Keyword research is evolving. While traditional SEO still focuses on search queries and rankings, AI search introduces a new layer: understanding how people ask questions when they can have a conversation with a search assistant.
For brands exploring how to get mentioned in Gemini, identifying these AI search opportunities is an important part of content planning.
Think in Prompts and Problems
Traditional keyword research might start with a phrase like “project management software.”
AI search research can go further:
- What is the best project management tool for a remote team?
- Which software is easiest for beginners?
- What tools integrate with Slack and Google Workspace?
These are not just keywords. They represent problems, preferences, and decision-making criteria.
When you find keywords, also document the broader questions around them.
Identify Different Stages of the Journey
Your audience doesn’t ask the same question at every stage.
At the awareness stage, they may ask, “How do I solve this problem?”
During evaluation, they may ask, “What are the best options?”
Before purchasing, they may ask, “Which option is best for my business?”
Your keyword research should cover all three stages.
Look for Entity and Category Opportunities
AI assistants often need to understand relationships between products, companies, categories, and attributes.
Make sure your content clearly explains your relationship to relevant categories.
For example:
Our platform is a project management tool designed for marketing teams.
Simple descriptions can help both users and machines understand what your brand does.
Analyse Competitor Coverage
Competitor research can reveal which topics are already well covered and where information gaps exist.
Don’t just look at the keywords competitors rank for. Look at:
- Their use cases
- Their comparison content
- Their FAQs
- Their guides
- Their product positioning
Then identify opportunities where your brand can provide more helpful or original information.
Turn Research Into Content Clusters
Once you identify AI search opportunities, organise them into topic clusters.
For example:
Pillar topic: Email marketing for SaaS
Supporting topics:
- Best email tools for SaaS
- Email automation strategies
- Email deliverability
- Tool comparisons
- Beginner guides
This approach creates deeper topical coverage and helps users navigate related information.
Measure What Matters
Don’t judge every article only by whether it leads to an AI mention. Track traditional SEO performance, engagement, conversions, and assisted business outcomes as well.
When learning how to get mentioned in Gemini, remember that AI visibility is still developing and can vary based on the query and available information.
The strongest strategy is to use keyword research to find genuine information opportunities and build content that deserves to be discovered.
