📚 Table of Contents
- Why Affiliate Keyword Research Is Different
- The Buyer Intent Spectrum (Where the Money Lives)
- 7-Step Affiliate Keyword Research Process
- 8 Affiliate Keyword Types Ranked by Revenue
- The Affiliate Revenue Estimate Formula
- Niche Selection Through Keyword Data
- Competitor Keyword Mining for Affiliates
- 9 Keyword Research Mistakes That Kill Affiliate Revenue
- Affiliate-Friendly Keyword Research Tools
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Affiliate Keyword Research Is Different
Most keyword research advice is written for SaaS companies, bloggers, or e-commerce stores. Affiliate marketing is fundamentally different because you do not own the product. You are the middleman between a searcher and a purchase decision — and your keyword strategy needs to reflect that.
The core difference: affiliate marketers need keywords where the searcher is close to buying something and looking for guidance. Not keywords where the searcher wants to learn a concept. Not keywords where the searcher wants news. Keywords where someone is holding a credit card and thinking, "Which one should I pick?"
The Traffic Trap
The biggest mistake affiliate marketers make is optimizing for traffic instead of revenue. A keyword like "what is project management" (10,000 SV) will generate almost zero affiliate commissions because the searcher is not buying anything. Meanwhile, "best project management tools for freelancers" (400 SV) converts at 5-8% because the searcher is actively choosing a product. 10x the traffic, 0.01x the revenue.
Affiliate keyword research is about finding the intersection of three things:
Miss any one of these three, and the keyword is worthless for affiliates. High buyer intent but no affiliate program? You cannot monetize it. Great commissions but KD 80+? You will never rank. Rankable with commissions but informational intent? Nobody will click your affiliate links.
The rest of this guide shows you how to find keywords that satisfy all three criteria — and how to prioritize them for maximum revenue per article published.
The Buyer Intent Spectrum
Not all buyer intent is equal. Think of it as a spectrum from "just curious" to "credit card in hand." The closer to the purchase end, the higher your conversion rate — and the more valuable the keyword.
💡 The 70/20/10 Rule for Affiliate Sites
Allocate your content production budget based on revenue proximity:
- 70% buyer-intent content: Best-of roundups, product comparisons, detailed reviews, alternatives pages. This is where the money lives.
- 20% solution-aware content: How-to guides that naturally recommend affiliate products. Support content that feeds internal links to buyer-intent pages.
- 10% informational content: Authority-building educational content. Important for topical authority but do not expect direct commissions.
Most failing affiliate sites have this ratio inverted — 70% informational, 20% how-to, 10% buyer-intent. They generate impressive traffic numbers and near-zero revenue. Flip the ratio and watch commissions grow.
7-Step Affiliate Keyword Research Process
Follow this process every time you plan new affiliate content. Skipping steps — especially Step 3 (commission validation) — is the fastest way to waste months of content production.
Step 1: Map Your Niche Product Landscape
Before you research a single keyword, list every product category in your niche. For each category, identify 3-5 leading products and their affiliate programs.
Example (Home Office Niche):
- • Standing desks → FlexiSpot (8%), Uplift (5%), Autonomous (7%)
- • Office chairs → Secretlab (5%), Herman Miller (4%), Branch (10%)
- • Monitors → Amazon Associates (3%), B&H Photo (2%)
- • Webcams → Amazon Associates (3%), Best Buy (1%)
- • Software → 1Password (25%), Better Stack (20%), Notion (20%)
Notice the commission spread: software affiliates pay 10-30% recurring while physical products pay 1-8% one-time. This shapes your keyword priority — a $29/month software subscription with 25% recurring commission pays $87/year per referral versus a $500 desk with 5% = $25 once.
Step 2: Generate Buyer-Intent Keyword Seeds
For each product category, generate keywords using these proven affiliate keyword templates:
- • [Product A] vs [Product B]
- • [Product] vs [Product] for [use case]
- • [Product] vs [Product] reddit
- • best [category] for [audience]
- • best [category] under $[price]
- • best [category] [year]
- • [Product] review
- • is [Product] worth it
- • [Product] pros and cons
- • [Product] alternatives
- • tools like [Product]
- • cheaper alternative to [Product]
Enter these seed keywords into KeySEO's keyword research tool to get search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC data. The related keywords section will surface variations you did not think of.
Step 3: Validate Commission Potential (CRITICAL)
Before investing time in any keyword, verify that the products it leads to have active affiliate programs worth promoting. This step alone saves more wasted effort than any other.
Commission Validation Checklist:
- ✅ Does the product have an affiliate program? (Check their footer, search "[product] affiliate program")
- ✅ What is the commission rate? (>10% for SaaS, >3% for physical products)
- ✅ What is the cookie duration? (30+ days preferred, 24-hour cookies are near-worthless)
- ✅ Is it recurring or one-time? (Recurring commissions compound your revenue)
- ✅ What is the average order value? (Higher = more commission per sale)
- ✅ Are there program restrictions? (Some ban coupon/deal sites, PPC bidding, etc.)
If a keyword leads to products with no affiliate programs, or programs with 1% commissions and 24-hour cookies, skip it. There are always better keywords with better commission structures waiting.
Step 4: Analyze Keyword Metrics Through the Affiliate Lens
Standard keyword metrics need reinterpretation for affiliate marketing:
For affiliates, 200-3,000 monthly searches is the sweet spot. High enough to generate meaningful clicks, low enough that competition is manageable. Do not chase 50K+ volume keywords — they are dominated by mega-publishers (Wirecutter, Forbes, NerdWallet) you cannot beat.
CPC above $5 signals genuine buyer intent — advertisers would not pay that much for casual browsers. Use CPC as a proxy for "how close to a purchase is this searcher?" The higher the CPC, the more likely you will earn commissions from that traffic.
Check your keyword difficulty score. For affiliate sites, the ceiling matters more than the floor. If you can win KD 0-30, target that range exclusively until you build authority. Better to rank #1 for a 300-search keyword than #30 for a 10,000-search keyword.
High competition in Google Ads (0.8-1.0) means advertisers are fighting for this traffic — a strong signal that the keyword converts to sales. Combine with high CPC for maximum affiliate potential.
Step 5: SERP Analysis — Can You Actually Win?
Numbers on a keyword tool screen do not tell the full story. Search for your target keyword and evaluate page 1:
SERP Signals That Say "Go":
- ✅ Forum results (Reddit, Quora) on page 1 — Google lacks quality content for this query
- ✅ Thin or outdated content (2022 or earlier) ranking in top 5
- ✅ Low-DR sites (under 30) ranking on page 1
- ✅ Results that do not match search intent well
- ✅ Missing "People Also Ask" coverage in existing results
SERP Signals That Say "Skip":
- ❌ Wirecutter, Forbes, NerdWallet, CNET dominating page 1
- ❌ All page-1 results are DR 70+ sites
- ❌ Google Shopping carousel appears (product searches, not content)
- ❌ AI Overview provides a comprehensive answer
- ❌ Brand-dominated results (e.g., "Apple AirPods review" = Apple.com + Best Buy + Target)
Step 6: Score and Prioritize Keywords
Use the Affiliate Revenue Estimate formula (detailed in the next section) to score each keyword. Then sort by estimated monthly revenue and start writing from the top.
Your priority list should be a spreadsheet with columns for: keyword, search volume, KD, CPC, buyer intent tier, affiliate program, commission rate, estimated monthly revenue, and content status. Update it monthly as rankings change and new keywords emerge.
Step 7: Build Content Clusters Around Products
Do not publish random keyword-targeted articles. Organize them into product clusters where each cluster targets one product category:
Example Cluster: "VPN Software"
- Pillar: Best VPN Services 2026 (category roundup)
- Comparison: NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
- Comparison: Surfshark vs NordVPN
- Review: NordVPN Review (detailed single-product)
- Review: ExpressVPN Review
- Alternatives: ExpressVPN Alternatives
- Use-case: Best VPN for Streaming Netflix
- Use-case: Best VPN for Gaming
- How-to: How to Set Up a VPN (mentions top picks)
- Problem: Why Is My Internet Slow? (mentions VPN speed optimization)
Each piece of content internally links to the others. The pillar (category roundup) is the hub. Comparisons and reviews are the spokes. How-to and problem-aware articles provide topical authority. Read our complete content cluster strategy guide for the full framework.
