Are keywords dead, or are they still the plan CMOs should trust?

If Google keeps the term keyword planner while Search Console shows queries, there is a deliberate distinction. Keywords remain the currency for planning and buying. Queries capture the user's language. The change worth noting lies between those two. Modern AI systems do not stop at queries. They translate queries into problems to solve. For CMOs, that changes everything about how content earns attention and how AI-driven answers choose brands.

Why does Google use keyword and query differently?

Google uses the word "keyword" when planning and money are involved, because advertisers need a predictable structure and forecasts. Search Console uses the word query because users do not think in tidy keywords. They ask questions, describe problems, and provide context. 

This difference is intentional and strategic. Keywords still matter for buying and planning. Queries reveal demand, but neither prepares your brand for a world in which AI is asked to reason, recommend, and decide.

How are prompts different from queries and keywords?

A query asks. A prompt instructs a reasoning system how to think about the answer. A keyword helps a system find pages. A query tells the system what a user wants. A prompt supplies context, constraints, and the decision criteria. When a user types a long instruction for an AI assistant, they are asking for judgment, comparison, and guidance. 

This is the moment SEO alone does not cover. AI systems construct an answer. They are not trying to match words. They are trying to provide the best possible recommendation for a situation.

What content does AI prefer when deciding answers?

AI systems reward clarity and specificity over broad and neutral keyword stuffing. Ask yourself these questions about each page.

• Who is this for?
• What situation makes this content relevant?
• What constraints matter?
• When should a user pick this product, and when should they avoid it?
• What are the trade-offs and alternatives?

Content that answers these points acts like a battle card. It enables AI to place your brand inside a decision path. Generic explanations or feature lists get filtered out. AI will include sources to help it explain its decisions clearly. If your pages do not frame the decision and the trade, they will not be chosen, even if they rank well on classic SEO metrics.

Why authority alone no longer guarantees AI visibility?

Authority matters, but it is not a sufficient condition. AI systems decide sources based on usefulness for answering the decision at hand. That explains why some brands keep appearing in AI answers while others with strong SEO signals do not. 

You can have stable ranking positions yet lose click-through and visibility because AI answers do not reference your pages. The consequence for CMOs is stark. Traditional SEO will still deliver traffic, but it will not reliably deliver inclusion in AI-generated answers.

How do you convert your content strategy into search engineering?

Search engineering starts when the primary question shifts from which keyword to rank for to where in the decision tree my brand should appear. It is a practical checklist for content and product marketing.

1. Map decision journeys for each buyer persona and identify the forks where recommendations are needed.
2. Write battle cards that state use cases, constraints, pros and cons, and alternatives.
3. Design pages to be explicit about which situation the product is for and which situations it is not for. 
4. Include short decision frameworks and yes no guidance that a reasoning system can reproduce.
5. Use structured data and clear headings so AI can quickly find decision points.
6. Measure AI inclusion, not just ranking positions.

This is search engineering. It is the discipline of aligning product signals, content, and knowledge structures with the way reasoning systems construct answers. It is where product marketing meets content engineering.

Start by treating search as a form of decision engineering

Move from keyword lists to decision maps. Create purpose-built content to answer a specific decision-making question under constraints and trade-offs.

Build and maintain battle cards for every strategic product offering, and test which pages AI includes when given prompts that mimic real buyer situations. Finally, invest in search engineering as a capability inside marketing to bridge product, content and data. If you want a disciplined approach to this shift, explore our search engineering resources and frameworks to help your brand consistently show up in AI-driven answers.