Quickstart checklist
Go from a new Rankability account to a grounded workspace and your first single-page, multi-page, API, or MCP workflow.
Go from a new account to a grounded workspace and your first usable result. The path depends on whether the account uses the current Rankability experience or the existing full-platform experience.
Before you begin, have the brand's canonical website, public name, primary language, and service area when location matters. Use a real workspace rather than a demo when you want saved projects and connected data.
Current Rankability quickstart
Create a workspace from the brand's canonical website.
Let Learning your brand finish, then review the extracted brand knowledge and default language and location. Correct any inaccurate service area before starting content.
Choose a first goal:
Create one page for a focused new content asset.
Create multiple pages for a reviewed batch.
Automate with API or MCP to open API-key settings and the guided Claude/Codex connection.
Confirm the topic, page format, language, location, research sources, and instructions before starting.
Return to Projects to track background progress. Open finished work for review; completed work moves to the Complete tab after Mark as done.
Choosing Finish later during setup opens the empty Workspaces view instead of forcing you back into onboarding. Complete the workspace's brand knowledge and defaults before generated work when possible.
Current plans use completed-outcome allowances. Research and briefs do not consume a content-asset unit; a unit is consumed only after Rankability saves the applicable usable content, optimization, or rewrite outcome.
Existing full-platform quickstart
The remaining steps apply to existing accounts with Clients, Activity, Research, Create, Audit, Promote, and Track navigation.
1. Create a client
Open Clients and select New client.
Enter the client’s website.
Confirm or edit the suggested brand name.
Add a location if local search matters. Location is optional.
Create the client. Rankability opens the client’s Activity view.
Initial knowledge setup and keyword research are free. Rankability shows the cost before a metered action begins.
2. Review Activity
Start with the Suggested column. Open a card to see what Serena recommends, why it matters, who owns the next step, and any cost shown before you start.
Activity is a work queue, not the final performance report. Confirm the client and evidence on a card before accepting its recommendation. A card can hand work to another Rankability area, continue in the background, or require a person to complete an external step.
3. Connect data
Open the client’s Settings and choose Integrations. Connect the services that apply to the client, then confirm the correct account and property.
Use the Google account that already has access to the intended property. Initial imports and source platforms can have reporting delays, so a successful connection may not produce complete charts immediately. See Connecting client Google services for property selection and recovery steps.
4. Add or review sources
Open Settings → Sources to review website content and add supported client material. Serena uses these sources as client context.
5. Complete a first workflow
Use Research to save a keyword opportunity.
Use Create to start a brief, draft, or Autopilot run.
Use Track to create a tracking project and run its first scan.
When the product labels an organization's first Autopilot draft complimentary, later Autopilot runs show their credit usage before they start. Do not assume that offer applies when the interface does not display it.
6. Invite or share
Invite teammates from organization settings. For outside stakeholders, use the client portal or a supported revocable share link instead of sharing your own login.
Verify the workspace is ready
A useful first setup should leave you with:
the correct client name, domain, and location;
reviewed client sources and brand context;
the intended integrations connected to the correct properties;
at least one completed research, content, or tracking result;
a clear next task in Activity; and
team or client access that follows least privilege.
Do not treat an empty chart as zero performance until the first import or scan has completed and its freshness is visible.
Common setup problems
The website or brand is wrong — Correct the client settings before creating more work. Project results inherit client context.
A Google property is missing — Confirm the signed-in Google account has access, reconnect, and select the exact property.
A task is still running — Open its current status and wait. Do not create a duplicate run solely because you left the page.
An action uses more than expected — Confirm whether the account uses outcome allowances or credits. On full-platform tools, review keywords, platforms, locations, pages, or other multipliers before approval. Use Control your usage to set safeguards.
An outside stakeholder needs access — Use Setting up the client portal instead of inviting them as an Admin.
Related articles
Last updated
Was this helpful?