8 Affiliate Keyword Types Ranked by Revenue
Not all affiliate content converts equally. Here are the 8 keyword types ranked by typical conversion rate, from highest to lowest:
Coupon & Deal Keywords
8-15% CVRPattern: "[Product] coupon code" "[Product] discount" "[Product] promo code 2026"
Highest conversion rate because the searcher has already decided to buy — they just want a better price. Low search volume but incredibly high conversion. Warning: many affiliate programs prohibit coupon-focused content. Check terms before investing.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
5-10% CVRPattern: "[Product A] vs [Product B]" "[A] or [B] for [use case]" "[A] compared to [B]"
The searcher has narrowed to two options and needs help deciding. Your content tips the scale. Both products in the comparison should have affiliate programs — double your conversion opportunity with links to both.
Alternatives & Competitors
5-8% CVRPattern: "[Product] alternatives" "tools like [Product]" "cheaper alternative to [Product]"
The searcher is unhappy with their current tool or the market leader. They are actively looking for something else. List 8-12 alternatives with affiliate links to each. The "alternatives" format naturally accommodates multiple affiliate programs in one article.
Best-of Category Roundups
3-7% CVRPattern: "best [category] for [audience]" "top [category] [year]" "best [category] under $[price]"
The bread and butter of affiliate marketing. Roundup articles cover 8-12 products and include affiliate links to each. They capture searchers who know what category they need but have not chosen a specific product. Add "for [audience]" modifiers to find lower-competition long-tail variants (e.g., "best CRM for real estate agents" vs. "best CRM").
Product Reviews
3-5% CVRPattern: "[Product] review" "is [Product] worth it" "[Product] pros and cons" "[Product] honest review"
Single-product deep dives. Best when you have genuine hands-on experience with the product. Include screenshots, specific use cases, and an honest assessment of limitations. Authenticity converts better than salesmanship. Link to alternatives in your "who should not use this" section for additional affiliate revenue from readers who decide against the reviewed product.
Pricing & Cost Keywords
2-5% CVRPattern: "[Product] pricing" "how much does [Product] cost" "[Product] free vs paid"
Pricing keywords indicate high purchase intent — the searcher is evaluating cost before buying. Include detailed pricing breakdowns, plan comparisons, and hidden cost analysis. These articles convert well because readers are at the budget-validation stage of their purchase journey.
How-to With Product Recommendations
1-3% CVRPattern: "how to [action] with [category]" "[category] tutorial" "how to set up [solution]"
Solution-aware content where you naturally recommend products as part of the tutorial. "How to build a home recording studio" naturally mentions microphones, interfaces, headphones — all affiliate opportunities. Lower conversion because readers came for the tutorial, not the products. But these articles build authority and generate internal link value for your buyer-intent pages.
Informational & Educational
0.1-0.5% CVRPattern: "what is [concept]" "[topic] explained" "[concept] vs [concept]"
Pure education. Important for topical authority but rarely converts directly. Use informational content to rank for high-volume keywords that build your site's domain rating and pass link equity to buyer-intent pages through internal linking. Do not add aggressive affiliate CTAs to informational content — it feels pushy and reduces trust.
The Affiliate Revenue Estimate Formula
Stop guessing which keywords are worth writing about. Use this formula to estimate monthly revenue per keyword before you invest a single hour in content creation:
Affiliate Revenue Estimate (ARE)
Worked Example
Keyword: "best project management tools for small teams"
- • Search Volume: 1,200/month
- • Target Rank: #2 (realistic for KD 28)
- • CTR at #2: 15% = 180 clicks/month
- • Content Type: Best-of roundup (CVR 4%) = 7.2 signups/month
- • Top Affiliate: Monday.com (20% recurring on $9/seat/month, avg 5 seats = $9/month commission)
- • Blended Commission: ~$12/referral (mix of Monday.com, Asana, ClickUp programs)
ARE = 1,200 × 0.15 × 0.04 × $12 = $86.40/month from one article
Plus recurring commissions compound — after 12 months, that $86.40 becomes ongoing passive income as subscribers renew.
When the Formula Shows "Skip"
Keyword: "what is project management"
- • Search Volume: 12,000/month (10x higher!)
- • Target Rank: #5 (realistic best case at KD 65)
- • CTR at #5: 5% = 600 clicks/month
- • Content Type: Informational (CVR 0.3%) = 1.8 signups/month
- • Blended Commission: ~$12/referral
ARE = 12,000 × 0.05 × 0.003 × $12 = $21.60/month — despite 10x the search volume
Lower CTR (rank #5 vs #2), dramatically lower CVR (informational vs buyer-intent), and much harder to rank for. The "smaller" keyword earns 4x more.
