AEO / Glossary / Conversational Search
AEO Glossary
Conversational search refers to queries phrased as natural language questions or multi-turn conversations rather than keyword strings. 'What is the best CRM for a 10-person SaaS company with a $500/month budget?' is a conversational search. AI-powered search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT are inherently conversational; Google increasingly handles conversational queries through AI Overviews.
Conversational search queries are longer, more specific, and have higher purchase intent than keyword searches. Brands whose content answers the full specificity of conversational queries (not just the head keywords) are more likely to be cited. A conversational search for 'best CRM for small nonprofits' requires different content than the keyword 'best CRM'.
Audit your content for conversational query coverage: review support tickets and sales calls for exact phrasings customers use. Write FAQ content using the exact phrasing customers use (including 'how do I', 'what is the difference between', 'should I'). Add FAQ schema. Ensure your content addresses the modifiers customers add (by company size, budget, use case, industry).
See how your site scores on Conversational Search
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