How to Set Up Rank++ for Your Small Business: A Complete Guide

The way people search for information is fundamentally changing. Instead of scrolling through ten blue links on Google, millions of users now simply ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity for recommendations. They type "What's the best local bakery for wedding cakes?" or "Which small accounting firm specializes in restaurant taxes?" and receive direct answers—often with specific business names mentioned.

Here's the challenge: if your small business isn't showing up in those AI-generated responses, you're invisible to a rapidly growing segment of potential customers. Traditional SEO helped you rank on Google. But ranking in AI search results? That requires something different.

Enter Rank++, a cloud-based platform specifically designed to help businesses optimize for AI engines—a practice known as AI Engine Optimization, or AEO. Unlike traditional SEO tools that focus on search engine rankings, Rank++ helps ensure your business gets cited, recommended, and mentioned when AI assistants answer user queries.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know to set up Rank++ for your small business. From creating your account to running your first website audit to implementing the optimizations that make AI systems notice you—we've got you covered. No coding skills required, no complex technical setup, just practical steps you can follow today.

Understanding AI Engine Optimization: Why It Matters for Small Businesses

Before diving into the setup process, let's quickly address why AEO deserves your attention. If you're already familiar with the concept, feel free to skip ahead to the setup section. But if you're wondering whether this is just another marketing buzzword, stick with me for a moment.

Traditional search engines like Google work by crawling websites, indexing content, and displaying ranked results when users search. You've probably spent years (and maybe significant money) trying to appear on that first page of results. That approach isn't going away—but it's no longer the only game in town.

AI search tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity work differently. They don't show a list of websites. Instead, they synthesize information from their training data and sometimes live web searches to provide direct answers. When someone asks "What accounting software works best for a small retail business?", they get a conversational recommendation—not a list of links to click.

For small businesses, this shift creates both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is obvious: if AI systems don't know about your business or can't accurately describe what you do, you simply won't get mentioned. The opportunity? Many of your competitors haven't figured this out yet. While they're still focused exclusively on traditional SEO, you can get ahead by optimizing for AI visibility.

This is where Rank++ comes in. The platform provides nine specialized tools designed specifically to improve how AI systems understand, index, and cite your business. It's cloud-based, requires no software installation, and works through a straightforward credit system. Most importantly for busy small business owners, you don't need coding skills or a technical background to use it effectively.

Getting Started: Creating Your Rank++ Account

Let's begin with the practical steps to set up your Rank++ account. The platform offers a generous 14-day free trial with 25 credits, which gives you enough resources to test all the core features on your website before committing to a paid plan.You can sign up here

Step 1: Accessing the Platform

Navigate to the Rank++ website and look for the "Start Free Trial" button. One of the immediate benefits for cautious small business owners: no credit card is required to start the trial. You won't accidentally get charged if you forget to cancel, and there's no pressure to make a purchasing decision before you've tested the tools.

Click the free trial button to begin the registration process.

Step 2: Account Registration

You'll need to provide some basic information:

• Email address: Use a business email if possible, as this becomes your login credential and where you'll receive verification emails and account updates.
• Password: Create a strong, unique password for your account. Given that you'll be connecting your business website to this platform, security matters.

After submitting your information, check your email inbox for a verification message. Click the confirmation link to activate your account. If you don't see the email within a few minutes, check your spam or promotions folder—verification emails sometimes get filtered.

Step 3: First Login and Dashboard Orientation

Once verified, log into your new Rank++ account. You'll land on the main dashboard, which serves as your command center for all optimization activities.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the interface. You should see your credit balance displayed prominently—25 credits for the trial period. These credits are your currency for using the various tools, and understanding how to spend them wisely is crucial for getting maximum value from the platform.

The dashboard organizes access to all nine Rank++ tools:

1. Website Audit - Analyzes your site for AI visibility issues
2. AI Entity Graph Generator - Creates structured data about your business
3. Schema Builder - Generates JSON-LD code for individual pages
4. Content Optimizer - Suggests improvements to make content more AI-friendly
5. Index Now - Notifies search engines about new or updated pages
6. Directories - Submits your site to trusted directory listings
7. Prompt Lab - Tests how AI systems respond to queries about your business
8. KP Engine - Converts keywords into content prompts
9. Citation Builder - Generates embeddable citations

Don't worry if these tools seem unfamiliar—we'll cover the most important ones in detail throughout this guide.

Adding Your Website: Setting Up Your First Project

With your account created, the next step is connecting your business website to the platform. Rank++ uses a project-based structure, allowing you to manage multiple websites from a single account if needed.

