What questions do my customers ask before buying, and where do I find them?

Companies that write useful content almost never start with an idea for a topic. They start with a question they heard. The closer the question is to what the customer actually says, the greater the chance the text is read, found and, in AI tools, cited.

Where the questions are

• In your conversations. Calls, emails, messages, reception, meetings. It is the best source, because it is the closest to the purchase.
• In whoever answers. Ask whoever talks to customers every day which doubts they hear most. Ask them to note them down for two weeks.
• In reviews. Yours and those of similar companies show what people value and what surprised them.
• In the Google Business Profile. The questions and answers section and the comments say what people want to know.
• In Search Console and Bing Webmaster. They are free, and show the searches that bring people to your website. They are often whole questions.
• In search suggestions. Type the start of a question in Google and see what it suggests, and the "People also ask" section.
• In forums and groups. Business owners' groups and communities in your sector show doubts in people's own language.

An important caution

The free tools from search engines show what is searched in those engines. They do not show the private conversations people have with AIs. To try to understand what AIs answer about your sector, ask the questions yourself and see what they say. You can also ask an AI to suggest questions, but treat them as ideas to confirm, never as proof that someone asks them.

How to order the list

When you have thirty or forty questions, order them by three criteria:

1. Frequency. How often you hear it.
2. Closeness to the purchase. "How much does it cost?", "How does it work?" and "How long does it take?" are closer to a decision than "What is...?".
3. What you can answer well. Start with the ones you can answer with authority and clarity.

One question, one article

Each question deserves its own answer, short and direct, with the answer at the very start. If two questions appear together, they are two texts. That is why each article on this blog answers a single doubt. To see how this connects with AI answers, read SEO vs GEO.

An exercise for this week

Take a notebook and write down, for five days, every question a customer asks. At the end, you have a real list, made by you. It is a good start for a content plan, and it is the first step of what we do in Digital Marketing when we plan content: real questions before ideas.

An example of a log

A simple sheet is enough, with four columns: the question, who asked it, how it arrived (phone, email, review) and how many times it appeared. After two weeks, the ones that repeat rise to the top. Also note the customer's exact words: that is the wording to use in the article title, because it is how people say it and search for it. Over time, the sheet becomes your source of ideas: before writing anything, you consult the list and pick the question that appeared most often. Five minutes a week is enough to keep it up to date, as long as you do not let it pile up.

In short

• The questions already exist: conversations, reviews, Business Profile, Search Console and Bing.
• Search-engine tools do not show conversations with AIs; ask the questions yourself.
• Order by frequency, closeness to purchase and what you can answer well.

Quick questions

Do I need paid tools?

To start, no. Conversations, Search Console and Bing Webmaster give a good, free base.

What if I have few customers?

You still have questions: in sales conversations, in doubts before closing, in quote requests. With few customers, it is even easier to keep track of them.

Can I ask an AI to make up the questions?

It can serve as a list of ideas, but confirm them with real conversations before writing. Made-up questions give articles nobody searches for.