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Query Discovery Workflow

Complete workflow for discovering and validating high-value queries for your industry.

Overview​

Goal: Identify queries that generate citations and represent real user search patterns.

Time: 2-4 hours for initial discovery, 30 minutes weekly for ongoing

Output:

  • 50-100 validated queries
  • Saved query sets by topic
  • Citation baseline data

The Query Discovery Process​

Step 1: Industry Research (30 minutes)​

Identify Your Industry:

  • Select from predefined industries or use "custom"
  • Examples: home-improvement, saas, ecommerce, healthcare

Research Subtopics:

Home Improvement Industry:
├── Plumbing (faucets, toilets, drains)
├── Electrical (wiring, outlets, fixtures)
├── Carpentry (decks, furniture, repairs)
├── HVAC (heating, cooling, maintenance)
└── Landscaping (lawn care, gardening, hardscaping)

Prioritize by:

  • Your content strength
  • Competitive landscape
  • Business value
  • Customer pain points

Step 2: Generate Initial Queries (20 minutes)​

Use AI Query Generation:

Navigate to /dashboard/generate

Configuration:

Industry: home-improvement
Focus: "DIY plumbing repairs for homeowners"
Personas: ✓ Consumer, ✓ Beginner
Journey Stages: ✓ Awareness, ✓ Consideration
Count: 50

What This Generates:

  • How-to queries ("How to fix leaking faucet?")
  • Problem-solving ("Why is my toilet running?")
  • Comparison ("DIY vs professional plumber?")
  • Educational ("What causes faucet leaks?")

Review Results:

  • Scan for natural language
  • Check query diversity
  • Ensure problem-focused (not brand-focused)
  • Regenerate if needed

Step 3: Save to Query Library (5 minutes)​

Create Query Set:

Name: "Plumbing DIY - Baseline"
Description: "Consumer and beginner queries about DIY
plumbing repairs, focused on awareness and consideration
stages. Used for establishing citation baseline."

Tags: plumbing, diy, baseline, awareness

Industry: home-improvement

Why Save:

  • Reusable for future tests
  • Track query performance over time
  • Share with team
  • Build query library systematically

Step 4: Execute Baseline Test (30-60 minutes)​

Select Providers:

  • Budget: Gemini + Perplexity (free + $0.05)
  • Standard: Claude + Perplexity ($0.20)
  • Premium: All four ($0.70)

Execute:

  1. Navigate to query set detail page
  2. Click "Execute All Queries"
  3. Select providers
  4. Wait for completion (1-2 minutes per provider)

Monitor Progress:

Executing Queries... 23/50
Query 23: "How to replace toilet flapper valve?"
Claude ✓ | GPT-4 ✓ | Gemini ⏳ | Perplexity -

Estimated time remaining: 2m 15s

Step 5: Analyze Results (30 minutes)​

Navigate to Analytics (/dashboard/analytics)

Review Metrics:

Total Queries: 50
Total Responses: 100 (Claude + Perplexity)
Total Citations: 380
Avg Citations per Response: 3.8

Identify Top Domains:

1. familyhandyman.com - 42 citations (11.1%)
2. thisoldhouse.com - 38 citations (10.0%)
3. homedepot.com - 31 citations (8.2%)
4. youtube.com - 28 citations (7.4%)
5. bobvila.com - 24 citations (6.3%)

Key Questions:

  • Which domains dominate? (competitors)
  • Are YOU cited? (current authority)
  • What types of content get cited? (strategy)
  • Which queries have low citations? (opportunities)

Step 6: Identify Opportunities (30 minutes)​

Low-Citation Queries (Opportunity):

Query: "How to replace toilet flapper valve?"
Citations: 2 (very low)
Top Domain: homedepot.com (1 citation)

OPPORTUNITY: Create definitive guide, low competition

High-Citation Queries (Competitive):

Query: "How to fix a leaking faucet?"
Citations: 12 (very high)
Top Domains: familyhandyman.com (3), thisoldhouse.com (2)

INSIGHT: Highly competitive, requires exceptional content

Your Citation Analysis:

your-domain.com: 0 citations (0%)

GAP: Not yet in training data or not authoritative enough
ACTION: Create comprehensive content, build authority

Step 7: Refine and Expand (20 minutes)​

Create Focused Query Sets:

Based on analysis, create targeted sets:

Set 1: High-Opportunity Queries

Name: "Plumbing - Low Competition Opportunities"
Description: "Queries with less than 3 citations, representing
content gaps where we can quickly establish authority."

