Playbooks

Practical implementation guides tailored to your context. Choose the playbook that matches your situation.

Vibecoded Founders Playbook

You are building a new product using AI-assisted development. This playbook helps you define your Deeprank Profile before launch, ensuring AI systems can correctly understand and represent your offering from day one.

Step 1: Define Before Building

Canonical Definition

Pre-Development Declaration

Before writing code, write your Deeprank Profile. This forces clarity about what you are actually building and who it is for. Vague product ideas become precise when you must declare problem class, capabilities, and exclusions.

When It Applies

Action Items

1. Create a draft deeprank-profile.json file in your project root.
2. Fill in the identity layer with your planned business name and entity type.
3. Write the problem declaration in plain language: what problem do you solve?
4. Keep this file updated as your product evolves during development.

Common Failure Mode

Scope Creep Risk

Without early definition, AI-assisted development can lead to capability sprawl. The AI suggests features, you implement them, and suddenly your product does many things poorly instead of one thing well.

Step 2: Problem Class Selection

Canonical Definition

Choose Your Niche

Select a problem class that is specific enough to enable precise matching. Refer to the controlled vocabulary for standardized problem class labels. If your problem class does not exist, propose an addition.

When It Applies

Specificity Test

Ask: "If a user states this problem class as their need, is my product the right answer?" If the answer is "sometimes" or "depends," your problem class is too broad.

Step 3: Capability Boundaries

Canonical Definition

Declare What You Build

List the specific capabilities your product will have at launch. Be precise. "Analytics" is not a capability. "Revenue attribution tracking" is.

When It Applies

MVP Honesty

Your launch capabilities are not your roadmap. Only declare what will actually work on day one. Add capabilities to your profile when they ship, not when they are planned.

Deeprank Resolution

Hallucination Prevention

AI systems may infer capabilities from your marketing or technical content. Explicit capability declarations override inference. If you do not declare "integrates-with-salesforce," AI should not assume it.

Step 4: Fit Conditions

Canonical Definition

Define Your ICP

Translate your ideal customer profile into structured fit conditions. Geographic constraints, customer types, and specific requirements should all be declared.

When It Applies

Constraint Examples

customer_type: ["b2b-saas", "series-a-to-c"]
geographic: ["north-america"]
constraints: ["team-size-10-100", "uses-stripe"]

Step 5: Pre-Launch Exclusions

Canonical Definition

Say No Early

List everything your product will not do at launch. This protects you from being selected for use cases you cannot support. Exclusions are as important as capabilities.

When It Applies

Common Founder Exclusions

"No enterprise features" - prevents selection by large companies expecting SSO/SOC2.
"No custom development" - prevents selection by users expecting bespoke work.
"No phone support" - prevents selection by users requiring high-touch service.

SMB Implementation Playbook

You have an existing business that needs to be correctly represented to AI systems. This playbook helps you audit your current presence and build a structured profile.

Step 1: Audit Current Representation

Canonical Definition

AI Perception Test

Ask several AI assistants: "What does [your business name] do?" and "Would [your business name] be a good fit for [specific use case]?" Document the responses. Note any inaccuracies or gaps.

When It Applies

Audit Checklist

1. Are your core services accurately described?
2. Are your geographic limitations understood?
3. Are your customer type restrictions known?
4. Are capabilities being inferred that you do not have?
5. Are you being recommended for work you cannot or will not do?

Step 2: Identify Mismatches

Canonical Definition

Gap Analysis

Compare AI responses to your actual offerings. Identify three types of issues: underrepresentation (AI misses things you do), overrepresentation (AI claims things you do not do), and misrepresentation (AI describes you incorrectly).

Common Failure Mode

Common SMB Issues

Generalist descriptions that provide no selection signal.
Marketing language that AI cannot parse into capabilities.
Missing exclusions causing bad-fit recommendations.
Outdated information from years-old web content.

Step 3: Build Your Profile

Canonical Definition

Structured Definition

Create your Deeprank Profile following the specification. Fill in all six layers. Use the controlled vocabulary for standardized terms. Be specific and honest.

When It Applies

Translation Exercise

For each marketing claim on your website, ask: "What is the machine-readable equivalent?" "We provide excellent service" has no equivalent. "We offer same-day emergency appointments" becomes constraint: "same-day-available."

Step 4: Deploy Structured Data

Canonical Definition

Implementation Options

Deploy your Deeprank Profile as structured data on your website. Options include JSON-LD in your page head, a standalone /deeprank-profile.json file, or integration with your existing schema.org structured data.

When It Applies

Minimum Deployment

1. Add JSON-LD script to your homepage head with DeeprankSelectionProfile type.
2. Include all six mandatory layers.
3. Reference the Deeprank schema context.
4. Validate with JSON-LD validator.

Step 5: Monitor and Update

Canonical Definition

Ongoing Maintenance

Schedule quarterly reviews of your Deeprank Profile. Re-run the AI perception test. Update capabilities when you add or remove services. Update the last_verified date to signal active maintenance.

When It Applies

Update Triggers

New service offering added - update capability.labels.
Service discontinued - add to non_fit.exclusions.
New geographic market - update fit_conditions.geographic.
Customer focus shift - update fit_conditions.customer_type.

Common Failure Mode

Stale Profile Risk

Profiles with last_verified dates older than 12 months receive lower confidence scores. Regular updates signal active maintenance and increase selection likelihood.