Run this formula on every keyword candidate before writing. It takes 2 minutes and saves you from investing 6-10 hours in content that will never earn meaningful commissions.
Niche Selection Through Keyword Data
If you have not chosen your affiliate niche yet, keyword data is the best way to evaluate opportunities. Here is how to use keyword research to pick a profitable niche:
1. Commission Structure Analysis
Research affiliate programs in each niche candidate. Rank niches by commission potential:
2. Keyword Volume Test
Search 10-15 buyer-intent keywords in your candidate niche using KeySEO's search volume checker. If fewer than 5 have 200+ monthly searches, the niche is too small. If all 15 have 5,000+, the niche is probably too competitive for a new site. The sweet spot: 8-12 of 15 keywords have 200-3,000 searches.
3. Competition Feasibility Check
Use the keyword difficulty checker on your 15 candidate keywords. If more than half have KD above 50, you will struggle to rank without years of link building. If most are KD 0-30 with buyer intent, you have found a winnable niche. Look specifically for "best [category] for [specific audience]" variants — these long-tail buyer keywords are often surprisingly low competition.
4. Content Depth Potential
Can you write 50+ articles in this niche? Map out potential content clusters. If you can only identify 10-15 keywords, the niche is too narrow for sustained growth. Ideal niches have 5+ product categories, each with 8-12 keyword opportunities (comparisons, reviews, best-of, alternatives). That gives you 40-60+ articles worth of content.
💡 The Niche Goldilocks Test
A niche passes the Goldilocks test when: (1) at least 3 products have affiliate programs paying >10% recurring or >$30 per sale, (2) 50+ buyer-intent keywords exist with KD under 35, (3) you can write 50+ articles without running out of topics, and (4) the niche is not dominated by a single mega-publisher (check if Wirecutter or NerdWallet own every page-1 result). If all four conditions are met, you have a viable affiliate niche.
Competitor Keyword Mining for Affiliates
Your competitors have already done keyword research for you. Mining their content strategy reveals exactly which keywords convert well enough to justify ongoing content investment.
3 Competitor Mining Methods
Method 1: Content Audit (Free)
Browse your top 3 affiliate competitors' sites. Document every article URL, its target keyword, and the products it promotes. Look for patterns: which categories do they cover most deeply? Which products get the most articles? Heavy coverage signals profitable keywords they have validated.
Pro tip: Check their most-linked-to pages (often visible through free backlink checkers). Pages that earn backlinks naturally tend to rank well and generate the most affiliate revenue.
Method 2: SERP Overlap Analysis
Search for your target buyer-intent keywords and note which affiliate sites consistently appear on page 1. If one site ranks for 20+ of your target keywords, they are your primary competitor. Study their content format (word count, structure, depth, visuals, comparison tables) and replicate the pattern with better execution.
Pro tip: Look for keywords where competitors rank on page 2 (positions 11-20). These are keywords they have validated as worth targeting but have not fully cracked. Your opportunity to rank above them with superior content.
Method 3: Affiliate Link Reverse Engineering
Inspect competitor pages and identify their affiliate links. Note which programs they promote, their link placement strategy, and how they structure their recommendations. If a competitor prominently features one product above others across multiple articles, it is likely their highest-converting program.
Pro tip: Many affiliate links use recognizable URL patterns: "go." subdomains, "/refer/" paths, partnerstack.com, impact.com, or shareasale.com redirects. Viewing page source reveals affiliate link destinations quickly.
9 Keyword Research Mistakes That Kill Affiliate Revenue
❌ 1. Chasing Volume Over Intent
The mistake: Targeting "what is email marketing" (50,000 SV) instead of "best email marketing software for small business" (2,000 SV).
The fix: Use CPC as your primary filter, not volume. Sort keywords by CPC first, then filter by KD. High-CPC, low-KD keywords are the affiliate goldmine. Use KeySEO's competition checker to identify keywords with high advertiser spending (signals purchase intent).
❌ 2. Writing Without Commission Validation
The mistake: Publishing a comprehensive "best free project management tools" guide, then discovering none of the free tools have affiliate programs.
The fix: Always run Step 3 (commission validation) before writing. Check every product in your article for active affiliate programs. If fewer than 3 products have programs worth promoting, the keyword is not viable for affiliate monetization.
