Keyword Research in the Age of AI

Update your SEO strategies and Keyword research through building Ideal Customer Profiles. Learn to better understand your customers, where they search and how they search.

Transcript

1. Michael Louderback ROAST Keyword Research in the Age of AI
2. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI QUICK ABOUT ME Michael Louderback SEO Director at 13 Years in Search 8 Years of Enterprise 5 Years Local SEO Experience in Travel, Finance, Energy and Ecommerce
3. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WHAT WE WILL COVER 1. HOW SEARCH HAS CHANGED 2. THE FUNDAMENTALS 3. ADAPTING YOUR PROCESS 4. FINDING PRACTICAL OUTCOMES
4. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI HOW SEARCH HAS CHANGED
5. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI User Search Social Video Engines Platforms Platforms Owned Platforms
6. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI User Search Social Video Engines Platforms Platforms Owned Platforms AI
7. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI AI HAS TAKEN OVER TRADITIONAL SEARCH TOO AI OVERVIEWS, AI MODE, ETC...
8. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI SOME INDUSTRIES HAVE MORE AI OVERVIEWS 80% 78.21% 60% 40% 56.45% 48.74% 42.63% 20% 22.24% g A pp ar el /C lo th in Se rv ic es C ar e H ea lt h/ H ea lt h *Sourced from seoClarity July 2026 C om pu te rs /S of tw ar e B us in es s/ M ar ke ti ng Fi na n ce /A cc ou nt in g 0%
9. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI AI ENGINES HAVE INCREASED USAGE TOO
10. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI KEY AI SEARCH STATISTICS 53% of users engage with AI on a regular basis https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/telecommunications/connectivity-mobile-trends-survey.html
11. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI KEY AI SEARCH STATISTICS 36 Million using AI first for search by 2028 in the US https://www.statista.com/statistics/1454204/united-states-generative-ai-primary-usage-online-search/
12. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI KEY AI SEARCH STATISTICS Only 8% of Users will click on a traditional result if AIO is present Compared to 15% when AIO is not present https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/
13. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THE FUNDAMENTALS OF KW RESEARCH
14. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI DESPITE THE CHANGES KEYWORD RESEARCH IS NOT DEAD
15. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI IT IS BECOMING DEMAND INTELLIGENCE
16. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI IT WAS NEVER REALLY ABOUT KEYWORDS KEYWORDS WERE PROXIES
17. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI SEARCH VOLUME WAS NEVER DEMAND SEARCH VOLUME IS EVIDENCE OF DEMAND
18. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI SEARCH VOLUME MISSES OPPORTUNITIES Emerging Categories New Terminology Demand exists before tools have reliable volume Customers describe problems before markets standardize
19. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI SEO HAS A MEASUREMENT PROBLEM Rankings Traffic Total Visibility Total Influence Impressions Search Volume Total Discovery Total Demand
20. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI OLD VS NEW KEYWORD RESEARCH FOCUS Old Focus New Focus Keyword Intent Buckets Search Volume Competitor Rankings GSC Keyword Performance Customer Journey Intent Community Engagement AI Prompts Citations & Brand Mentions
21. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WHY TRADITIONAL RESEARCH FAILS Semantics Exact Match Missing Data Keywords don’t always neatly fit into topical authority Optimizing for one keyword group may still not work for AI Traditional tools can’t show what people search in AI
22. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI ADAPTING YOUR KEYWORD RESEARCH
23. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WE DON’T NEED TO CHANGE EVERYTHING WE JUST NEED TO UPDATE WHAT WE LOOK AT
24. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI SEARCH VOLUME + GSC METRICS + INTENT CAN STILL BE YOUR PROXY METRICS
25. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WE NEED TO START WITH THE CUSTOMER Ideal Customer Profiles “ICP” What they Search Where They Search How They Search
26. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI START WITH THE CUSTOMER DEAL-FINDER DANA Primary Intent: Cheapest/best-value flights Psychographics: Practical, skeptical, deal-sensitive, comparison-oriented, and proud of finding smart savings What They Need From Us: Lowest realistic fare Flexible Dates
27. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI START WITH THE CUSTOMER DEAL-FINDER DANA Typical Searches: cheap flights to [destination] cheapest month to fly to [destination] best time to book flights nearby airport cheap flights
28. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI START WITH THE CUSTOMER DEAL-FINDER DANA Questions they Need Answered: When is the cheapest time to fly? Should I book now or wait? Are fees included in this price? Is this provider safe to book with? Is the cheapest flight worth the layover or restrictions?
29. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI NOW START GRABBING DATA TO EXPAND THE ICP VALUE
30. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI CAPTURE EVERYTHING Competitor Rankings Seed Keyword Lists UGC & Review Rankings GSC Keyword Data
31. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THIS IS YOUR KEYWORD UNIVERSE Keyword Volume Clicks Impr. Source cheap flights to lisbon 14,800 210 12,400 Ahrefs best time to book flights 22,000 95 18,600 Ahrefs cheapest month to fly to lisbon 1,300 40 3,100 Ahrefs is it cheaper to fly on a tuesday 480 12 skyscanner vs google flights 2,900 0 0 Competitor cheapest way to get to lisbon 720 0 0 UGC / Reddit 900 GSC … 612,432 more rows Wide, ugly, and not yet useful. That's the point, this is background, not the deliverable.
32. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THIS IS YOUR KEYWORD UNIVERSE PROVIDING BACKGROUND DATA
33. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI START CATEGORIZING AND CLUSTERING BASED ON ICP
34. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THIS IS WHERE AI IS HELPFUL! The Prompt The Output Here are 4 customer profiles and their defining needs. [paste ICPs] Keyword Stage cheap flights to lisbon Decision 0.94 best time to book flights Awareness 0.91 Classify each keyword below by: · persona · journey stage · confidence 0-1 Return CSV only. If a keyword fits no persona, say NONE. Conf. skyscanner vs google Consideration flights 0.88 lisbon lounge day pass 0.61 Post-Purch. ← wrong persona. Everything under 0.75 is where the errors live.
35. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI HOW A CLUSTER HELPS Deal-Finder Dana Fare Timing 7,896 Keywords 80.5K SV 30.5K Impressions 700 Clicks 2.3% CTR EVERYTHING ATTACHES TO THE CLUSTER Who’s Ranking Skyscanner, Kayak, Momondo, Expedia, Reddit Top PAA When is the cheapest day to fly? Do flight prices drop on Tuesdays? How far ahead should I book?
36. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI DANA’S PROMPT TAXONOMY Consideration Skyscanner vs Google Flights for finding cheap fares Is it cheaper to book direct or through an OTA? Awareness When is the cheapest time of year to fly to Portugal? How do airlines actually set their prices? Decision Should I book this Lisbon fare now or wait? Are Ryanair's fees included in the price I see? Post-Purchase Can I change my booking date without paying twice? What if I miss a connection on a selftransfer?
37. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI KW Research Workflow Research Customer Demand Profile Intelligence Content Systems AI Visibility From one-off keyword research to an always-on demand intelligence loop.
38. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THE CLUSTER AND DATA HELPS INFORM LIKE KEYWORDS AND PROMPTS FOR TRACKING CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES ON SITE, AND OFFSITE + DEMAND ESTIMATES FOR PROMPTS + CUSTOMER VALUE POTENTIAL + CURRENT SEARCH PERFORMANCE
39. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI INFORMING OPPORTUNITIES Deal-Finder Dana Content Opportunity Route pages with “cheapest month” and “best time to book” modules Price alert education and CTAs Nearby-airport comparison copy EXPAND BEYOND SITE DETAILS Understanding Offsite Cluster KW and prompt ranking signals for UGC, review sites, etc. Offsite Competitors Inform Strategies What videos rank in the cluster Reddit/UGC discussions Travel blogs and listicles
40. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI AND IT’S NOT JUST ONE PROFILE Persona Primary Intent Main SEO Asset Type Best AI Search Opportunity Deal-Finder Dana Cheapest/bestvalue flights Route + fare timing pages Direct answers for cheapest month, booking timing, nearby airports Anywhere Alex Flexible destination Inspiration + discovery Everywhere pages Conversational “where should I go?” recommendations Destination-Hotel Harper Hotel-led trip planning Hotel destination + amenity pages Best hotel by traveler type, amenity, and neighborhood Family-First Fiona Family vacation logistics Family destination + hotel pages Family-specific FAQs and total-cost guidance Big-Trip Maya Major international Destination hubs + trip planning route pages Comprehensive planning answers for first-time international trips AI-Planner Ava Personalized AIassisted planning AI-readable structured recommendations Comparison + itinerary pages
41. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI OR ONE FOCUS Price & Value Travelers Find the best value with confidence and transparency. Inspiration & Flexible Travelers Discover where to go next based on budget, mood, timing, and travel style. Trip-Type Planners Plan the right trip for the specific reason you are traveling. Hotel & Experience-Led Travelers Find stays and destinations that match the experience you want. Big-Trip Researchers Compare route, timing, destination, and stay choices before making a high-cost decision.
42. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI A CUSTOMER-FIRST APPROACH HELPS INFORM HOW WE DO SEO/GEO/AEO Whatever acronym you choose
43. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI FINDING PRACTICAL OUTCOMES
44. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI TOOLS KW DATA AI TOOLS PROMPT TRACKING or whatever gives you SV and Rankings or your preferred AI Platform or your preferred Prompt Tracker Surprise - It doesn’t matter
45. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI BUILDING YOUR BUYER PERSONAS Industry Understanding Industry reporting and behaviors from tools like GWI Product offerings, gaps, and competition Social listening FIND OTHER BEHAVIOR METRICS Internal Data Customer conversations, sales team data, site search, etc. Intuition Take time trying to understand the different people who are interested in what you provide.
46. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WHAT THIS DOESN’T SOLVE Prompt Tracking is Sampled Same prompt, same day, different answer. Treat every reading as one sample, never as the truth. There is no impressions data You cannot calculate share of anything. Nobody can. Be skeptical of any tool that says otherwise. Citations, like rankings, move weekly You are tracking a trend line, not a ranking. What matters is the bottom line, focusing on the customer first. The citations, and rankings, will follow.
47. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI WHAT THIS HAS RESULTED IN: Focused Prompt Tracking New Content Strategies Better Pitches & Kickoffs Stronger Customer Targeting
48. KEYWORD RESEARCH IN THE AGE OF AI THANK YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROAST