What replaces keyword research in AI search?

In short: Question research replaces keyword research. Instead of finding keywords with search volume, you find questions people actually ask — even if they have zero volume in traditional tools.

Keyword research was built for Google. Question research is built for ChatGPT, Claude, and AI assistants.

Why keyword research doesn't work

Traditional keyword research fails because:

• •AI prompts don't have search volume
• •Zero-volume questions are often the most valuable
• •People ask questions differently to AI than to Google
• •Keyword tools can't predict what people will ask AI

What replaces it: Question research

Question research means finding:

• •What people ask ChatGPT directly
• •Questions in Reddit threads and forums
• •Problems people describe in support channels
• •Long-tail prompts that never show up in keyword tools

How to do question research

1. 1.Monitor AI conversations — What are people actually asking?
2. 2.Analyze Reddit threads — What problems keep coming up?
3. 3.Check support forums — What questions repeat?
4. 4.Track ChatGPT prompts — What do people ask AI directly?

The framework

Think: Questions over keywords

• •Find questions, not keywords
• •Answer directly, not optimize for volume
• •Target zero-volume prompts, not high-volume terms
• •Build for AI discovery, not search rankings

The conclusion

Keyword research is obsolete for AI search. Question research is what works. Find the questions people actually ask — even if they have zero volume — and answer them directly.