In a recent LinkedIn post, Mariam Gogidze explores a significant shift in how potential buyers conduct research, moving away from traditional keyword searches towards asking full questions, particularly to AI tools. Mariam Gogidze highlights that this change requires businesses to fundamentally rethink their marketing and content strategies.
As Mariam Gogidze points out, the era of optimizing for short, keyword-based searches like “wealth management london” is largely over. This traditional approach, which focused on ranking for specific phrases to win clicks, is no longer aligned with how modern buyers operate.
“your buyers aren’t typing keywords anymore. they’re asking full questions. and most companies have no idea what those questions are.”
Mariam Gogidze argues that the emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT has changed the research landscape. Buyers are now formulating complex, conversational queries. For example, a buyer might ask, “i run a 12-person sales team and we’re losing deals to a competitor: who should i look at, and how do they compare?” This type of query, according to Mariam Gogidze, is not a keyword but a direct question that AI is equipped to answer, often by naming specific companies.
The Challenge of the “AI Buyer Prompt Map”
The core problem, as identified by Mariam Gogidze, is that most companies lack visibility into the actual questions their buyers are posing to AI. To address this, Mariam Gogidze proposes the concept of an “AI buyer prompt map.” This map would comprise the 50 to 100 real questions potential customers ask an AI on their journey toward making a purchase decision.
Mariam Gogidze explains the transformative power of such a map:
“once you have that map, everything changes, because now you can see the questions you show up for and the ones you’re invisible for. And the invisible ones are where you’re quietly losing.”
This insight underscores the critical need for businesses to understand not just where they are visible, but more importantly, where they are absent in the AI-driven buyer’s journey.
Understanding AI’s Information Sources
Mariam Gogidze further elaborates on why this shift is profoundly important, citing data that indicates AI draws from a broad range of sources. According to Mariam Gogidze, referencing McKinsey data, a brand’s own website typically accounts for only 5-10% of the information AI uses to answer prompts. The remaining 90-95% comes from third-party publications, reviews, and other mentions.
“so you can’t just write a page and rank. you have to be the kind of company that gets *referenced* when those specific questions come up. and you can’t build that until you know the questions.”
This means that simply creating content for one’s own site is insufficient. Businesses must focus on becoming a referenced authority across the broader digital ecosystem, which necessitates understanding the specific questions that drive buyer inquiries.
Actionable Steps for Businesses
Mariam Gogidze concludes by offering a clear directive for businesses:
The new work is simpler to say and harder to do: Know the exact questions your buyers ask the machine. Then become the answer to them, one prompt at a time.
As a practical first step, Mariam Gogidze suggests that companies begin by listing ten questions a buyer might ask an AI before they would ever discover the company. Mariam Gogidze views this exercise as potentially the most honest marketing brief a company can produce.
The underlying message from Mariam Gogidze is that while the method of buyer research has evolved dramatically with AI, the fundamental goal remains the same: to be the most relevant and authoritative answer to a buyer’s needs at the precise moment they are seeking it.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Mariam Gogidze on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on July 16, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →