at app.rivalhound.com/signup
• Verify your email address
• Complete your profile information

2. Add Your Brand

• Enter your brand name and primary keywords
• Add your website URL
• Select your industry category

3. Configure Competitors

• Add up to 3-10 competitors (depending on your plan)
• Enter competitor brand names and websites
• Set up comparative tracking

4. Set Up Alerts

• Choose notification preferences (email, Slack)
• Set alert thresholds for mentions and sentiment
• Configure monitoring frequency

Understanding Your Dashboard

Brand Visibility Score

Your overall visibility score (0-100) represents how often your brand appears in AI responses compared to your competitors. Higher scores indicate better AI search presence.

Platform Breakdown

• ChatGPT - OpenAI’s flagship AI assistant
• Google AI - Google’s AI Overviews and search features
• Perplexity - AI-powered research engine
• Bing Copilot - Microsoft’s AI search assistant
• Claude - Anthropic’s AI assistant
• Gemini - Google’s next-generation AI

Mentions vs Citations

• Mentions - Your brand name appears without linking to your site
• Citations - Your brand appears with a link back to your website
• Context - How your brand is described and positioned

Best Practices

Optimizing Your AI Presence

1. Create authoritative content that answers common industry questions
2. Maintain up-to-date information about your products and services
3. Build thought leadership through expert content and insights
4. Monitor competitor strategies and identify opportunities

Using Alerts Effectively

• Set up immediate alerts for significant sentiment changes
• Configure weekly summaries for regular competitive tracking
• Use custom queries to track specific product mentions

Next Steps

• Explore your Analytics Dashboard
• Read our API Documentation for integrations
• Check out Optimization Tips for better results
• Contact Support if you need help

Ready to start monitoring? Launch your dashboard or contact our team for assistance.