Creating Your First Project

From the dashboard, locate the "Add Project" or "Add Website" button and click it. You'll need to provide:

• Website URL: Enter your full business website address (e.g., https://yoursmallbusiness.com. Make sure to include the complete URL with https:// if your site uses SSL encryption—which it should for security reasons.

• Project Name: Give your project a recognizable name like "Main Business Website" or "Store Site." This becomes especially useful if you manage multiple sites or want to separate different sections of your business for analysis.

Adding Your Sitemap (Optional but Recommended)

Rank++ works more effectively when it has access to your website's sitemap—an XML file that lists all the pages on your site. While this step is optional, providing your sitemap enables more comprehensive audits and analysis.

Not sure if you have a sitemap or where to find it? Here are a few ways to locate it:

Method 1: Check your robots.txt file Visit yourwebsite.com/robots.txt in your browser. If you have a sitemap, it's often listed there with a line that reads "Sitemap: [URL]"

Method 2: Try common sitemap URLs Many websites use standard locations:

• yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
• yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml
• yourwebsite.com/wp-sitemap.xml (for WordPress sites)

Method 3: Check Google Search Console If you have Google Search Console set up for your site, your sitemap location is listed under the Sitemaps section in the Index menu.

Method 4: Check your website platform Most modern website builders like Shopify, Squarespace, and WordPress automatically generate sitemaps. Check your platform's documentation or settings for the specific URL.

Enter the sitemap URL if you found it, or proceed without it. You can always add it later.

Saving and Finalizing Your Project

Click save to create your project. A few important notes about how Rank++ handles projects:

• Credits are shared: Your 25 trial credits (and any paid credits later) are pooled across all projects. You're not locked into spending specific credits on specific sites.
• Unlimited projects: You can add as many websites as you need without additional charges.
• No API keys required: Unlike some technical tools, Rank++ doesn't require you to generate or input API keys. The platform handles all the technical connections internally.

Your project is now ready for optimization. Let's explore how to use the core tools effectively.

Running Your First Website Audit

The Website Audit tool is typically the best starting point for any new Rank++ user. It provides a comprehensive analysis of how well your site is currently optimized for AI visibility, giving you a roadmap of issues to fix and opportunities to pursue.

Initiating the Audit

From your dashboard, select your newly created project, then click on "Website Audit." The platform will confirm that running the audit costs 1 credit. For a 25-credit trial, this is a worthwhile investment—the audit provides foundational insights that guide all your other optimization efforts.

Confirm the credit expenditure to start the audit. Depending on your website's size and complexity, the analysis may take a few minutes to complete. Rank++ crawls your pages, analyzes your content structure, checks for structured data, and evaluates various factors that influence AI visibility.

Understanding Your Audit Results

When the audit completes, you'll receive a detailed report covering several key areas:

AI Visibility Score This overall score indicates how well-positioned your site is for AI search inclusion. Think of it as a letter grade for your current AEO status. A low score isn't a cause for panic—it's information you can act on.

E-E-A-T Analysis E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—factors that Google emphasizes and that AI systems also consider when deciding whether to cite sources. The audit identifies gaps in how your site demonstrates these qualities.

Common E-E-A-T issues for small business websites include:

• Missing author information on blog posts or articles
• Lack of credentials or qualifications displayed
• Missing contact information or business verification
• Absence of testimonials, reviews, or social proof

Structured Data Assessment Structured data (like JSON-LD schema markup) helps search engines and AI systems understand your content in machine-readable format. The audit checks whether you have structured data implemented and, if so, whether it's correctly formatted.

Many small business websites have minimal or no structured data, which is a significant opportunity for improvement. If your audit shows structured data gaps, that's actually good news—it means you have room to improve relative to competitors.

Specific Recommendations Perhaps most valuable, the audit provides actionable recommendations tailored to your site. These might include:

• Adding organization schema to your homepage
• Implementing product schema on e-commerce pages
• Improving content to include more entities and factual statements
• Adding FAQ schema to relevant pages
• Fixing technical issues that prevent proper indexing

Review these recommendations carefully and prioritize based on potential impact and ease of implementation. You don't need to fix everything at once—focus on the most important improvements first.

Generating Your AI Entity Graph

One of Rank++'s most powerful features for small businesses is the AI Entity Graph generator. This tool creates structured data that explicitly defines your business as an "entity"—a distinct thing that AI systems can understand and reference.

Why Entity Graphs Matter

AI systems struggle with ambiguity. If your website mentions "Smith's Bakery" but never clearly establishes that this is a bakery business located in Portland, Oregon, specializing in custom wedding cakes, operated by Jane Smith since 2015—the AI might not connect all those dots.

