Keyword research in the AI era: how to show up in ChatGPT's answers

Keyword research in the age of artificial intelligence isn't dead; it has expanded. People still search on Google, but more and more of them ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews full questions, and get a single summarized answer instead of a list of ten results. What this means for your business is clear: it's not enough to know which words people type; you need to know which questions they ask, and to build content that AI engines choose to cite when they answer. In this guide we'll break down how to do keyword research that covers both classic Google and the new answer engines.

What has changed in the way people search?

The main change is the shift from a query to a conversation. In classic search, people learned to be brief: עורך דין מקרקעין תל אביב ("real estate lawyer Tel Aviv"), three or four words, then Enter. With an AI engine, the same person writes something completely different: אני קונה דירה יד שנייה בתל אביב, באיזה שלב כדאי לערב עורך דין ומה חשוב לבדוק בחוזה ("I'm buying a secondhand apartment in Tel Aviv, at what stage should I bring in a lawyer and what's important to check in the contract"). A full question, with context, with personal details, and sometimes with follow-up questions in the same conversation.

The answer experience has changed too. Instead of ten blue links, the user gets a single written answer, with a handful of cited sources alongside it. Whoever is cited wins exposure and trust, and whoever isn't simply doesn't exist in that conversation. That's the essence of the new competition: being one of the sources the engine chooses when it writes its answer.

And it's important to keep things in proportion: classic Google still handles the overwhelming majority of searches in Israel, and Google's AI Overviews themselves are built on top of the same index and the same ranking principles. If you're strong in classic search, you come into the new era with a significant head start.

There's good news for Israeli businesses, too: there's much less competition in Hebrew than in English. Answer engines prefer quality sources in the language of the question, and the supply of professional Hebrew content is still thin in most niches. A business that produces organized Hebrew content answering real questions today enters an almost empty field, and it establishes itself as a cited source long before its competitors wake up.

What are AEO and GEO?

These two terms come up in every conversation about SEO in the AI era, so let's define them precisely. AEO, short for Answer Engine Optimization, is optimizing for answer engines: adapting your content so an engine can lift a direct answer from it, whether that's Google's answer box or an AI Overview. GEO, short for Generative Engine Optimization, is optimizing for generative engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity: getting the model to know your business, trust your content and cite it as a source.

The practical difference between them is smaller than it seems. Both rest on the same foundations: content that answers questions directly, a clear structure a machine can parse, and a well-defined business entity. In industry terms, an entity is the business's digital identity: its name, field, location and services, appearing consistently everywhere the business is mentioned. The clearer and more consistent the entity, the easier it is for an engine to identify you as a relevant answer.

Is classic keyword research still relevant?

Yes, and it's more relevant than ever, because it's the foundation everything else is built on. Answer engines don't invent topics: Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews pull sources from search results, and ChatGPT runs a web search when it's asked about businesses and services. The main keyword, what we call the business's authority keyword, still defines the topic everything is built around.

What has changed is what you do around the keyword. We used to settle for a list of keywords and write a page for each one. Today every head keyword sits at the center of a cluster of questions: if you own the keyword הסרת שיער בלייזר ("laser hair removal"), you also need to answer how much it costs, whether it hurts, how many treatments are needed and who it isn't right for. The keywords give you the map; the questions fill it in. If you need that map fast, a professional keyword research service finds the head keywords with the highest search volumes in your field, and all the questions flow from them.

And if you want to brush up on the basics before diving into the world of AI, the complete guide to keyword research covers the classic process from A to Z.

How do you research questions, not just words?

Question research works in three layers: what Google reveals, what the AI engines themselves reveal, and what customers say in their own words. The end product is a simple table: a head keyword in every row, and next to it five to ten real questions that get asked around it. That table is your content plan for the coming months.

What can you learn from Google?

The People Also Ask box is a gold mine of real questions: every question you open reveals more questions, and about ten minutes of digging maps most of the questions around a keyword. The autocomplete suggestions that start with the words "how," "why," "how much" and "when" also reveal how real searchers phrase things.

How do you ask the AI engines themselves?

It's a technique almost nobody takes advantage of: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity the questions your customers would ask, and see what they answer and whom they cite. This is the new version of analyzing a results page. If the engine cites portals and guides, those are your new competitors. You can also ask the engine directly: "Write 20 questions a potential customer would ask before choosing a dental clinic in Haifa." You'll get an excellent working list within seconds.

Where do you hear your customers' real language?

