A prompt shortcode is a placeholder token such as #KEYWORD#, #BUSINESS_NAME#, or #LOCATION# that RankGear swaps out for your own input before it sends the prompt to an AI model.
| Term | Prompt Shortcode |
|---|---|
| Category | AI, Content Generation and Experiments |
| Also known as | Shortcode, Prompt Variable |
| Where it appears | Supplemental Content |
What it means in RankGear
Prompt shortcodes live in Supplemental Content, where you write or reuse the prompts that RankGear feeds to an AI model. Rather than hard-coding a specific keyword or business name into a prompt, you drop a token like #KEYWORD# into the prompt text. When the prompt runs, RankGear replaces each token with the value it currently holds for that field. The practical payoff is reuse: one prompt template can generate copy for many keywords, pages, or locations without you rewriting it each time.
How to interpret it
Treat a shortcode as a substitution marker, not an instruction the model reads. The token only matters at the moment RankGear resolves it into a real value and builds the final prompt. Before you apply or publish anything, check the four things that shape the result: the context you supplied, the model you chose, the cost boundary on the run, and the proposed output. Make sure every shortcode in the template actually has a value to fill it, because an unmatched token can pass through untouched and end up as literal text in what the model returns.
| Shortcode | What RankGear substitutes |
|---|---|
| #KEYWORD# | The target keyword or query for the current item. |
| #BUSINESS_NAME# | The business or brand name you entered. |
| #LOCATION# | The city, region, or service area in play. |
Example
Suppose the prompt reads: “Write a 60-word meta description for #KEYWORD# for a business named #BUSINESS_NAME# in #LOCATION#.” With the keyword set to emergency plumber, the business name to Ace Plumbing, and the location to Austin, TX, RankGear resolves the template into “Write a 60-word meta description for emergency plumber for a business named Ace Plumbing in Austin, TX” and sends that finished text to the model.
Important considerations
- A shortcode that has no matching value is not silently dropped; the literal token can leak into the generated text, so confirm each one resolves before you run the prompt.
- Shortcodes only assemble the prompt. They do nothing to guarantee the answer is correct — AI output can be incomplete or wrong, so verify factual claims, credentials, statistics, citations, and experimental isolation before you use it.
- A reusable prompt template is a workflow convenience, not a ranking lever. Nothing about a shortcode makes a page rank; it simply saves you from retyping the same inputs.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.