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    Getting Started

    This guide walks through the first-run journey in Rank Pilot AI SEO, from creating an account to switching on Autopilot for the first time.

    1. Sign Up

    Go to /signup and create an account with an email address and password. This registers the user and creates the underlying account record that every website, subscription, and setting will be attached to.

    2. Verify Your Account

    After signing up, you'll be directed to /verify-account. A verification code is sent to the email address used at signup — enter this code on the page to confirm ownership of the address and activate the account. If the code doesn't arrive, check spam first; the verification screen also allows requesting the code again. Verification must be completed before the rest of the dashboard becomes fully available.

    3. Add a Website

    Once verified, you'll land on the /welcome page, which introduces the platform. From here, add the website you want Rank Pilot to work on. Each website gets its own record and its own set of tools (audits, keywords, rank tracking, and so on), reachable at routes like /website/$id/analyse and /website/$id/keywords.

    Shortly after your first website is added, a Google onboarding modal will appear automatically (it only pops up once per account, tracked in local storage, though it can be reopened at any time). It walks through five short steps:

    1. A welcome explanation of why Rank Pilot needs Google access.
    2. A prompt to open Google Search Console, add your website as a property, and choose HTML tag verification, which gives you a verification code.
    3. A field to paste that code (or the full meta tag Google gives you) — the modal automatically extracts the code and generates the <meta name="google-site-verification" content="..."> snippet for you to copy.
    4. Instructions to add that snippet to your site's <head>.
    5. A finishing step that returns you to the dashboard.

    4. Connect Google Search Console

    Whether or not you complete the onboarding modal immediately, the same setup is always available on the Connectivity page for a website (/website/$id/connectivity). This page brings together:

    • A Google Search Console card with a connect button that starts the OAuth flow and shows whether a connection is already live.
    • A verification helper (shown automatically while GSC isn't connected) where you can paste your verification code, save it, and run a live check that fetches your site and confirms the meta tag is actually present.
    • An optional Google Ads connection, behind a checkbox, for accounts that want ad spend and conversion data alongside organic data.
    • A section for Google Search API keys, for advanced or self-managed API credentials.

    Once the verification tag is confirmed and the OAuth flow completes, the Connectivity page will show Search Console as connected, along with the matched property URL.

    5. Run Your First Audit

    With a website connected, open Analyse (/website/$id/analyse) and run a site audit. This scans the website for on-page and technical SEO issues and produces a prioritised set of findings to work through.

    6. Add Keywords

    Go to Keywords (/website/$id/keywords) and add the search terms you want to track and improve rankings for. These keywords feed the Rank Tracker and SERP Checker, and inform which pages and content Rank Pilot's tools focus on.

    7. Enable Autopilot

    Once you have an audit and keywords in place, visit Autopilot (/website/$id/autopilot) to review the automated fix rules available for your plan and switch on the ones you're comfortable with. Autopilot applies eligible fixes on an ongoing basis so the site keeps improving without manual intervention for every change. Some Autopilot capabilities are plan-gated — if a rule isn't available on your current plan, you'll see an upgrade prompt rather than the option being applied silently.

    What's Next

    From here, use Search Performance and Reports to track real Search Console data over time, check Competitors and Backlinks for wider context, and revisit Analyse periodically as new issues surface. The Connectivity page remains the place to return to if you ever need to reconnect Google, rotate API keys, or add Google Ads later on.