1. Start with your services and customers

Write down what you sell, who buys it, and the problems they describe in their own words. Your best keywords usually start in real customer conversations.

2. Gather search terms

• Use Google's autocomplete and "People also ask" boxes.
• Check Google Search Console for queries you already appear for.
• Use a keyword tool to see volume and difficulty.
• Look at what competitors' pages target.

3. Gather real questions

Ask AI tools the questions your buyers might ask and note the follow-up questions they suggest. These conversational questions are the base of your FAQ and article ideas, and they are what answer engine optimization is built on. You can also test them with our free AI visibility audit.

4. Sort by intent

• Informational: "what is…", "how to…". Best for articles.
• Commercial: "best…", "compare…". Best for comparison and guide pages.
• Transactional: "hire…", "near me", "pricing". Best for service pages and local SEO pages.

5. Check difficulty honestly

Target terms you can realistically win. A new site is better off starting with specific, lower-competition searches than head terms dominated by big brands.

6. Map keywords to pages

Give each group one page so your own pages do not compete. Note the main term, supporting terms, and the questions the page must answer. Then apply them with on-page SEO, and read how ChatGPT recommendations depend on clear page wording.

7. Review and refresh

Revisit your list every quarter. New questions appear and old ones fade. Tracking this is part of SEO reporting, and the AI SEO vs traditional SEO guide explains what to measure.

Want it done for you?

See our keyword research service, or pair it with on-page SEO to put the plan to work.