Frequently asked questions

This article gathers the most important issues that may come up during the initial project setup and everyday work with the Semly panel.

Place for a photo:
Screenshot of the Semly dashboard or the help section in the panel

What is Semly

Semly is a platform for monitoring and increasing brand visibility in answers from AI models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, or Google AI Overviews.

Semly helps you check:

• whether AI knows your brand

• for what kind of questions the brand shows up

• whether AI recommends it

• how it compares to the competition

• what sources AI models use

• what actions can improve visibility

Semly isn’t a classic SEO tool. The platform analyzes brand visibility in AI-generated answers, not just positions in search results.

When will I see the first data

The first data can show up after you start monitoring and the AI models’ answers are processed.

The time it takes for data to appear can depend on:

• the number of prompts

• the number of analyzed AI models

• the active plan

• project configuration

• website availability

• product feed availability

• scope of analysis

The first results show your starting point. It’s best to assess a stable change in visibility over a longer period, e.g. after a few weeks of regular monitoring.

Why my brand doesn’t show up in AI

There can be several reasons why your brand is missing from AI answers.

Most common reasons:

• The AI doesn’t have enough information about the brand

• the brand isn’t well connected with the given prompt

• competitors have stronger sources

• the site is missing content that answers the user’s question

• the brand description is too generic

• product descriptions are poor

• the site may be poorly accessible for AI bots

• there’s missing content in the knowledge base

• the AI model uses sources where your brand doesn’t appear

What to do:

• complete your brand profile

• add products or a Google Shopping XML file

• check the prompts

• analyze the sources

• compare yourself with the competition

• follow Semly’s recommendations

• generate content for the most important visibility gaps

The lack of a brand in the answer doesn’t always mean an error. It often means that AI doesn’t yet have clear and reliable enough information to recommend a brand in a given context.

Why competitors show up more often than my brand

Competitors may show up more often if AI models have more data, sources, or content linking them to a given user query.

Possible reasons:

• the competition shows up in rankings

• the competition has more reviews

• the competition has better how‑to content

• the competition has more detailed product descriptions

• the competition is quoted more often

• the competition appears in sources used by AI

• your brand doesn’t have content for a given prompt

• your offer is described too generally

What to check:

• prompts only for the competitor

• sources supporting the competition

• brand position in the answers

• sentiment of the answers

• Semly recommendations

• gaps in content and product data

Greater visibility of the competition doesn’t always mean a better offer. Often it means that AI has more organized information about the competition.

Why results differ between AI models

Different AI models can generate different answers to the same prompt.

The differences can come from:

• other data sources

• a different way of generating answers

• model updates

• different interpretation of the prompt

• different mechanisms for citing sources

• differences in data availability

• a different context of the answer

Example:

Differences between models are normal. That’s why it’s worth analyzing visibility separately for each model and also together for the whole project.

Why visibility changes over time

AI answers aren’t fixed. The same prompt can give different results depending on time, model, sources, and context.

Visibility can change because of:

• AI model updates

• new sources on the Internet

• changes on the brand’s website

• changes in competitors’ content

• new articles in the knowledge base

• product feed updates

• seasonality of queries

• implemented recommendations

• changes in source availability

Don’t judge visibility based only on one day. The most important thing is the trend over time.

Does Semly automatically improve brand visibility

Semly analyzes visibility, shows the sources of problems, and prepares recommendations. Some actions can be done automatically in the panel, and some need to be implemented manually.

Examples of automatic actions:

• generating an article

• preparing content in the Generator

• publishing in the knowledge base

• marking the recommendation as completed

• preparing ready-made content or files

Examples of manual actions:

• pasting the llms.txt file

• updating robots.txt

• adding a link in the page footer

• adding the knowledge base to the XML sitemap

• improving the content in the CMS

• updating data in the store

Semly often prepares a ready-made solution. Your task is to implement it automatically in the panel or copy it and add it in the right place.

Do I need to install code on the website

In most cases, the basic Semly setup doesn’t require installing any code on your website.

You can use Semly through:

• brand data

• prompts

• competitors

• a Google Shopping XML file

• ready-made integrations

• a knowledge base on a subdomain

Some actions may require technical changes, e.g. DNS configuration, adding a link in the footer, updating robots.txt or adding llms.txt.

If a recommendation requires a technical action, Semly provides instructions or a ready-to-use solution you can copy.

Does Semly affect my site’s SEO

Just tracking visibility in Semly shouldn’t interfere with your site’s SEO, because it doesn’t require installing scripts or changing the code.

SEO can only be affected by the actions you implement outside Semly, for example:

• publishing new content

• adding a knowledge base

• internal linking

• updating robots.txt

• changes in the sitemap

• changes in the site structure

• improving product descriptions

Technical changes, such as robots.txt or sitemaps, are worth implementing carefully. If you’re not sure, consult them with a technical person.

What is the Google Shopping XML file

Google Shopping XML is a product file that contains data about products in an online store.

It can include, among other things:

• product names

• product descriptions

• prices

• availability

• categories

• photos

• links to products

• product identifiers

• brand

• EAN or GTIN

Semly uses an XML file to better understand the store’s offer and analyze it in the context of questions asked to AI models.

