What is (AI) Keyword Research?
Keyword research is a classic term in the SEO world. It’s all about discovering relevant keywords that people use in search engines and that match your business. Simply put: it’s about understanding how potential customers can find you online.
AI keyword research takes this process to the next level. With artificial intelligence, you not only analyse data faster, but you also better address search intent and the way people really speak. AI tools process millions of search queries, spot patterns, and pick up on new trends before they go mainstream. Instead of waiting for Google to suggest topics, AI lets you anticipate your audience’s questions early—even in generative search environments like Gemini and ChatGPT.
4 Smart Ways to Discover Which Prompts Your Audience Uses
Tip 1: Get Inside Your (Potential) Customer’s Head
Want to know what your audience is asking? Think like your customer. Ask yourself: “What would I want to know if I were looking for my product or service?” Try to uncover your customer’s problems, doubts, or desires. Think about the different stages of the customer journey: from initial interest to purchase and even after. The better you can empathise, the easier it is to find the right questions and search terms.
Extra tip: Create personas and come up with typical questions or AI prompts they would type.
Tip 2: Analyse Your Own Data
You have more data than you think. Use what you already have to find new prompts. Start with Google Search Console: which search queries bring people to your website? Translate those popular keywords into concrete questions. For example, the keyword “CRM for SMEs” can be turned into a prompt like “What is the best CRM solution for an SME in the Netherlands?”
Also, check your mailbox or chat logs: what questions do customers ask via email or live chat? You’ll often find recurring themes or problems that you can turn into AI prompts. Support tickets and FAQs are also full of questions that concern your customers. By analysing your own data, you’ll quickly discover which topics matter to your audience and what they’re really searching for.
Extra tip: Turn frequently asked questions into AI prompts and test them in AI models. This way, you’ll immediately see if you already have content that addresses them—or not.
Tip 3: Ask AI What People Might Ask AI
Why reinvent the wheel? Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to discover what questions people ask AI. For example, give the command: “What questions do people ask about [your product/service]?” or “What problems are people trying to solve with [your solution]?” This might lead you to: “What doubts does an SME owner have when choosing cloud accounting software?”
AIs are trained on huge datasets and help you spot untapped or emerging questions. Often, these are questions you wouldn’t have thought of yourself, but that perfectly match search intent. This gives you inspiration for new content and keeps you one step ahead of your competitors.
Extra tip: Have AI generate twenty variations on a popular search term, each in question form. This gives you a list of conversational prompts that work well in LLMs.
Tip 4: Compare with Your Competitors
You’re not the only one in the market. Many people search with comparative prompts, especially in the later stages of the decision process. Try prompts like: “Compare our product with [competitor]” or “What’s the difference between [your brand] and [competitor]?” By analysing these comparative questions, you’ll discover where people hesitate, compare, or look for alternatives. And you’ll see how you can position your brand more clearly as the best answer.
Extra tip: Use these insights to create content about the differences by listing pros and cons or showing what makes your offering unique.
From Individual Questions to a Targeted Prompt List
After these four steps, you’ll have gathered a lot of input. Now it’s time to extract the key insights. Bundle all the questions, search terms, and prompts you’ve found. See which questions come up often, which show clear purchase intent, and what aligns well with your offering. Tools like Semrush help you check search volume and competition, so you know where the biggest opportunities lie.
This is how you build a targeted list of prompts and keywords to optimise your content. Add structured data to your content, use clear formats like lists or tables, and strategically place relevant keywords. This way, you’ll score not only in Google, but also on AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Conclusion
AI keyword research is no longer a distant concept, but the smartest way to work today. By putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, using your data wisely, leveraging AI tools, and analyzing competitors, you’ll discover what your audience is searching for. This makes your content more relevant, visible, and ready for the future.
