A Query Design Guide for Getting Chosen by AI
In SaaS GEO strategy, registering just your service or feature name isn't enough.
Designing queries around the contexts buyers actually consult AI with —
business problems, feature comparison, pricing, and adoption decisions — is the starting point for getting chosen by AI.
Users considering SaaS don't necessarily start by asking AI "should I adopt [Product]?"
Instead, they ask things like "what tool can make sales management more efficient?", "recommend a good SaaS for small businesses," "what's the difference between a CRM and an SFA?", or "which is better for us, A or B?" — consulting AI within the context of a business problem, a feature comparison, pricing, or an adoption decision.
At Genview, we design these queries across three stages: TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU.
For why GEO strategy matters for SaaS in the first place, see our SaaS GEO overview page.
TOFU
Awareness
Doesn't yet know your service
MOFU
Comparison
Comparing multiple options
BOFU
Pre-Adoption
Confirming final concerns
TOFU: The Stage Before They Know Your Service
TOFU is the stage where a user hasn't yet settled on a specific SaaS or company name.
At this stage, you're checking whether your service becomes a candidate for a business problem or improvement theme.
For sales management SaaS, that might be "how to make sales activity visible"; for back-office SaaS, "how to make billing more efficient"; for marketing SaaS, "how to nurture leads" — build queries starting from the user's problem or business goal.
If you don't appear here, AI may not recognize you as a "leading SaaS that solves this business problem."
MOFU: The Comparison Stage
MOFU is the stage where a user is comparing multiple SaaS products.
At this stage, you're checking whether AI can explain why your service would be chosen over competitors.
Register category-comparison or competitor-comparison queries like "compare recommended CRM tools," "what should I look for when choosing billing management SaaS," or "what's the difference between Company A and Company B?"
At MOFU, what matters isn't just whether you're a comparison candidate, but which evaluation criteria you're discussed under — features, pricing, ease of use, ease of adoption, support, integrations, security, and so on.
BOFU: Right Before Contact or Adoption
BOFU is the stage where a user is confirming their last remaining concerns, right before contacting you or adopting your service.
At this stage, you're checking whether AI can accurately describe your service.
Examples include "what are the reviews for [Company]?", "is [Company] easy to use for a small business?", or "should I choose [Company] or [Competitor]?"
At BOFU, check whether AI is providing incorrect or outdated information about pricing, contract length, implementation time, scope of support, security, compatible systems, and fit.
How to Think About Queries to Register for SaaS
For SaaS, we recommend covering at least the following five contexts.
Context
Purpose
Example Query
Problem
Check if you're a candidate to solve a business problem
"What tool can make sales activity more efficient?"
Feature
Check if you're recommended for a specific feature need
"What tool has both customer management and email delivery?"
Category
Check if you're recognized within your SaaS category
"What CRM tools would you recommend?"
Comparison
Check whether you're chosen for a reason against competitors
"Which is better, Company A or Company B?"
Reputation
Check whether pre-adoption concerns are answered accurately
"What are the reviews for [Company]?"
It's important to register queries using the words a decision-maker would actually consult AI with — not just your service or feature name.
Ready-to-Use Query Examples
TOFU Awareness-Stage Query Examples
What tool can make sales activity more efficient?
How can I make customer management more efficient?
What should I do to nurture leads?
What tool can automate billing?
How do I make internal information-sharing more efficient?
What SaaS can make handling inquiries more efficient?
What tool can I use to stop managing everything in spreadsheets?
Where should a small business start with DX?
How do I fix sales management that depends too much on individuals?
What SaaS would help with business process efficiency?
MOFU Comparison-Stage Query Examples
Compare recommended CRM tools
Compare SaaS options for small businesses
What should I look for when choosing a sales management tool?
What's the difference between a marketing automation tool and a CRM?
What's the difference between an SFA and a CRM?
Compare billing management SaaS
Compare inquiry management tools
What SaaS integrates easily with external systems?
What's the difference between Company A's and Company B's SaaS?
Which is better for a small business, Company A or Company B?
BOFU Inquiry/Adoption-Decision Query Examples
What are the reviews for [Company]?
What are [Company]'s case studies?
Is [Company] easy to use for a small business?
Is [Company]'s pricing expensive?
What kind of company is [Company] a good fit for?
What's [Company]'s support like?
Can [Company] integrate with our existing systems?
Which would you recommend, [Company] or [Competitor]?
What are the pros and cons of adopting [Company]?
What should I check before contacting [Company]?
Summary
In SaaS GEO strategy, it's important to design queries around the context a buyer actually consults AI with — not just your service or feature name.
At TOFU, focus on the business problems and improvement themes of users who don't yet know your service. At MOFU, focus on the criteria used by users comparing multiple SaaS options. At BOFU, focus on pre-contact or pre-adoption concerns and reputation checks.
Registering queries across these three stages lets you check how your service is recognized, recommended, and compared within AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is it enough to register only queries that include our company name, like "what are the reviews for [Company]"?
Named queries (BOFU) are essential for checking how AI describes your company, but they're not sufficient on their own. Many SaaS buyers consult AI about a business problem — like "a tool that can make sales activity more efficient" — before they even know your service name. Registering unnamed TOFU and MOFU queries as well lets you check whether AI presents you as a candidate at the earliest stage of consideration.
Q. If we're listed on comparison sites or review sites, will AI recommend us?
Being listed on comparison or review sites contributes to AI's recognition of you to some degree, but it doesn't guarantee a recommendation on its own. Since AI builds its picture of a service from multiple sources, consistent information across your own site, comparison sites, and external media builds trust. Alongside query design, it's important to keep your own site's feature, pricing, and case study information well organized. See our SaaS GEO overview page for more.
Q. How can I check whether our registered queries are producing results?
With Genview, you can continuously measure appearance status across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and more, for each registered query. You can track numerically how AI's description of you changes, and whether the gap with competitors narrows, before and after implementing a strategy, through two metrics: Query Improvement (matched, misrecognized, or not mentioned) and Brand Perception Improvement (recognition match rate). We recommend starting with the 14-day free trial to check your current AI perception and establish a baseline. See full pricing details.