Keyword research is the process of discovering, analyzing, and selecting the search terms and phrases that users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services.
Traditional keyword research includes:
- Identifying relevant search terms
- Analyzing search volume and trends
- Assessing keyword difficulty
- Understanding search intent
- Mapping keywords to content
Keyword research for AI visibility:
- Focus on questions users ask AI
- Understand conversational query patterns
- Consider topic clusters over individual keywords
- Analyze what triggers AI recommendations
AI-era keyword research differences:
- Long-tail conversational queries matter more
- Question-based queries are increasingly important
- Topic authority trumps individual keyword ranking
- Understanding user intent is paramount
Effective keyword research now requires thinking about both traditional search terms and the natural language questions users ask AI assistants.