# Deep Research {% embed url="" %} Frase Research is how you decide what's worth creating, how it should be structured, and where you actually have a chance to win. It helps you understand what search engines expect, what competitors are doing well, and where opportunities exist that others haven't captured yet. ### Why Research Comes First Research helps you answer the right questions *before* you invest time writing. * Is this topic even worth pursuing? * What’s already working in this space? * What does Google expect to see here? * Where can my content do something better—or different? Research is necessary to write relevant, valuable, and optimized content. ### The 3 Types of Research in Frase Frase offers three distinct research types. Each one helps you answer a different strategic question before you write.
Build a Brief from a Topic **Use this when you’re deciding what to write about.** Topic Research analyzes a keyword or idea at a high level so you can quickly judge demand and competitiveness. It helps you: * Validate ideas before committing * Understand search interest * See related questions and opportunities {% hint style="success" %} This is often where content planning begins {% endhint %}
Explore Sub-Topics **Use this when you're devising a larger content plan.** Map subtopics, see what ranks in search, and how ideas cluster together before you choose what to write. It helps you: * Improve topical authority * Optimize programmatic SEO strategically * Visualize content clusters
Find Gaps **Use this when you want to find opportunities you’re missing.** Content Gap Research identifies topics and keywords competitors rank for that you don’t. It’s especially useful for: * Finding high-impact content ideas * Expanding topical coverage * Catching up—or pulling ahead {% hint style="success" %} Many teams start here to prioritize what to create next. {% endhint %}
### **How Research Works** The research experience begins with a question: what are you actually trying to do? Build a brief from a topic, explore a topic space, or find gaps your competitors have missed. Each path is tailored to the goal. Before the research runs, Frase asks four quick questions—topic, goal, audience, and market. This locks in the strategy before the SERP analysis runs, so the keywords, evidence, and brief structure it surfaces are anchored to what this specific piece needs to accomplish—not just what's generically ranking. You can also apply your [Content Governance](https://docs.frase.io/content/brand-hub#manage-content-governance) rules—brand voice, term rules, reference docs—before a single search query runs. ### **Where Research Fits in the Content Workflow** Research is the first step in Frase’s content flow: {% stepper %} {% step %} ### **Research** You research to decide what matters. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Brief You brief to plan structure and focus. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Content You write with clarity and intent. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ### **How Research Flows Into Briefs** Frase lets you move from research into briefs in two ways: * From the *Research* tab on the left sidebar, you can intentionally **run research first**, then create briefs using what you’ve learned. * From the green *+ New Article* button, you can **jump straight into creating a brief** and let Frase research topics and competitors automatically in the background. Either way, every brief is grounded in SERP insights—so writers (and Frase) know what matters before drafting begins. {% hint style="success" %} **The result:** clearer briefs, fewer revisions, and content that starts aligned instead of hoping to get there later. {% endhint %} ### How to Review Research
Summary Tab — Your control room to choose what goes into the brief. You have full control to pin and curate which keywords, SERP structure, AI visibility signals, and supporting evidence integrate into your content brief and article.
SERP Tab — See how competitors have structured their content. Word counts, domain authority, heading hierarchy. Everything you'd expect, informing a smart output.
Keyword Tab — Difficulty, coverage, and intent in one view. Pin the terms you want the brief to target. The bottom bar tracks what you've committed to as you go.
AI Visibility Tab — View AI platform opportunities and competitor gaps. Before you write a word, you can see which AI platforms are citing your competitors and where the gaps are for you to fill. Pin your strongest evidence—stats, quotes, and facts straight into the brief.
When you're ready, the **brief** is a complete strategic document with content type, target tone, core argument, a section-by-section outline with evidence already mapped in, plus a do's and don'ts guide. Everything a writer (whether in-house or AI-driven) needs before they start. Use the **Brief Builder** on the right side-panel to track progress and make adjustments as needed. {% hint style="success" %} **Want to make changes?** Use *Ask AI*. From there, hit Write to generate content, export the brief and write it yourself, or hand it to a freelancer. The brief is yours to use however you normally would. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.frase.io/feature-reference/deep-research.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.