Example queries:
- "How to replace toilet flapper valve?"
- "Fix leaking shower diverter valve"
- "Install kitchen faucet aerator"

Set 2: Competitive Benchmark

Name: "Plumbing - Competitive Benchmark"
Description: "High-citation queries dominated by competitors.
Track over time to measure authority growth."

Example queries:
- "How to fix a leaking faucet?"
- "Unclog bathroom sink drain"
- "Replace toilet wax ring"

Set 3: Specific Topics

Name: "Plumbing - Faucet Repairs"
Description: "All faucet-related queries for focused content
strategy around faucet authority."

Advanced Discovery Techniques​

Persona-Specific Discovery​

Consumer Persona:

Focus: "Affordable home repairs"
Queries:
- "How much does it cost to fix a leaking faucet?"
- "Cheapest way to unclog drain"
- "DIY vs professional plumber cost comparison"

Professional Persona:

Focus: "Commercial plumbing solutions"
Queries:
- "Commercial-grade faucet specifications"
- "Best plumbing tools for contractors"
- "Bulk PEX tubing pricing"

Beginner Persona:

Focus: "Plumbing basics for first-timers"
Queries:
- "What tools do I need for basic plumbing?"
- "How to shut off water supply to house"
- "Plumbing safety for beginners"

Journey Stage Discovery​

Awareness Stage (50% of queries):

Problem awareness, educational
- "What causes faucet leaks?"
- "Why is water bill high?"
- "Signs of plumbing problems"

Consideration Stage (30% of queries):

Solution research, comparison
- "How to fix leaking faucet?"
- "DIY vs hire professional"
- "Faucet repair vs replacement"

Decision Stage (20% of queries):

Brand selection, purchase
- "Best faucet for hard water"
- "Delta vs Moen faucets"
- "Where to buy plumbing supplies"

Competitor-Informed Discovery​

Analyze Competitor Content:

  1. Identify top cited domains from your baseline
  2. Visit their sites
  3. Note content topics and formats
  4. Generate queries based on their coverage

Example:

familyhandyman.com analysis:
- Strong in how-to guides
- Step-by-step photo tutorials
- Troubleshooting sections
- Tool recommendations

Query generation:
Focus: "Step-by-step home repair tutorials"
→ Generates similar query types

Query Quality Validation​

Manual Review Checklist​

Good Queries ✅:

  • Natural, conversational language
  • Clear, specific intent
  • 5-15 words long
  • Problem-focused (not brand-focused)
  • Answerable with content
  • Matches real search patterns

Poor Queries ❌:

  • Keyword stuffing
  • Too vague ("plumbing")
  • Too specific ("Delta model XYZ123")
  • Brand-only focus
  • Impossible to answer

Testing Query Variations​

Test Different Phrasings:

Base query: "How to fix leaking faucet"

Variations:
- "How to repair a dripping faucet"
- "Fix leaky kitchen faucet"
- "Stop faucet from leaking"

Compare citation rates to find winning phrasing

Test Question vs Statement:

Question: "How to fix a leaking faucet?"
Statement: "Fix leaking faucet"

AI assistants respond better to questions

Ongoing Discovery Workflow​

Weekly Discovery (30 minutes)​

Week 1: Baseline

  • Generate 50 core queries
  • Execute with Claude
  • Establish baseline metrics

Week 2: Expand

  • Add 20 queries in new subtopic
  • Execute with same provider
  • Compare to baseline

Week 3: Competitive

  • Generate competitor-focused queries
  • Execute with multiple providers
  • Identify gaps

Week 4: Refine

  • Review month's data
  • Consolidate winning queries
  • Archive low-performers

Monthly Review (1 hour)​

Metrics to Track:

  • Total queries tested
  • Citation rate trends
  • Top performing query types
  • Your citation share growth

Actions:

  • Retire low-value queries
  • Generate new queries in winning categories
  • Update query sets with learnings
  • Plan content based on gaps

Quarterly Strategy (2 hours)​

Deep Analysis:

