Search behavior is no longer just people typing keywords into Google. It’s people asking questions and, in some cases, outsourcing their thinking to LLMs.
As Google evolves from a traditional search engine into a more question-and-answer machine, businesses need a robust, time-tested way to respond to customer questions.
AI changes how people research and compare options. Tasks that once felt painful and time-consuming are now easy. But there’s a catch. The machine only knows what it can find about you.
If you want visibility across the widest possible range of questions, you need to understand your customers’ wants, needs, and concerns in depth.
That’s where the “they ask, you answer” framework comes in. It helps businesses identify and create the many questions and answers prospective customers already have in mind. Always useful, it’s a practical, actionable way forward in the age of AI.
An answer-first content strategy and why it matters now
“They Ask, You Answer” (TAYA) is a book by Marcus Sheridan. (I strongly recommend you read it.)
The concept is simple: buyers have questions, and businesses should answer them honestly, clearly, and publicly — especially the ones sales teams avoid.
No dodging. No “contact us for a quote.” No “it depends” – sorry, SEO folks.
TAYA isn’t just an inbound marketing strategy. It’s a practical way to map a customer-facing content strategy with an E-E-A-T mindset.
The framework centers on five core content categories:
Pricing and cost.
Problems.
Versus and comparisons.
Reviews.
Best in class.
These categories align with the moments when a buyer is seeking the best solution, reducing risk, and making a decision.
More of those moments now happen inside AI environments — on your smartphone, your PC, in apps like ChatGPT or Gemini, or anywhere else AI shows up, which at this point is nearly everywhere.
At their core, these are question-and-answer machines. You ask. The machine answers. That’s why the TAYA process fits so well.
The modern web is chaotic. Finding what you need can be exhausting — dodging ads, navigating layers of SERP features, and avoiding pop-ups on the site you finally click.
AI is gaining ground because it feels better. Easier. Faster. Cleaner. Less chaos. More order.
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Turning E-E-A-T into a practical content strategy
You could argue we already have a north star for content creation in E-E-A-T. But have you ever tried to build a content strategy around it? Great in principle, harder in practice.
They ask, you answer puts an E-E-A-T-focused content strategy on rails:
Pricing supports trust, experience, and expertise.
Problems show experience and trust.
Versus content builds authority and expertise.
Reviews build experience and trust.
Best-in-class content builds authority and trust.
E-E-A-T can be difficult to target because there are many ways to build trust, show experience, and demonstrate authority. TAYA maps those signals across multiple areas within each category, helping you build a comprehensive database of people-first content that AI readily surfaces.
Dig deeper: How to build an effective content strategy for 2026
How to integrate TAYA with traditional SEO research
The skills and tools we use as SEOs already put us in a strong position for the AI era. They can help us build an integrated SEO, PPC, and AI strategy.
The action plan:
Google Search Console: Go to Google Search Console > Performance. Filter queries by question modifiers such as who, what, why, how, and cost. These are your raw TAYA topics.
Google Business Profile: Review keywords and queries in your Google Business Profile for additional ideas.
The semantic map: Use AnswerThePublic or Also Asked. Look for secondary questions. If you’re writing about cost, you’ll often see related concerns such as financing or hidden fees.
The competitor gap: Use Semrush or Ahrefs Keyword Gap tools. Don’t focus on what competitors rank for. Look for “how-to” and “versus” keywords where they have no meaningful content. That’s your land grab.
Method marketing: Immerse yourself in the mindset of your ideal customer and start searching. What comes up? What does AI say? What’s missing? Tools like the Value Proposition Canvas and SCAMPER can help you evaluate these angles in structured ways.
Often, you won’t go wrong by simply searching for your own products and services. AI tools and search results will surface a wide range of questions, answers, and perspectives that can feed directly into your AI and SEO content strategy.
Also consider the internal sources available to you:
Sales calls and sales teams.
Live chat transcripts.
Emails.
Customer service tickets.
Proposal feedback.
Complaints.
All of this helps you understand the question landscape. From there, you can begin organizing those insights within the five TAYA categories.
TAYA and your AI-era content marketing strategy
The framework centers on five core categories, reinterpreted for an answer-driven environment where Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT-like systems anticipate user needs.
For each, here’s what it is, why it matters now, and examples to get you started.
1. Pricing and cost: Why we must talk about money
Buyers want cost clarity early. Businesses avoid it because “it depends.” Both are true, but only one is useful.
AI systems will readily summarize typical costs, using someone else’s numbers if you don’t publish your own. If you fail to provide a credible range with context, you’re effectively handing the narrative to competitors, directories, or a generic blog with a stock photo handshake.
How to do it
Publish ranges, not unrealistic single prices.
Explain what drives costs up or down.
Include example packages, such as good, better, and best.
Be explicit about what’s included and excluded.
Add country-specific variables where relevant, such as tax or VAT in the UK.
Content examples
How much does [service] cost in the UK? Include price ranges and what influences them.
X vs. Y pricing: what you get at each level.
The hidden costs of [solution] and how to avoid them.
