Choose the buyer questions to track in AI answers
By the Why Won't AI team · Published · Last updated
As of November 2026, the questions to track are the ones a buyer asks before choosing a product like yours, written the way that buyer would type them. Start from the decision the buyer must make, keep questions that name your brand in a separate group, and write down why each question is in the set.
Start from the buyer's decision
A list of competitors is not a question set. Ask what the buyer is trying to decide at each step, then write the question they would ask at that step. These are the five groups we track for our own product:
| Question type | The buyer is deciding | Example we track |
|---|---|---|
| Symptom | What is wrong | Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my product? |
| Platform | Whether their setup is the cause | Is a site built with Base44 visible to AI crawlers? |
| Category | Which kind of tool to use | Best AEO and GEO audit tools in 2026 |
| Comparison | Which product to choose | Alternatives to Profound for AI search visibility |
| How-to | How to fix it themselves | How do I make a React single-page app readable by GPTBot and ClaudeBot? |
Find real questions
- Sales calls, demo notes and support emails: the exact words people use.
- Search Console: the queries that already bring people to your site.
- Reddit, forums and community threads in your category.
- The questions people ask you before they buy.
Keep branded and unbranded questions apart
A question that does not name you shows whether AI recommends you to someone who does not know you yet. A question that names you, such as what your product costs, shows whether AI describes you correctly. Report the two groups separately, because they answer different questions.
Write questions that do not lead the answer
| Too vague or leading | Better |
|---|---|
| Best SEO tool | Best tool to check AI search visibility for a small business |
| Why is [your product] the best? | Move it to the branded group, or drop it |
| AI SEO | My site is not showing up in AI search results. How do I find out why? |
Add context only when it changes the answer, such as team size, budget or platform. Each extra detail makes the question narrower.
Start small
We started with 15 questions in 5 groups. A small set that you read in full teaches you more than a large set that you only count. Add questions when you know what each new one will tell you.
Change the set on purpose
- Write down the date and the reason for every change.
- Never edit a question in place. Retire it and add the new wording as a new question.
- Decide before you read the answers which questions you will drop and why.
Questions people ask
Should I include my brand name in questions?
Keep branded questions in their own group. They test accuracy, not discovery.
Can AI suggest questions for me?
Yes, as a start. Keep only the ones that match words real buyers use.
Should I include competitor names?
Yes, in comparison questions such as alternatives to a competitor, because buyers ask them.
What this does not tell you
Which questions matter most for your product, how to weight them, and which pages should answer each one.