an answerthepublic alternative that starts from what buyers said.
By Baba · 11 October 2026
Independent SEO consultant for B2B companies for 14 years, organiser of the Amsterdam SEO Salon, and the builder of Unprompted.
AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked and the keyword tools in Semrush and Ahrefs start from the search box. They tell you which questions get typed. They can show that people look up the downsides of a product, but not which downside, because the reason is never in the search.
Unprompted starts from the other end: what buyers wrote to each other in forums, communities and reviews, before a vendor was in the room. It is for in-house B2B marketers and the SEO consultants and agencies who write for them.
Run it on your own site during the beta, or read a full report first.
one business, both ways.
brightpensioen.nl sells a pension account to self-employed people in the Netherlands. Here is what search data shows about it, and what its buyers said.
| Search | Per month |
|---|---|
| bright pensioen | 4,400 |
| bright pensioen inloggen | 480 |
| bright pensioen review | 70 |
| nadelen bright pensioen | 20 |
| bright pensioen kosten | 20 |
| brand new day vs bright pensioen | 20 |
You learn that people look up the downsides, the costs and one competitor. You do not learn which downside, or whether it is true.
The sample run of 10 August 2026 found the answer on two forums:
“Als ZZP'er wil ik binnenkort starten met pensioenbeleggen […] Voelt toch als een 'grote' keuze. Voorkeur gaat nu uit naar BND of Meesman, Bright valt af ivm dividendlekkage.”In English: As a self-employed person I want to start pension investing soon. It does feel like a big choice. My preference is now BND or Meesman; Bright drops out because of dividend leakage.
“het dividendlek (dit lees ik vooral op deze reddit, ik kan het verder nergens terugvinden)”In English: the dividend leak (I mostly read about it on this subreddit, I cannot find it anywhere else)
“Dividendlekkage” gets 170 searches a month in the Netherlands on its own. No search data ties it to Bright. The forum posts do.
The answer existed: one FAQ page on the site, with nothing linking to it. The run said what to make: answer the rumour where it is repeated, and link the FAQ.
when to use which.
| Question | Search question tools | Unprompted |
|---|---|---|
| Which questions get typed, and how often? | Yes; some show monthly numbers | Only as a signal for timing and wording |
| Why does a buyer hesitate or rule you out? | No | Yes, in their words |
| Where was it said? | Nowhere: it is a search box | A link on every quote |
| Does your site answer it? | No | Checked page by page, with what to make |
| Cost | AnswerThePublic from $20 a month | Nothing during the beta |
Use both. A search tool tells you what to call a page and when demand peaks. Unprompted tells you what the page has to say, and to whom.
Search volume tells you how many people ask. It is a poor guide to what your page must answer, and that is where most B2B content goes wrong: it is written for the keyword, not for the buyer who hesitates.
what unprompted does not do.
- No search volumes. For how many people search, keep your keyword tool.
- One market per run, read in its own language.
- B2B only during the beta. Shops and consumer brands are turned away.
- If your buyers do not talk in public, the run stops and shows every place it looked.
- Some buyers stay out of reach. The sample run found nothing for its second buyer group, the bookkeepers: no accountancy community it could read was reachable, and the report says so.
questions.
- Is AnswerThePublic free?
- Its pricing page lists paid plans, starting at $20 a month for Starter.
- Does Unprompted replace keyword research?
- It changes what you start from. Keyword research still tells you what a page should be called and how many people look for it. Unprompted tells you what the page has to answer.
- Where do the quotes come from?
- Public forums, communities, review sites, social groups and complaint rulings. Each quote links to the exact place it was said.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing during the beta. I invite testers by hand and ask for feedback on what the report found.
- How long does a run take?
- Usually under an hour. I email you when the report is ready.
try it on your own site.
Give me one website. I will find what its buyers said.
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