HS-401

How People Search

Keywords, prompts, questions and phrases - how people find things in Google and AI tools, and what that means for your content.

Before you can write a page that ranks or gets cited, you need to know what people actually type or ask. This subject covers how search behavior has split into two overlapping habits - short keyword searches in Google and longer, conversational prompts in AI tools - and what that means for how you should structure a page to answer both.

Lesson 1

From Keywords to Prompts: How Search Changed

For a long time, people searched in short fragments: "running shoes flat feet," "best SEO tool," "plumber London." Search engines got good at decoding those fragments into intent.

Lesson 2

Prompt Decomposition: The Sub-Question Strategy

Tracking whether your brand appears in a specific AI prompt is useful but shallow.

Lesson 3

Understanding Search Intent

Search intent is the reason behind a search query.

Lesson 4

Keyword Research Basics

Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases your target audience uses when searching for topics related to your site.

Lesson 5

Structuring Content for Search

Content that ranks well tends to be comprehensive without being padded.