What does search behavior mean for SEO?
One of the most important steps in SEO settings is understanding how users search for the services or products offered by a company. Based on this analysis, the right titles, descriptions, images, keywords, FAQs, and structured data are selected, and the website structure is determined.
There are various ways to understand search behavior and thus optimize a website's SEO. These complement each other. Artificial intelligence simplifies this process.
How does Google Trends help understand search behavior and make SEO decisions?
Google Trends is a free tool that shows how frequently certain search terms are used compared to each other. It's particularly useful for distinguishing between different word variations—for example, whether users search more frequently for "vegan restaurant in Vienna" or "vegan food in Vienna." This insight can help companies tailor their website structure and optimize their content accordingly. Using AI, such data can be automatically analyzed and recommendations for action generated.
How can Google's "People Also Ask" feature be used to understand search behavior and target SEO?
Google's "Related Questions" feature—also known as People Also Ask (PAA)—provides valuable insights into the questions users are asking about a topic. For example, if you enter "Where can I eat vegan food in Vienna?" into Google, related questions like "Is Vienna vegan-friendly?" appear. These insights help you create relevant content for your website. If a vegan restaurant in Vienna specifically answers such questions, it increases its visibility and precisely addresses the interests of potential guests. AI can also help here by automatically identifying relevant questions and suggesting suitable content ideas.
How can Bing's "Related Searches" be used to improve SEO strategies and a company's offerings?
Bing's "Related Searches" feature provides a valuable insight into related search queries. For example, if you enter "Where can I eat vegan food in Vienna?", Bing will display other relevant searches such as "best vegan restaurant in Vienna" or "vegan breakfast in Vienna." This information helps not only to optimize content for SEO, but also to tailor the offering to user needs—for example, by having a restaurant also offer vegan breakfast. AI can automatically analyze this search data and derive concrete recommendations for action—for example, for product development, content creation, or offering structure.
How does Google Search Console help identify relevant search behavior and implement targeted SEO measures?
Google Search Console is a valuable tool for better understanding user search behavior. If someone already runs a website and has access to the Search Console, they can see which search queries their website appears for and how it performs. Let's say a company sells used cars online and also lists the colors of the vehicles. If the Search Console shows that the page frequently appears for the search query "used car red" but receives few clicks, this indicates potential for optimization. In this case, a separate page for "used car red" could be created to specifically achieve better rankings. With the help of artificial intelligence, this search data can be downloaded, analyzed, and converted into concrete recommendations for action – for example, for targeted content creation or structural adjustments to the website.
How does the Google Ads Keyword Planner help you analyze search behavior and develop SEO strategies?
Anyone with access to Google Ads can use the integrated Keyword Planner to analyze the monthly search volume of specific terms and short phrases. The tool provides a detailed overview of which keywords are searched for and how frequently – an important basis for targeted SEO strategies and content planning. With the help of AI, the exported data from the Keyword Planner can be further processed to identify patterns, predict trends, and generate automatic recommendations for keyword combinations, topic clusters, or page structures.
Why is personal experience important when analyzing search behavior despite the lack of data from Google or Bing?
Personal experience in direct contact with customers is a key component for correctly interpreting search behavior – especially in niche markets. Search engines like Google only capture search trends with sufficient volume, meaning certain local or industry-specific needs can go undetected. For example, if a car dealership frequently requests used cars with summer and winter tires, it's worthwhile to create a dedicated page on this topic – even if there is no specific search volume data available. AI can also help systematically evaluate internal information or feedback and use it to develop strategic content for the website.
A look into the future with AI:
A good sense of future developments in your industry can be a decisive SEO advantage. If you recognize early on which topics will gain importance in the coming years, it's worth creating content about them now – even if hardly anyone is currently searching for them. Those who build a thematically relevant page early on have the chance to be the first to rank as interest increases, receive relevant backlinks, and establish themselves as a trustworthy source. AI can support trend monitoring by analyzing large amounts of data, detecting early signals, and identifying topics with long-term potential.
How can an AI like ChatGPT help to better understand search behavior and find suitable keywords?
AIs like ChatGPT have access to vast amounts of data and understand how people search for information online. Therefore, it's very helpful to ask such AIs about typical search queries on specific topics. An example of a prompt would be: "What are possible Google search queries for 'wellness hotel Berlin'?" The answers can help identify relevant keywords and target content specifically to them. Additionally, the AI can also suggest synonyms, related terms, and thematic clusters that can be integrated into SEO strategies.
Artificial intelligence is a key helper todaywhen it comes to understanding user search behavior and deriving an effective SEO strategy from it. It can analyze vast amounts of data, identify search trends, and provide targeted recommendations for action. Even without expensive tools and complex systems, much can be achieved: Those who correctly use Google Trends, the Search Console, the Keyword Planner, and their own customer experiences combine valuable data sources for a well-founded SEO strategy. SEO is a complex topic—but with the right steps and the use of artificial intelligence, you are ideally equipped to become and remain visible.