Question-based keywords and how to use them

Question-based keywords are searches phrased as a question, such as "how do I...", "what is...", "does X do Y". They work best when you answer one real question per page, directly, and the pages currently ranking for it are weak or thin. They are a way to find topics your buyers ask about, not a ranking shortcut.

How to do it

1. Pick a broad seed phrase from your market. Ahrefs advises starting with a general term, because a general phrase surfaces a wider range of questions than a narrow one.
2. Pull the questions. In Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, open the Matching terms report and switch the "Questions" toggle on to see only keyword ideas with question modifiers (what, why, how). Ahrefs also has a free keyword generator with a Questions report, and AlsoAsked shows the "People Also Ask" questions Google displays for a query.
3. Check your own data first. In Search Console, open Performance, add a Query filter, choose Custom (regex), and try ^(how|what|why|when|can|does|is|should) . Google added regex filters to Performance reports in April 2021. This shows which questions you already get impressions for.
4. Filter the list. Set a ceiling on keyword difficulty and a floor on volume that fit your site. Ahrefs says difficulty relates to the estimated number of linking websites a page needs to rank in the top 10, so a low score means few backlinks are needed, not that the topic is easy to write well.
5. Read the results page for each shortlisted question. Look for thin pages, old pages and small sites in the top 10. If big sites with dedicated pages hold every slot, skip it.
6. Write the answer in the first two sentences, then the detail. Group closely related questions on one page instead of publishing one thin page per question.
7. Tie each page to the problem your product solves, with one clear next step. A reader who found you by asking a question is rarely ready to buy.

What it looks like in practice

Say you sell scheduling software for yoga studios. You use "yoga studio" as the seed and switch on the Questions toggle. You skip general questions about yoga itself and keep ones a studio owner would ask, like how to handle late cancellations or how to price class packs. For each, you open the results page and keep the ones where the top results are generic blog posts or old forum threads. You write a short, specific answer for each, with a screenshot of how your product handles it.

When it backfires

• Volume is an estimate. Keyword tools model search volume. Your Search Console impressions are the real count.
• Difficulty only measures links. A low score says nothing about intent or how good the pages ranking today are.
• You cannot mark a page as a featured answer. Google says its systems decide whether a page makes a good featured snippet. Writing a clear answer is all you control.
• Questions bring researchers, not buyers. Pages that answer a question and never mention the problem your product fixes bring traffic that does nothing for you.
• Pages with nothing to add. If you cannot answer better than the pages already ranking, pick another question.

Questions people ask

What are question-based keywords? Search queries written as questions. They usually signal someone wanting an explanation or a how-to.

How do I find them for free? Use Search Console with the regex filter above, the free Ahrefs keyword generator, or AlsoAsked's People Also Ask data.

What are problem-based keywords? Searches that describe a problem without being phrased as a question, such as "invoice keeps bouncing". Treat them the same way: one page, one problem, one clear answer.

Sources

• Ahrefs Help: keyword ideas reports, Questions toggle, read Oct 8, 2026
• Ahrefs Academy: Matching terms, read Oct 8, 2026
• Ahrefs: keyword research guide (keyword difficulty), read Oct 8, 2026
• Ahrefs: free keyword generator, read Oct 8, 2026
• AlsoAsked, read Oct 8, 2026
• Google Search Central: regex filters in Performance reports, read Oct 8, 2026
• Google Search Central: featured snippets and People Also Ask, read Oct 8, 2026