The SEO strategy hiding in plain sight

Most content meets users exactly where they are. Someone searches “best MBA programs” and gets a roundup of MBA programs. But sometimes the highest-value content challenges the query’s premise. This introduces the concept of surfacing alternatives that users didn’t know to ask about.

Intentionally expanding a user’s awareness beyond their assumed path doesn’t always take center stage in SEO and content marketing strategies. However, when done correctly, it can help your services and products appear for more keywords while educating your audience about more solutions to their problems.

For example, when someone searches for a specific degree, medication, certification, or product, they’ve often locked in on a solution before fully evaluating the problem. Content that respectfully introduces alternatives (“apprenticeships vs. four-year degrees,” “herbal supplements vs. prescription options,” or “business bootcamps vs. MBA programs”) can capture high-intent traffic while delivering more value than a straight intent match.

Here’s a roadmap for making this strategy part of your ongoing editorial production.

LLMs are already doing this

LLMs and AI Overviews are already doing a version of this. After answering your query, they often ask a follow-up question, such as whether you’d like to learn about alternatives or explore the topic more deeply. Following an LLM down this path can lead users toward alternatives they didn’t know about.

For instance, in the supplements query below, I was looking for supplements to help with mood and stress. (Note: LLMs and AI aren’t a replacement for medical advice. Always speak with your medical professional before making changes to your diet, medications, supplements, or other health-related routines.)

I gave ChatGPT the stack of supplements I was already taking and asked whether I should remove any. Unprompted, it also asked the following question:

After we went back and forth with suggestions and questions, it gave me additional modifications I hadn’t asked about, including timing recommendations and suggestions tied to other details I’d mentioned previously, such as caffeine use.

In this case, ChatGPT went beyond telling me which supplements might help with stress, which is usually what happens in SERPs for a query like “mood supplements.” It helped me build a better supplement protocol.

This is what you can do for audiences searching for solutions. 

How to identify queries where users may benefit 

Let’s say you’re optimizing for “mood and stress supplements” for products designed for that purpose. 

To expand your keyword research beyond obvious…