  • Compare Q1 vs Q2 citation rates
  • Identify trending topics
  • Analyze provider changes
  • Competitive landscape shifts

Strategic Decisions:

  • Double down on winners
  • Abandon unproductive areas
  • Explore new industries/topics
  • Adjust content strategy

Common Patterns and Insights​

High-Performing Query Patterns​

How-To Format:

Pattern: "How to [action] [object]"
Example: "How to fix leaking faucet"
Citation Rate: 7-12 per response

Problem-Solution Format:

Pattern: "[Problem] solutions" or "Fix [problem]"
Example: "Dripping faucet solutions"
Citation Rate: 6-10 per response

Comparison Format:

Pattern: "[Option A] vs [Option B]"
Example: "Repair vs replace faucet"
Citation Rate: 5-8 per response

Low-Performing Query Patterns​

Too Vague:

Query: "plumbing"
Citations: 0-2
Why: No clear intent, AI asks for clarification

Too Specific:

Query: "Delta model 12345-XYZ installation torque specs"
Citations: 0-1
Why: Hyper-specific, limited content available

Brand-Only:

Query: "Delta faucets"
Citations: 2-4
Why: Traditional SEO territory, less AEO opportunity

Tools and Resources​

Query Generation Tools​

AI-Powered (This Platform):

  • Industry-specific generation
  • Persona targeting
  • Journey stage distribution
  • Bulk generation (20-100 queries)

Manual Research:

  • AnswerThePublic (free tier)
  • Google "People Also Ask"
  • Reddit threads
  • Quora questions
  • Customer support tickets

Query Organization​

Tagging Strategy:

Topic tags: plumbing, electrical, hvac
Intent tags: how-to, comparison, problem-solving
Persona tags: consumer, professional, beginner
Performance tags: high-opportunity, competitive, baseline

Naming Convention:

Format: [Industry] - [Topic] - [Type]

Examples:
- "Home Improvement - Plumbing - Baseline"
- "Home Improvement - Plumbing - High Opportunity"
- "Home Improvement - Plumbing - Competitive Benchmark"

Tracking and Measurement​

Key Metrics:

  • Queries tested per week
  • Citation rate by query type
  • Top domains per industry
  • Your citation share over time

Tools:

  • This platform (primary)
  • Spreadsheet for trends
  • Calendar for scheduling
  • Notes for insights

Example Discovery Timeline​

Month 1: Establish Baseline​

Week 1: Core Plumbing

  • Generate 50 queries
  • Execute with Claude
  • Analyze top domains
  • Identify 10 opportunities

Week 2: Expand Coverage

  • Generate 30 electrical queries
  • Execute with Claude + Perplexity
  • Compare to plumbing baseline
  • Create focused query sets

Week 3: Deep Dive

  • Test 20 faucet-specific queries
  • Execute with all 4 providers
  • Analyze provider differences
  • Plan content strategy

Week 4: Competitive Analysis

  • Generate competitor-informed queries
  • Execute comprehensive test
  • Create benchmark query set
  • Monthly review and planning

Month 2: Optimize and Grow​

Week 5-8:

  • Re-test baseline queries
  • Measure citation share changes
  • Expand into new subtopics
  • Refine query generation prompts

Expected Progress:

Month 1: 100 queries tested, 0% citation share
Month 2: 150 queries tested, 1-2% citation share
Month 3: 200 queries tested, 3-5% citation share

Next Steps​

After completing query discovery:

  1. Competitive Analysis → - Analyze competitor citation strategies
  2. Content Strategy → - Create citation-worthy content
  3. Query Generation → - Master AI query generation

Summary​

Query Discovery Workflow:

  1. Research industry and subtopics (30 min)
  2. Generate initial queries with AI (20 min)
  3. Save to query library (5 min)
  4. Execute baseline test (30-60 min)
  5. Analyze results (30 min)
  6. Identify opportunities (30 min)
  7. Refine and expand (20 min)

Key Principles:

  • Start broad, then focus
  • Test consistently (weekly)
  • Track trends over time
  • Iterate based on data
  • Build query library systematically

Success Metrics:

  • 100+ validated queries in Month 1
  • Citation baseline established
  • 5-10 high-opportunity queries identified
  • Query library organized by topic