An entity graph creates explicit relationships between your business and its attributes: what you do, where you are, who runs it, what makes you different. This structured information helps AI systems accurately describe and recommend your business when relevant queries arise.

Creating Your Entity Graph

Navigate to the AI Entity Graph tool in your dashboard. Select your project, then initiate the generation process (1 credit).

Rank++ can often auto-generate entity information by analyzing your existing website content. However, you may be prompted to provide or confirm specific details:

• Business name and legal entity type
• Physical location(s)
• Industry and specializations
• Founding date and history
• Key personnel
• Products or services offered
• Unique differentiators

The more accurate and complete this information, the better your entity graph will represent your business to AI systems.

Implementing the Generated Code

Once generated, Rank++ provides JSON-LD code—a format specifically designed for structured data. This code needs to be added to your website, specifically in the header section or footer of your homepage.

Don't panic if you're not technical. Adding JSON-LD code is simpler than it sounds, and modern website builders make it straightforward:

For WordPress sites:

• Navigate to Appearance → Theme Editor
• Open the header.php file
• Paste the JSON-LD code just before the closing </head> tag
• Alternatively, use a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers to add the code without editing theme files

For Shopify stores:

• Go to Online Store → Themes
• Click "Edit Code" on your active theme
• Open the theme.liquid file
• Paste the code in the <head> section

For Squarespace:

• Navigate to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection
• Paste the code in the Header section

For Wix:

• Go to Settings → Custom Code
• Add new code to the Head section

If you're uncomfortable making these changes yourself, the code is easy to copy and share with a web developer or virtual assistant who can implement it in minutes.

Building Page-Level Schema with Schema Builder

While the Entity Graph establishes your overall business identity, Schema Builder generates structured data for individual pages. This is particularly valuable for:

• Product pages on e-commerce sites
• Service description pages
• Team member or staff pages
• Event listings
• FAQ pages
• Blog posts and articles

How Schema Builder Works

Access Schema Builder from your dashboard and enter your sitemap URL (or individual page URLs if you don't have a sitemap). The tool analyzes your pages and generates appropriate JSON-LD schema for each.

Each page processed costs 1 credit, so be strategic about which pages you prioritize during your trial. Focus on:

1. Your homepage - Often the most authoritative page on your site
2. Your "About Us" page - Establishes credibility and expertise
3. Your main product or service pages - What you actually sell or offer
4. High-traffic pages - Where visitors already spend time

Download the generated JSON-LD snippets and add them to the header section of each respective page. The implementation process is similar to adding your entity graph, just repeated for each page.

Common Schema Types for Small Businesses

Schema.org defines hundreds of structured data types, but small businesses typically benefit most from:

• LocalBusiness - For brick-and-mortar locations
• Organization - For companies without physical storefronts
• Product - For individual products you sell
• Service - For services you provide
• FAQ - For question-and-answer content
• Article/BlogPosting - For content marketing pieces
• Person - For team member profiles
• Review - For customer testimonials

Schema Builder automatically selects appropriate types based on page content, but review the output to ensure accuracy.

Optimizing Content for AI Visibility

Great structured data helps AI systems understand your site, but the actual content matters too. The Content Optimizer tool analyzes your text and suggests improvements that make your content more likely to be cited in AI responses.

Running Content Optimization

Select Content Optimizer from the dashboard. You can either:

• Paste a page URL for the tool to analyze the live content
• Paste text directly for analysis

Each optimization costs 1 credit. Start with your most important pages—homepage, main services, best-selling products.

What the Content Optimizer Analyzes

The tool evaluates several factors:

Entity Density AI systems understand and reference specific entities—people, places, organizations, concepts. Content that clearly mentions relevant entities is easier for AI to process and cite. The optimizer suggests adding or clarifying entity mentions.

Factual Specificity Vague claims like "We're the best" don't give AI systems much to work with. Specific facts like "Serving Portland since 2015" or "Over 500 five-star reviews" provide concrete information AI can reference.

Structural Clarity Well-organized content with clear headings, concise paragraphs, and logical flow is easier for AI systems to parse and understand.

Completeness The optimizer identifies gaps where important information might be missing—business hours, service areas, pricing information, credentials, etc.

Implementing Suggestions

Review the optimization suggestions and implement them directly in your website's content management system. You don't need to accept every suggestion—use your judgment about what makes sense for your brand voice and audience. But pay particular attention to:

• Adding specific facts and figures where appropriate
• Clarifying entity mentions (names, locations, brands)
• Improving content structure with clear headings
• Filling informational gaps that AI systems might need

If you're looking for more guidance on creating AI-optimized content, our guide on AI-powered SEO for small businesses covers content strategies in greater depth.

Using Index Now for Faster Discovery

When you make changes to your website—new content, updated pages, implemented schema—search engines and AI systems don't discover those changes instantly. Traditional crawling can take days or even weeks.

Index Now solves this by immediately notifying search engines that you've made updates worth crawling. It's like sending a direct message saying "Hey, something new is here—come look."

When to Use Index Now

Use this tool whenever you:

• Publish new content (blog posts, product pages, services)
• Implement new structured data
• Make significant content updates
• Fix errors identified in your audit
• Add or update critical business information

How to Submit URLs

Navigate to Index Now in your dashboard. Enter the URLs of new or updated pages (you can submit multiple URLs in a batch). Each submission costs 1 credit.

After submission, search engines are notified immediately. This doesn't guarantee instant indexing, but it significantly speeds up the discovery process compared to waiting for natural crawling.

Leveraging Free Directory Submissions

Here's some good news for budget-conscious small business owners: the Directories tool is completely free. No credits required, unlimited use.

Why Directories Still Matter for AI Visibility

You might think directory listings are outdated, but they serve an important purpose for AEO. When your business appears consistently across multiple trusted directories—with matching name, address, phone number, and other details—AI systems gain confidence that your business is legitimate and accurately described.

These directory listings essentially corroborate the information on your website, strengthening your overall entity profile.

Using the Directories Tool

Access Directories from the dashboard. The tool provides a curated list of trusted directories where you can submit your business. Click through to each directory and follow their submission process—typically filling out a business profile form.

Focus on:

• General business directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.)
• Industry-specific directories relevant to your niche
• Local directories for your geographic area
• Professional association listings if applicable

Consistency is key. Ensure that your business name, address, phone number, and website URL are identical across all listings. Even small variations can create confusion for AI systems trying to build your entity profile.

Testing AI Responses with Prompt Lab

How do you know if your optimization efforts are working? The Prompt Lab tool lets you test how AI systems respond to queries about your business.

Setting Up Test Prompts

Access Prompt Lab and create test queries that a potential customer might use to find a business like yours:

• "What's the best [your service] in [your city]?"
• "Can you recommend a [your industry] company that specializes in [your specialty]?"
• "Who offers [specific product/service] near [your location]?"

Each test costs 1 credit. The tool queries AI systems and shows you the actual responses—including whether your business is mentioned, how it's described, and what competitors appear.

Interpreting Results

Don't expect immediate miracles. If your business wasn't being cited by AI systems before optimization, it may take time for changes to propagate. Use Prompt Lab to:

1. Establish a baseline - Test before major optimizations to see where you stand
2. Monitor progress - Check periodically after implementing changes
3. Identify gaps - See what competitors are doing right if they're being mentioned and you're not
4. Refine your approach - Use insights to guide further optimization efforts

Content Creation with KP Engine and Citation Builder

Rank++ includes two additional tools designed to help with content creation:

KP Engine (Keyword Prompt Engine) This tool transforms keywords into AI-generated prompts for blog posts, social media content, and other marketing materials. Enter relevant keywords for your business, and KP Engine produces prompts you can use with AI writing assistants to create optimized content.

Citation Builder When you want other sites to cite your business in a specific way, Citation Builder generates embeddable citations. This is useful for:

• Press releases
• Partner websites
• Industry publications
• Guest posts

Both tools cost 1 credit per use and can help streamline your content marketing efforts.

Monitoring Your AI Visibility Over Time

Optimization isn't a one-time task. AI systems continuously update their knowledge, competitors are optimizing too, and your business evolves. Rank++ includes insights and monitoring features to track your progress.

Weekly Insights

The platform provides weekly insights that track:

• Changes in AI citation frequency
• Which AI platforms are mentioning your business
• How your visibility compares to previous periods
• New opportunities based on emerging queries

Review these insights regularly and adjust your strategy accordingly. If certain pages or topics are gaining traction, double down on them. If expected improvements aren't materializing, investigate whether implementation was correct or try different approaches.

