Measure and improve · 6 min read
Choosing Which Questions to Track
Tracking the wrong questions gives you a precise measurement of something that does not matter. Spend real time on the list.
The short answer
Track the questions a customer asks before choosing a business like yours, in their words, not your marketing terms. Mix broad questions ('best dentist in Tampa') with specific ones that reflect what makes you different ('dentist in Tampa that takes Delta Dental and opens Saturdays'). Keep the wording fixed between scans so results stay comparable.
Start from your customers, not your keywords
People ask AI tools full questions, often with context: who they are, where they live, what constraint matters. 'Plumber Miami' is a search keyword. 'Who can fix a leaking water heater in Kendall this weekend without charging a fortune' is a question a person actually types into a chat.
The best source is your own front line. Ask whoever answers your phone what callers ask before they book. Read the questions in your contact form submissions. Note the objections a salesperson hears. Those are the questions customers carry into an AI tool.
Balance broad and specific
Broad questions are where your competitors are strongest and where the most customers start. Specific questions are where a smaller or specialist business has the best chance of being the clear answer. A list made only of broad questions can look hopeless; a list made only of narrow ones can look rosier than reality.
- Broad: 'best family law attorney in Fort Lauderdale'
- Service-specific: 'lawyer for a contested custody case in Broward County'
- Constraint-specific: 'Spanish-speaking family lawyer in Fort Lauderdale with free consultations'
- Comparison: 'is it better to use a mediator or a lawyer for divorce in Florida'
Include the questions that lead to a decision
Some questions are informational ('how long does a roof replacement take') and some are choices ('who should I hire to replace my roof in Sarasota'). The choice questions are where a business gets named or not, and they are the ones most worth tracking.
Informational questions still have a place if the answer could reasonably mention a provider, or if being the source for that answer matters to you. Just do not let them crowd out the questions where a customer is picking someone.
Fix the wording, then leave it alone
The value of tracking comes from asking the same question the same way, scan after scan, so a change in the answer reflects a change in the tools and not a change in your phrasing. Found in AI keeps your questions fixed for exactly this reason.
Edit the list deliberately and occasionally: when you add or drop a service, move into a new area, or realise a question was never one customers ask. Every edit restarts the history for that question, so avoid tinkering.
Cover what you most want to be known for
If one service carries most of your margin, make sure several of your questions are about it, from different angles. If you serve two cities, track both. Found in AI lets you track a set number of questions, and the leaderboard and score are built from them, so the list effectively defines what your report says about you.
We help you choose and word the questions when you start, based on what customers in your trade ask, and you edit the result.
Your checklist
- Collect ten real questions from your phone calls, emails and contact forms
- Rewrite each one the way a customer would type it into a chat
- Mark each question as broad, service-specific, constraint-specific or comparison
- Make sure your most profitable service appears in several questions
- Include every city or area you want to be known in
- Drop questions that are purely informational and unlikely to name a business
- Decide on final wording and avoid editing it without a reason
Common questions
Should I track my own business name?
A question like 'is [your business] any good' can show what tools say about you, but it does not tell you whether you are named when a customer does not already know you. Prioritise questions where the customer is choosing.
Can I track questions in Spanish?
Yes, if your customers ask in Spanish. Write them the way those customers really phrase them, rather than translating your English list word for word.
How often should I change my list?
Rarely. Change it when your business changes, not because a question looks bad. A stable list is what makes the trend meaningful.
Read next
How to Read Your AI Visibility Report
A report has a lot of numbers on it. Here is what each one means, which ones to look at first, and which to stop worrying about.
Read the guide →Turning Visibility Gaps Into Content
The gap list is the most practical part of your report: a set of specific questions, the businesses named instead of you, and a suggestion for each. Here is how to work through it.
Read the guide →Tracking Competitors in AI Answers
Your competitors in AI answers are whoever the tools name for your customers' questions. That list is worth studying closely, because it is often not the one in your head.
Read the guide →See where you stand today.
Found in AI asks five AI tools the questions your customers ask and shows where you are named, where you are linked and where a competitor is named instead.