Keywords have turned into questions.
People no longer type key terms, they write out their problem. That changes what your pages have to answer.
How has search shifted from keywords to questions?
Search queries are getting longer and more conversational. On Google, queries of three to four words are now the largest group, and people write whole sentences to AI assistants. The reason is simple: the input fields answer instead of listing links.
To appear, you need to know the question, not the keyword.
The one-word search is disappearing.
Between January 2025 and August 2026 the share of queries of one to two words fell from 42 to 24 per cent. Queries of three to four words rose from 33 to 48 per cent in the same period and are now the largest group.
share of search queries of one to two words, August 2026. In early 2025 it was 42 per cent.
Source: Google Ads impressions, reported by Search Engine LandPeople write sentences to assistants.
A prompt to an AI assistant averages around 23 words, a Google search around 3.4. That is not just a different channel, it is a different language: whole questions with context, condition and goal.
words in an average prompt, against 3.4 words in a Google search.
Source: SemrushThe answer happens without your page.
In the US, around 68 per cent of Google searches ended without a click in early 2026, against a good 60 per cent in 2024. The question still gets asked, someone else just answers it. Your content then works as a source, not as a destination.
of Google searches in the US ended without a click in early 2026. In 2024 it was 60 per cent.
Source: SparkToro, reported by Search Engine LandAnswered briefly.
Are keywords finished, then?
No. They just no longer describe how people search. A keyword is a topic, a question is a need. For research the topic stays useful, but you write for the question.
How do I know which questions my audience asks?
From the places where they are asked: Google, AI assistants, forums, communities, the press and trade media. flize's Scouting collects them there continuously.
What do I do with a question my site already answers?
Check whether the answer also stands on its own as a section. The Answer Check shows you the passage down to the section for every question, or the gap.
The next building blocks.
What is your market asking?
flize scouts intent from forums, social and the press.
ScoutingWhat does your website already answer?
flize checks every question against your pages and shows the gaps.
Answer CheckWritten to be cited.
Five steps of briefing, then flize writes.
How an article comes aboutWhat is your market asking right now?
Enter your domain and flize shows you your audience's questions and what your pages already answer.