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

# Connecting Your First Domain

> Step-by-step guide to setting up your first domain in Searchable

<Note>
  **On this page:** What is a Domain • Before You Start • Connecting Your Domain • After Domain Setup • Domain Settings • Managing Workspaces • Common Issues • Best Practices
</Note>

## What is a Domain in Searchable?

In Searchable, a **domain** represents a website you want to monitor and optimize for AI visibility. Each domain (backed by a project in the API) can track multiple pages, run audits, monitor AI mentions, and generate optimized content.

<Tip>
  Most users connect **one domain per website** they manage. Under the hood, each domain is stored as a project in the API, but everywhere in the product you'll work with domains.
</Tip>

## Before You Start

Make sure you have:

<Check>Your website's primary domain (e.g., `https://yourwebsite.com`)</Check>
<Check>Access to verify domain ownership (if setting up integrations)</Check>
<Check>A clear understanding of your industry/niche</Check>
<Check>Target keywords or topics (optional but recommended)</Check>

## Connecting Your Domain

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access Domain Setup">
    From your dashboard, click the **"Add Domain"** button in the sidebar, or open **Settings** → **Workspace & Domains** and use the domain table actions.

    <Info>
      Starter ($100/mo) is designed for a single tracked domain. Professional ($300/mo) supports two concurrent domains, Agency (\$750/mo) expands to five, and Custom plans can be tailored for additional scale.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Basic Information">
    Fill in the essential details about your website:

    **Display name**

    * Choose a memorable name for internal reference (optional)
    * Example: "Company Blog" or "Main Website"

    **Website domain**

    * Enter your primary domain
    * Format: `yourwebsite.com` (we'll normalize `https://` for you)
    * Don't include specific pages or paths

    <Warning>
      Make sure to use the correct protocol (http\:// or https\://). This affects how we crawl and analyze your site.
    </Warning>

    **Industry Category**

    * Select your primary industry from the dropdown
    * Options include: Technology, Healthcare, Finance, E-commerce, Education, and more
    * This helps us provide industry-specific recommendations
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Initial Settings">
    Customize how Searchable monitors your website:

    **Monitoring Frequency**

    * All plans include continuous monitoring
    * Audit limits vary by plan (see [Plans & Pricing](/getting-started/plans-pricing))
    * Starter: 25 pages, Professional: 100 pages, Agency: 500 pages (Custom plans are tailored during onboarding)

    **Pages to Monitor**

    * Choose "Auto-discover" to let Searchable find important pages
    * Or manually add specific URLs to monitor
    * You can always add more pages later (within your plan's audit limits)

    <Tip>
      Start with your most important pages to maximize your monthly audit allocation.
    </Tip>

    **Target Keywords (Optional)**

    * Add 3-5 primary keywords relevant to your business
    * These help us track your AI visibility for specific topics
    * Example: "CRM software", "project management tool"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Up Prompts (Recommended)">
    Add initial prompts to track your brand mentions across AI platforms:

    **Default Prompts**

    * Searchable suggests prompts based on your industry
    * These track how AI models mention your brand

    **Custom Prompts**

    * Add industry-specific questions
    * Example: "What are the best CRM tools for small businesses?"
    * Plan limits: Starter (50), Professional (100), Agency (1,000), Custom (configured with sales)

    <Tip>
      Start with 5-10 prompts and expand based on what works. Learn more in [Working with Prompts](/using-searchable/working-with-prompts).
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run Initial Crawl">
    Click **"Create Project & Start Crawl"** to begin:

    **What Happens Next:**

    * Searchable crawls your website (usually takes 2-10 minutes)
    * Discovers pages and analyzes site structure
    * Runs initial technical and content audits
    * Generates your first AI visibility report

    <Note>
      You'll receive an email when your initial analysis is complete. Most crawls finish within 5 minutes.
    </Note>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## After Domain Setup

Once your domain is connected, you'll land on the main dashboard where you can:

### View Initial Results

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Site Health Score" icon="heart-pulse">
    See your overall technical and content quality score (0-100)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pages Discovered" icon="sitemap">
    Review all pages found during the initial crawl
  </Card>

  <Card title="Critical Issues" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    Identify urgent technical or content problems
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Visibility Baseline" icon="chart-line">
    Your starting point for brand mention tracking
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Next Actions

1. **Review Discovered Pages**
   * Navigate to **Pages** tab
   * Mark important pages for priority monitoring
   * Remove any pages you don't want to track

2. **Fix Critical Issues**
   * Go to **Issues** tab
   * Start with critical and high-priority items
   * Follow our recommendations for quick wins

3. **Add More Prompts**
   * Visit **Prompts** tab
   * Add industry-specific questions
   * Import prompt templates

4. **Set Up Integrations**
   * Connect Google Search Console for keyword data
   * Add Google Analytics for traffic insights

## Domain Settings

Access domain settings anytime via **Settings** → **Workspace & Domains** and selecting a domain.