❌ 3. Ignoring Keyword Difficulty for New Sites
The mistake: A 3-month-old site targeting "best VPN" (KD 85) and wondering why it does not rank after 6 months.
The fix: New affiliate sites must target KD 0-25 exclusively for the first 6 months. Add audience modifiers to reduce difficulty: "best VPN for Linux users" (KD 15) converts as well as "best VPN" (KD 85) for the right audience, and you can actually rank for it.
❌ 4. Niche Hopping Instead of Deepening
The mistake: Writing 5 articles about VPNs, then 5 about hosting, then 5 about email marketing — covering three niches shallowly.
The fix: Pick one niche and build 30+ articles before considering expansion. Google rewards topical authority — 30 interlinked VPN articles will outrank 5 scattered VPN articles on a generalist site. See our content cluster strategy guide for building authority systematically.
❌ 5. Skipping SERP Analysis
The mistake: Relying entirely on keyword tool metrics without checking who actually ranks on page 1.
The fix: Always Google your target keyword before committing to write about it. If page 1 is dominated by DR 80+ publishers (Wirecutter, Forbes, CNET), even a KD 25 keyword might be unwinnable. Look for at least 2-3 small sites (DR under 40) ranking in the top 10 — that proves the keyword is accessible.
❌ 6. Not Tracking Revenue Per Article
The mistake: Publishing 50 articles and having no idea which ones earn money. Treating all content as equally valuable.
The fix: Use UTM parameters or SubID tracking on every affiliate link. Tag each article so you can see which content drives conversions. Your keyword research for month 2 should be informed by conversion data from month 1. Double down on keyword patterns that earn, stop producing content types that do not.
❌ 7. Targeting Only "Best" Keywords
The mistake: Only writing "best X" roundups and ignoring comparisons, reviews, alternatives, and pricing content.
The fix: Diversify your keyword types. Comparisons ("X vs Y") and alternatives ("X alternatives") often have lower KD than "best X" and convert at the same or higher rates. A complete affiliate content strategy covers all 8 keyword types, with emphasis on the top 4 (coupons, comparisons, alternatives, best-of).
❌ 8. Neglecting Content Updates
The mistake: Publishing "Best CRM Tools 2025" and never updating it. Losing rankings as Google prefers fresh content.
The fix: Review and update your top-performing articles quarterly. Update pricing, add new products, remove discontinued ones, refresh screenshots, and bump the year in the title. A well-maintained article that has aged 12+ months outranks a brand-new article because it has accumulated backlinks and user engagement signals.
❌ 9. Amazon Dependency
The mistake: Building an entire affiliate site around Amazon Associates (1-4% commissions, 24-hour cookie).
The fix: Diversify into direct affiliate programs with better terms. SaaS programs pay 15-40% recurring. Many physical product brands run their own programs with 5-10% commissions and 30-day cookies. Amazon Associates is fine as a supplementary revenue stream but terrible as your primary income source — one commission rate cut (it has happened multiple times) can halve your revenue overnight.
Affiliate-Friendly Keyword Research Tools
Different budget levels call for different tool stacks. Here is what works at each stage of affiliate site growth:
🌱 Getting Started ($0-29/month)
Best for: New affiliate sites (0-$500/month revenue). KeySEO Pro at $29/month gives you unlimited keyword lookups — crucial when you are researching dozens of product keywords per content cluster. Compare to Ahrefs ($129/mo) or SEMrush ($139/mo) for the same keyword data.
📈 Growing ($29-100/month)
Best for: Affiliate sites earning $500-2,000/month. At this stage you are optimizing existing content and expanding into new product clusters. Rank tracking becomes important to identify which keywords are moving up and need a content refresh or internal link boost.
🚀 Scaling ($100-250/month)
Best for: Affiliate sites earning $2,000+/month. At this stage, the ROI on premium tools is clear — one keyword discovery that lands a $500/month article pays for a year of Ahrefs. Use KeySEO for unlimited daily keyword research and Ahrefs/SEMrush for competitive analysis, backlink data, and site audit.
Start Finding Affiliate Keywords Now
Every article you publish without keyword research is a gamble. Every article you publish with it is an investment. KeySEO gives you the data to make every article count.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many keywords should an affiliate marketer target per month?