Budget checklist: what to prepare before you buy [product or service].
One of the most cited examples in the TAYA world is Yale Appliance. The company embraced transparent, buyer-focused content and saw inbound become its largest sales channel, alongside significant reported growth.
The takeaway isn’t “go sell fridges.” It’s to answer money questions more clearly and honestly than anyone else. Do that, and you build trust at scale.
2. Problems: Turning problems into strengths
This category focuses on being honest about drawbacks, limitations, risks, and who a product or service isn’t for. You have to think beyond pure SEO or GEO.
A core communication strategy is taking a perceived weakness, such as being a small business, and reframing it as a strength, like a more personalized approach.
Own the areas that could be seen as problems. Present them clearly and constructively so customers understand the trade-offs and context.
The answer layer aims to provide balanced guidance. Pages that focus only on benefits read like marketing. Pages that acknowledge trade-offs read like advice.
People can spot spin quickly. Be direct. Own your limitations. When you do, credibility increases.
How to do it
Create problem-and-solution guides.
Include “avoid if …” sections.
Address common failure modes and misuses.
Be explicit about prerequisites, such as budget, timeline, skill, or access.
Content examples
The biggest problems with [solution] and how to mitigate them.
Is [product or service] worth it? When it’s a great choice and when it isn’t.
Common mistakes when buying or implementing [solution].
What can go wrong with [approach] and how to reduce risk.
This is where your “experience” in E-E-A-T becomes tangible. “We’ve seen this go wrong when …” carries far more weight than “we’re passionate about excellence.”
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3. Versus and comparisons
People rely on comparisons to reduce cognitive load. They want clarity. What’s the difference?
Comparison queries are ideal for answer engines because they lend themselves to structured summaries, tables, and recommendations. If you don’t publish the clearest comparison, you won’t be the source used to generate the clearest answer.
How to do it
Compare by use case, not just features.
Use a consistent framework, such as price, setup, outcomes, risks, and who it suits.
Include clear guidance, such as “If you’re X, choose Y.”
Content examples
X vs. Y: which is better for [specific scenario]?
In-house vs. outsourced for [service]: cost, risk, and results.
Tool A vs. Tool B vs. Tool C: an honest comparison for UK teams.
Alternatives to [popular option]: when to choose each.
SEO bonus: These pieces tend to earn links because they’re genuinely useful and because many competitors hesitate to name alternatives directly.
Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search
4. Reviews, case studies, and credibility
This isn’t about asking for a five-star review. It’s about creating review-style content that helps buyers evaluate their options.
AI summaries often rely on review-style pages because they’re structured around evaluation. But generic affiliate reviews can be, at best, inconsistent in sincerity. Your advantage is first-hand experience and contextual truth.
How to do it
Review your own services honestly, including what clients value and where they struggle.
Review the tools you use with clear pros and cons.
Publish “what we’d choose and why” for different buyer types.
Content examples
Is [solution] worth it? Our honest take after implementing it for X clients.
Best [category] tools for [persona], including limitations.
The top questions to ask before choosing a [provider].
What good looks like: a checklist to evaluate [service].
If you want to be cited in AI answers, you have to sound like a source, not an ad.
5. Best in class – and the courage to recommend others
Sheridan’s view, and it’s a bold one, is that you should sometimes publish “best in class” recommendations even when the best option isn’t you. That’s how trust is built.
The answer layer rewards utility. If your page genuinely helps users choose well, it becomes the kind of resource systems are more likely to reference.
How to do it
Build “best for” lists based on clear criteria, not hype.
Explain how you evaluated the options.
Include scenarios where each option wins or loses.
Content examples
Best [solutions] for [use case] in 2026, including criteria and picks.
Best [service] providers for [industry] and what to look for.
Best budget, best premium, best for speed, best for compliance.
If I were buying this today: the decision framework I’d use.
The goal is for your brand to become a trusted educator, not just a vendor.
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TAYA as the playbook for answer-first visibility
Strategic content marketing in the age of AI centers on middle-of-the-funnel content, where AI helps prospects make informed decisions. The content you publish and organize on your website remains the foundation, and SEO remains the backbone of AI visibility.
When leveraged effectively, TAYA is a powerful way to map what you should be addressing and to build a content strategy that ensures you’re represented across the AI landscape.
In practice, that means building an editorial program where:
Every piece begins with a real buyer question.
The five core categories prioritize decision-stage content, not just awareness content.
Traditional SEO research validates language and demand.
Content is written to satisfy both the human, through clarity and confidence, and the machine, through structure, specificity, evidence, and balanced trade-offs.
This shift also changes how success is measured.
In classic SEO, the win was rank, click, convert.
In the AI era, the win is often be the source, earn trust, be chosen, with or without the click.
If your content is the clearest, most in-depth, most honest, and most experience-backed explanation available for the questions buyers are already asking, then whether someone discovers it through Google, Gemini, ChatGPT, or elsewhere, you’ve built something durable.
Which is what strong SEO has always been about. The window has changed. The principles haven’t.
Dig deeper: Mentions, citations, and clicks: Your 2026 content strategy