# AI Search Field Guide — question templates

By Alex Rostovtsev · https://alexros.tv/

Reviewed 5 October 2026. Use these as starting points and replace the brackets with requirements your customers actually have. Save the exact wording and the conditions of the check. Keep named-business questions separate from discovery.

## Discovery questions

1. Which [service] suits [customer type] in [location]?
2. What [product category] would suit a [team size] team that needs [constraint]?
3. Who provides [specific service] for [customer type] with [special requirement]?
4. Where should I look for [service] if I need [timeframe] in [market]?

Omit location when it is irrelevant. Keep brand names out of these discovery questions. Use constraints customers actually have, rather than ones chosen to force your business into an answer.

## Compare options

5. What should a [customer type] compare when choosing a [service provider]?
6. Which [product category] options support [integration] within [budget]?
7. What are the trade-offs between [approach A] and [approach B] for [use case]?
8. What alternatives to [category or approach] work for [specific need]?

Record criteria as well as brands. Verify compatibility and prices against current primary sources. If you replace a category with a named competitor, label that variant as branded.

## Check a named business

9. Does [business name] offer [specific service] in [location]?
10. Is [business name] compatible with [tool or requirement]?
11. Who is [business name] suitable for, and what limitations should I check?
12. What does [business name] say about [policy or feature], and which page supports that?

These checks test factual understanding when a business is supplied in the prompt. They do not measure unbranded discovery. Open every cited page and verify that it supports the claim. Retain uncertainty and qualifications in your answer excerpt.

## What to keep

- Save one answer per observation.
- Distinguish a mention, recommendation and own-site citation.
- Write Not assessed when you have not checked a signal.
- If no AI answer appears, do not count it as a negative observation within an answer.
- Keep exact source URLs, not guessed domains.
- Repeat stable questions in fresh conversations and on a later date.
- Investigate differences before explaining them. Observed changes do not isolate cause.

Sources: Google Search Central, AI features and your website (https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features); OpenAI, Searching the web with ChatGPT (https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-searching-the-web-with-chatgpt).