### General Settings

* **Domain name**: Update your domain display name
* **Primary domain**: Change primary domain (requires re-crawl)
* **Industry**: Update industry category
* **Time Zone**: Set your preferred timezone for reporting

### Crawl Settings

* **Crawl Frequency**: How often to audit your site
* **Max Pages**: Limit pages to monitor (based on your plan)
* **Crawl Depth**: How many levels deep to crawl from homepage
* **Excluded Paths**: Skip certain URL patterns (e.g., `/admin/*`)

<CodeGroup>
  ```yaml Example: Exclude Patterns theme={null}
  # Exclude admin pages
  /admin/*
  /wp-admin/*

  # Exclude user-specific pages
  /user/*/profile

  # Exclude test environments
  /staging/*
  /test/*
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Notification Settings

Configure when and how you receive updates:

* **Email Reports**: Daily, weekly, or monthly summaries
* **Issue Alerts**: Get notified when critical issues are found
* **Visibility Changes**: Track significant changes in AI mentions
* **Audit Completion**: Know when crawls finish

## Managing Multiple Workspaces

If you manage more than one brand, upgrading increases how many domains and seats you can run in parallel:

### Understanding Workspaces

Each workspace can host several domains and teammates:

* **Starter (\$100)**: 1 tracked domain, 1 seat
* **Professional (\$300)**: 2 tracked domains, up to 10 seats
* **Agency (\$750)**: 5 tracked domains, up to 25 seats
* **Custom**: Scaled during contracting

### Switching Workspaces

* Use the workspace selector in the top navigation
* Recently viewed workspaces appear at the top
* Pin favorite workspaces for quick access

### Comparing Domains

* Navigate to **Analytics** and switch between domains using the sidebar domain switcher
* See performance across all domains within a workspace
* Identify which sites need attention

### Team Access

* Invite team members in **Settings** → **Team**
* Seats included: Starter (1), Professional (10), Agency (25), Custom (tailored)
* Set permissions per domain
* Share dashboards and reports

## Common Issues & Solutions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="My site isn't crawling or taking too long">
    **Possible Causes:**

    * Robots.txt blocking our crawler
    * Slow server response times
    * Large site with many pages

    **Solutions:**

    * Verify Searchable's crawler is allowed in robots.txt
    * Check your site's performance
    * Start with fewer pages (within your plan's audit limit) and expand gradually
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Some pages weren't discovered">
    **Possible Causes:**

    * Pages aren't linked from your homepage
    * Pages blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags
    * Pages behind authentication

    **Solutions:**

    * Manually add specific URLs in **Pages** → **Add Page**
    * Check internal linking structure
    * Verify crawl depth settings
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I entered the wrong domain">
    You can update your domain in **Settings** → **Workspace & Domains** → **Domain details**. This will trigger a new crawl. Alternatively, delete the domain and create a new one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change my industry category?">
    Yes! Go to **Settings** → **Workspace & Domains** → **Domain details** and update your industry. This will update our recommendations and prompt suggestions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I need more pages/prompts/articles?">
    Your plan determines your monthly limits:

    * **Starter (\$100)**: 25 audits, 50 prompts, 5 articles
    * **Professional (\$300)**: 100 audits, 100 prompts, 25 articles
    * **Agency (\$750)**: 500 audits, 1,000 prompts, 100 articles
    * **Custom**: Tailored allocations and unlimited article generation

    Upgrade anytime in **Settings** → **Billing** or contact [support@searchable.com](mailto:support@searchable.com) for Custom provisioning.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Best Practices

<Check>Start with your most important pages rather than crawling everything</Check>
<Check>Add prompts that your target customers would actually ask</Check>
<Check>Set up email notifications to stay informed</Check>
<Check>Review your dashboard weekly to track progress</Check>
<Check>Connect integrations early for richer data</Check>

## Video Tutorial

<Frame>
  <iframe width="100%" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YOUR_VIDEO_ID" title="Connecting Your First Domain" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Understanding Dashboard" icon="gauge" href="/getting-started/understanding-dashboard">
    Learn to navigate your domain dashboard
  </Card>

  <Card title="Understanding Scores" icon="chart-simple" href="/using-searchable/understanding-scores">
    Understand what your scores mean
  </Card>

  <Card title="Working with Prompts" icon="messages-question" href="/using-searchable/working-with-prompts">
    Create effective prompts for tracking
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set Up Integrations" icon="plug" href="/integrations/overview">
    Connect your tools and platforms
  </Card>
</CardGroup>