Practical Use Cases for Different Business Types

Let's explore how different types of small businesses might prioritize Rank++ tools:

Local Service Businesses (Plumbers, Electricians, Cleaners)

Priority tools:

1. Website Audit - Identify local SEO and AEO gaps
2. AI Entity Graph - Establish your service area and specializations
3. Directories - Build local citations for geographic relevance
4. Schema Builder - Add LocalBusiness schema to homepage

Key optimizations:

• Clearly define service areas in your content
• Include specific services offered with detailed descriptions
• Display credentials, licenses, and certifications prominently
• Add customer reviews and testimonials

E-commerce Stores

Priority tools:

1. Schema Builder - Add Product schema to all product pages
2. Content Optimizer - Enhance product descriptions
3. AI Entity Graph - Define your brand and product categories
4. Index Now - Quickly notify AI of new products

Key optimizations:

• Detailed product specifications and features
• Clear pricing information
• Shipping and availability details
• Customer reviews on product pages

If you're using AI for other aspects of your e-commerce operations, you might also benefit from our guide on automating social media with AI.

Professional Services (Consultants, Lawyers, Accountants)

Priority tools:

1. AI Entity Graph - Establish expertise and credentials
2. Website Audit - Identify E-E-A-T gaps
3. Content Optimizer - Strengthen authority signals in content
4. Schema Builder - Add Person schema for key professionals

Key optimizations:

• Display qualifications and certifications
• Publish thought leadership content
• Include case studies and results
• Make team expertise visible

Restaurants and Hospitality

Priority tools:

1. Schema Builder - Add Restaurant/LocalBusiness schema
2. Directories - Claim all relevant food and local directories
3. AI Entity Graph - Define cuisine, ambiance, specialties
4. Content Optimizer - Enhance menu and description pages

Key optimizations:

• Current menu with descriptions
• Location and hours clearly stated
• Reservation information
• Dietary options and specialties highlighted

Pricing and Upgrading After Your Trial

The 14-day trial gives you 25 credits to explore the platform. That's enough to:

• Run 1 comprehensive website audit
• Generate 1 AI entity graph
• Process 10-15 pages through Schema Builder
• Optimize 5-8 pieces of content
• Submit several Index Now requests
• Test a handful of AI prompts

Plus unlimited directory submissions.

Post-Trial Options

When your trial ends, you have a few paths:

Continue with a paid plan: The standard subscription is $49/month for 200 monthly credits. Credits reset each month (no rollover from previous months). This is enough for ongoing optimization of a typical small business website with regular content updates.

Use free features only: The Directories tool remains free indefinitely. You can continue submitting to directories and maintaining your citations without a paid subscription.

Export your data: Before your trial ends, export any reports or generated code you want to keep. Your audit results, entity graph code, and schema snippets are valuable even if you don't continue with the platform.

Cancellation

If you decide to cancel, navigate to billing settings in your account. Cancellation is straightforward with no penalties or hidden fees. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period.

Getting Help and Support

If you encounter issues during setup or have questions about implementing recommendations:

Documentation: Rank++ provides guides and documentation accessible from the platform Support: Contact the support team for assistance with technical implementation Code help: If you're uncomfortable adding code snippets to your site, support can provide guidance or suggest solutions for your specific website platform

Next Steps: Building Your AEO Strategy

Setting up Rank++ is just the beginning. Here's a recommended roadmap for small businesses starting their AEO journey:

Week 1: Foundation

• Complete account setup and add your website
• Run your first website audit
• Generate and implement your AI entity graph
• Submit to 5-10 key directories

Week 2: Page-Level Optimization

• Run Schema Builder on 5-10 priority pages
• Implement generated schema code
• Use Content Optimizer on top pages
• Test initial AI responses with Prompt Lab

Week 3-4: Refinement

• Address remaining audit recommendations
• Continue content optimization
• Monitor weekly insights
• Adjust strategy based on results

Ongoing:

• Use Index Now for new content
• Continue directory submissions
• Regularly test AI responses
• Review and act on weekly insights

If you're new to using AI tools for your business overall, our guide on how to start with AI as a small business provides helpful context for integrating these technologies into your operations.

Conclusion: Positioning Your Business for the AI Search Future

The shift toward AI-powered search isn't coming—it's already here. Every day, more users turn to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and similar tools to get recommendations instead of traditional search results. For small businesses, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Rank++ provides a accessible, no-code solution for improving your visibility in AI-generated responses. The platform's credit-based system keeps costs predictable, the 14-day free trial lets you test before committing, and the nine specialized tools address different aspects of AI Engine Optimization.

The most important thing is to start. Run that first audit. Generate your entity graph. Begin implementing structured data. Each step moves you closer to being discovered and recommended by AI systems—putting your business in front of customers who are increasingly looking for answers in new ways.

AI search optimization isn't about replacing traditional SEO. It's about adding another layer of visibility for your business. The small businesses that figure this out early will have a significant advantage over competitors who wait.

Your AI Entity Graph is waiting to be generated. Your website audit is ready to reveal opportunities. The tools are there. Now it's time to use them.