Channel 01 / 13 · Capture intent
SEO & search
Be there when someone is actively choosing a tool.
Use it when
There are searches for alternatives, integrations, tools or problems you solve.
Don't confuse it with
Publishing dozens of generic “what is” articles before the buying pages work.
01 / What companies actually did
PostHog measured intent, not just visits
In its 2022 marketing breakdown, PostHog reported that a PostHog-vs-Amplitude comparison converted about 25% of readers to its own “showed intent” event, versus 6.3% for a GDPR analytics guide. That is an onsite intent action—not 25% becoming customers.
[P2] PostHog — How marketing uses PostHog ↗PostHog prioritizes “defensive SEO”
Its marketing team advises beginning with comparison pages, integration articles, and “best tools” queries. The point is that readers already know the category and are comparing options.
[P1] PostHog — 40 things learned about developer marketing ↗[P3] PostHog — Best open-source analytics tools ↗Harness wrote for an active buying conversation
Harness says its original 2018 Jenkins comparison was requested by customers who wanted a document for internal discussion. That is a real example of sales questions becoming searchable content.
[H1] Harness — Comparing Harness and Jenkins ↗PostHog experiments with AI-assisted discovery
PostHog says it added llms.txt and copy-as-Markdown features but does not claim there is a proven method for ranking in AI answers. Treat AEO as a measurement experiment, not guaranteed traffic.
[P1] PostHog — 40 things learned about developer marketing ↗02 / How to do it
- 01Interview sales and support: collect 20 questions people ask just before evaluating or switching.
- 02Group them into comparison, alternative, integration, migration, pricing/cost and troubleshooting searches.
- 03Select 5 pages with clear buyer intent. For each, write an honest verdict, real constraints, screenshots or setup steps.
- 04Add a next step suited to that query: migration checklist, working demo or evaluation—not a generic ebook.
- 05Track organic entry → product intent → evaluation or opportunity; refresh facts as tools change.
Things you can publish or run
03 / What good looks like
Watch this
Search impressions for chosen queries; engaged visits; intent actions; trials/evaluations; qualified organic pipeline.
Common trap
Ranking for a broad keyword can create traffic without buyers. Do not mistake “showed intent” for a sale.
04 / Copy the worksheet
COPYABLE WORKSHEET / 01
SEO & search template
Replace the brackets. Use this as a starting point, not a rigid formula.
SEARCH PAGE BRIEF Audience + buying moment: [who is comparing what, and why now] Query / page title: [competitor vs us | migration | integration] Direct answer in 2 sentences: [no hedging, no empty claims] Evidence: [tested screenshots, timings, source docs, trade-offs] Structure: Decision → Comparison → Constraints → Migration → Verdict Internal links: [docs], [example], [customer story] Next action: [run example | plan migration | evaluate] Measure: Search → intent action → evaluation → pipeline Refresh owner / date: [...]
05 / Original sources