In local Facebook groups, in professional forums and in the WhatsApp messages you get from customers. The phrasing there, including the mistakes and the slang, is exactly how people talk to AI engines. A plumber who reads the Rishon LeZion group will discover that people don't write איתור נזילות ("leak detection"); they write יש לי רטיבות בקיר ואין לי מושג מאיפה ("I have moisture in my wall and no idea where it's coming from"). That's a question worth a page.

How do you get your business to show up in AI answers?

The formula has three components: a structure a machine understands, a consistent entity, and authority across the web. None of them is enough on its own; together, all three work.

A direct answer at the top of every page

Answer engines look for paragraphs that answer a question fully and stand on their own. So every important page on your site should open with a direct answer of two to three sentences, before the details and the marketing. Headings phrased as questions, an answer paragraph right after them, organized lists and an FAQ block at the end. That's exactly the structure an engine can lift a quote from, and it's also a structure people like to read. Another habit worth adopting: define terms explicitly. A simple sentence that explains what roof waterproofing is or what a root canal includes sounds basic, but those are exactly the sentences engines lift as answers. Don't assume the reader, or the engine, knows what the term means.

A clear, consistent entity across the web

The business name, field of activity, city and services should appear the same way on your website, your Google Business Profile, directories and social media. Schema markup (structured code that tells Google who you are and what you do) strengthens that identification. When a language model encounters the same name with the same details in ten different places, it learns that you're a real entity it can recommend.

Mentions and authority: the fuel of GEO

Generative engines tend to cite sources the web already trusts: well-linked sites, frequently mentioned brands, names that recur in the right professional context. This is where the classic work of SEO meets the new era, because the same links and mentions that lift you on Google are what get you into the answers. A professional organic SEO plan that builds authority gradually serves both arenas at the same time.

How do you build a content plan for the age of answers?

Start from the head keywords, derive clusters of questions from them, and build a pillar page with direct answers for each cluster. The pillar page covers the main keyword, and around it are articles that each answer a specific question and link to it. That's how you build complete topical coverage that both Google and the AI engines recognize as real expertise.

Updating is part of the plan, not an add-on: answer engines prefer up-to-date sources, so schedule a quarterly refresh of your main pages. Update prices, add new questions that came up in conversations with customers and check that the answers are still correct. Over time, a living, maintained page beats a page that was written once and forgotten.

Measurement is changing as well. Beyond rankings and traffic, it's worth tracking a set of questions you ask the engines once a month: Is your business mentioned? Is your site cited? At the same time, watch for branded searches: people who heard about you in an AI answer and then searched for your name on Google. We laid out the whole process of turning keyword research into an organized work plan in our article on building a content strategy from keyword research (in Hebrew), and its foundation still holds in the new era: a keyword report for your business that everything else is derived from.

Frequently asked questions

Do people really use ChatGPT to find businesses?

Yes, especially while they're deciding: comparing options, understanding prices and choosing a professional. Generative engines run web searches and cite sources when they answer questions like these, so a business with organized content and a clear entity can show up in the answers. It's a relatively young channel, but it's growing, and businesses that prepare for it early gain an edge.

What's the difference between AEO and GEO?

AEO is optimization for answer engines, with an emphasis on a content structure that lets an engine lift a direct answer, as in Google's AI Overviews. GEO is optimization for generative engines like ChatGPT, with an emphasis on authority, mentions and a consistent entity that the model learns to recognize. In practice, both rest on the same foundations of direct content and authority across the web.

Are Google's AI Overviews killing website traffic?

They're changing it. Some simple questions get resolved in the AI answer without a click, but searches with commercial intent keep leading to websites and Google Business Profiles, and the sources cited in the overview get branded exposure. The practical conclusion: focus on keywords with intent to act and build content worth citing, rather than giving up on the game.

How do I check if my business shows up in AI answers?

Once a month, ask the engines your customers' main questions yourself: who's recommended, how to choose, what's worth it. Check whether the business is mentioned and whether your site appears among the cited sources. At the same time, use your analytics tool to track traffic coming from AI engines and any rise in searches for your brand name.

Should I stop investing in classic organic SEO?

Absolutely not. Most searches still happen on classic Google, and the AI Overviews themselves rely on Google's index and authority signals. Organic SEO is the infrastructure: without it there's nothing to cite and nothing to build answers from. The right approach is to keep building authority and content, and to add on top of them the layer of questions and structure that the age of answers calls for.

What to do next

Want to start in the right place? VeloLinx's automated service returns a professional report on the 15 highest-volume keywords in your field, including the authority keyword you build your AI-era question clusters around. The report goes straight to your email and WhatsApp, for ₪250 + VAT, and within days you go from research to writing. Order the report here and give your content a foundation of real data.