If you don’t know where to find the XML file, check out the article “How to get a link to the XML file from your store platform”.

What to do if product import doesn’t work

If the products weren’t imported, check the most common reasons.

Possible issues:

• the link doesn’t lead directly to the XML file

• the file requires a login and password

• the login details are incorrect

• the file is empty

• the file contains technical errors

• the server blocks access to the file

• the file address has changed

• the file has incorrect encoding

• the file doesn’t contain the required product data

What to do:

• open the XML link in the browser

• check the link in incognito mode

• make sure you can see the XML structure

• add login and password if the file is protected

• check the file encoding

• contact a technical person or Semly support

If the XML link doesn’t work in the browser, Semly probably won’t be able to fetch the products either.

What is a prompt

A prompt is a question or command from the user to the AI.

In Semly, a prompt represents a real user intention, e.g. a question about a product, a service, a comparison, or a recommendation.

Example of a weak prompt:

living room furniture

Example of a good prompt:

I’m looking for a store where I can order modern living room furniture with delivery and assembly. Where’s the best place to look for it?

The prompt should feel like a natural conversation with the AI, not a short SEO phrase.

How many prompts to add at the start

At the beginning it’s better to add fewer, but well‑thought‑out prompts.

A good start is:

• a few prompts for the most important categories

• a few shopping prompts

• a few comparison prompts

• a few educational prompts

• a few prompts about services or locations, if relevant

It’s better to have 20 good prompts than 100 generic questions that don’t show the customer’s real intent.

What AI answer sources are

Sources are domains, pages, and materials that AI models can use when generating answers.

Sources can be:

• brand website

• blog

• knowledge base

• product pages

• category pages

• rankings

• catalogs

• reviews

• forums

• industry media

• marketplaces

• competitors’ websites

Sources help you understand why AI recommends a given brand or why the competition shows up more often.

What is the Semly knowledge base

Semly knowledge base is a public page with articles prepared based on the analysis of the brand’s visibility in AI.

It can run under your subdomain, e.g.:

knowledge.yourdomain.com

The knowledge base is available to users and LLM bots. It’s technically optimized for AI models and can include an automatic sitemap, llms.txt, structured data, content in Markdown and JSON-LD, and public access via API and MCP.

The knowledge base helps organize information about the brand in a way that’s friendly for users and AI systems.

Should the content in the knowledge base be unique

Yes. Articles in the knowledge base should be unique and shouldn’t be copied 1:1 from a blog, product page, or category page.

To avoid duplicate content:

• create articles for specific prompts

• describe the topic from a different perspective

• add practical context

• link to existing pages instead of copying their content

• update articles according to the recommendations

• avoid repeating the same paragraphs

Don’t publish copies of content from your current site in the knowledge base. Articles should be unique and useful for users.

Do I have to add a link to the knowledge base on my website

Yes, it’s a good idea to add a link to the knowledge base from the main page, for example in the footer.

It’s also worth adding the knowledge base to the XML sitemap.

Thanks to this:

• users will find content more easily

• bots can detect the knowledge base faster

• the knowledge base will be better connected with the main domain

• articles can be more easily analyzed by AI systems

After launching the knowledge base, add a link to it in the site footer and add it to the XML sitemap.

What is llms.txt

The llms.txt file is a simple text file that helps AI systems understand what the site is and where its most important resources are located.

It can contain:

• brand description

• link to sitemap

• link to knowledge base

• links to the most important sections

• information about language and market

• tips for AI systems

The llms.txt file doesn’t replace good content, but it helps AI systems find the most important resources faster.

Are the effects of the recommendations immediate

Not always. AI models and systems that analyze sources may need time to take new content or technical changes into account.

The results can be affected by:

• frequency of model updates

• availability of new sources

• quality of the implemented content

• correctness of linking

• site availability for bots

• competition in a given topic

• number of monitored prompts

• changes in product data

After implementing the recommendations, watch the trend over time. Don’t judge the effect based on just one day.

How to report a problem to Semly

If you need help, write to the Semly support team:

[email protected]

It’s good to include the following in your ticket:

• account email address

• brand name

• domain address

• a short description of the problem

• screenshot

• link to the XML file if the problem concerns products

• prompt name if the problem concerns a report

• information about when the problem occurred

The more specific information you include in your ticket, the faster the Semly team will be able to help.

Related articles

• Welcome to Semly

• Quick start with Semly

• Key metrics

• How to complete your brand profile

• How to add products or a Google Shopping XML file

• How to read the Visibility Report

• How to read Semly recommendations

• How to set up a knowledge base on a subdomain

Summary

The most common questions are usually about project setup, brand visibility, differences between AI models, product import, sources, recommendations, and the knowledge base.

The most important rules:

• complete the brand profile

• add products or an integration

• create prompts as natural user questions

• analyze the report together with competitors and sources

• implement recommendations starting from the highest priority

• publish unique content in the knowledge base

• add a link to the knowledge base on your website

• watch trends over time

• if you run into any problems, contact [email protected]

If you’re not sure where to start, go to the article “Quick start with Semly” and follow the basic project setup steps.