Quality over quantity, always. Target 8-15 keywords per month, organized into 2-3 product clusters. Each keyword should have a clear commission path — if you cannot name the affiliate program and commission rate for a keyword, do not target it. New affiliate sites should publish 3-4 articles per week targeting low-competition keywords (KD below 30) within a single niche. Spreading across 50+ keywords in 10 different niches is the most common reason affiliate sites fail. Deep expertise in one area builds topical authority faster than shallow coverage of many.
What is a good keyword difficulty score for affiliate content?
It depends on your site age and authority. New sites (0-6 months, DR under 15): target KD 0-20 only. Growing sites (6-18 months, DR 15-35): target KD 0-35 with occasional pushes to 40. Established sites (18+ months, DR 35+): target KD 0-50. The mistake most affiliate marketers make is targeting "best VPN" (KD 80+) on a brand-new domain. Instead, target "best VPN for Linux Mint" (KD 15, still has buyer intent). Long-tail buyer keywords convert at higher rates anyway because the searcher knows exactly what they want.
Should affiliate marketers prioritize search volume or CPC?
CPC first, volume second. CPC tells you how much advertisers pay for that click — high CPC means high commercial intent and expensive products with bigger commissions. A keyword with 200 monthly searches and $15 CPC will almost always outperform one with 5,000 searches and $0.50 CPC for affiliate revenue. The ideal sweet spot: 200-3,000 monthly searches, $5+ CPC, KD under 35. These keywords represent buyers actively evaluating products, not casual browsers.
How do you calculate revenue potential for an affiliate keyword?
Use the Affiliate Revenue Estimate formula: Monthly Searches × Expected CTR (varies by ranking position, roughly 25% for #1, 15% for #2, 10% for #3) × Conversion Rate (typically 2-5% for review content, 5-10% for comparison content, 8-15% for coupon/deal content) × Average Commission. Example: "best project management tools" with 2,000 searches, ranking #2 (15% CTR = 300 clicks), 4% conversion (12 signups), $50 average commission = $600/month from one article. This formula helps you prioritize which keywords to write about first.
What is the difference between informational and buyer-intent keywords for affiliates?
Informational keywords describe a problem ("what is a VPN"), while buyer-intent keywords signal purchase readiness ("best VPN for streaming Netflix" or "NordVPN vs ExpressVPN"). Affiliate revenue comes overwhelmingly from buyer-intent keywords — comparison articles, best-of roundups, product reviews, and alternative pages. Informational content supports these pages through internal linking and topical authority but rarely converts directly. The golden ratio: 70% buyer-intent content (reviews, comparisons, best-of), 20% solution-aware content (how-to guides mentioning affiliate products), 10% informational content (pure education for authority).
How long does it take for affiliate content to start earning?
Expect 3-6 months before your first commission from organic search. Google needs time to index, evaluate, and rank new content — the "Google sandbox" effect is real for new domains. The timeline: Month 1-2 content published and indexed. Month 3-4 rankings start appearing (positions 30-60). Month 5-6 rankings improve to page 2 (positions 11-20). Month 6-12 page 1 rankings for low-KD keywords. This is why keyword difficulty targeting is critical — low-KD keywords rank faster, generating revenue sooner. Affiliate sites that target KD 50+ keywords from launch often earn nothing for 12+ months.
Should affiliate marketers focus on one niche or diversify?
One niche, deeply. Google rewards topical authority — 50 articles about home office equipment will outrank 50 articles covering 10 different niches. Single-niche sites also build audience trust (readers return to a site that is clearly expert in their interest area) and simplify affiliate program management. The exception: once your primary niche is thoroughly covered (100+ articles, strong rankings), you can expand into adjacent niches. Start with "standing desks" → expand to "home office chairs" → expand to "home office setup." Adjacent expansion, not random diversification.
How do AI Overviews and AI search affect affiliate keyword research in 2026?
AI Overviews now appear for roughly 25% of search queries, and they disproportionately target informational keywords. This actually benefits affiliate marketers: buyer-intent keywords like "best X for Y" and "X vs Y" are less likely to get AI Overviews because Google knows users want detailed comparisons, not summaries. Focus your keyword research on high-commercial-intent queries where Google still sends clicks to websites. Product reviews with genuine testing, detailed comparison tables, and expert opinions are harder for AI to replicate and more likely to earn clicks even when AI Overviews appear above them.