When you create a project, Gumshoe suggests a website based on what it identifies as your brand's main site. If you type in a subdomain, for example a blog or community site on a different subdomain than your main site, you may see a different, more general website suggested instead once you reach the confirmation screen.
Why does this happen?
Gumshoe's AI looks at the website you enter and tries to identify the correct brand behind it. For a subdomain, it may suggest the brand's main website instead of the exact subdomain you typed. This is only a suggestion, and it happens before your project is created.
How do I keep the exact website I want to track?
- On the "Confirm your brand details" card, click Edit details.
- In the Website field, replace the suggested URL with the exact website, including any subdomain, that you want to track.
- Click Save details, then click Looks good, continue to move on with the rest of the setup.
You can only make this change before your project is created. Once you continue past this step, the website can't be edited, so double check it before moving on.
What should I expect after tracking a subdomain on its own?
A subdomain is treated as its own distinct brand in Gumshoe, separate from your main website. Expect a low or 0% visibility score when you do this. We tested it directly: scoping a project to a subdomain came back with 0% visibility and 0 mentions, even for an established brand. This isn't an error. AI models typically talk about a brand by its main site, not by a specific subdomain, so a project scoped only to the subdomain may not pick up much.
Do I need a separate project to see if my subdomain's content is helping my visibility?
Not necessarily. If your goal is to understand how AI models talk about your brand overall, including any content published on a subdomain, check the Citations section in your existing project. It shows which URLs, including from subdomains, models used as sources when answering questions about your brand.