The Build questionnaire
50 questions that unlock everything.
Foundation
(Who + Why)
→
Strategy
(What + Where)
→
Tactical
(When + How)
→
Integration
(Regression + Ecosystem)
→
Build
How It Connects
Build questionnaire
→
Answers
→
Content engine
Research
→
Know
→
Create
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Distribute
→
Visible
→
Connect
→
Client
Establish who the business is, who they serve, and why content matters.
Identity
→
Goals
→
Audience
→
Strategy unlocks
1.1 Business Identity
Q1
What is the business name and any brand variants?
Human-OnlyWHO
Q2
What industry/vertical does the business operate in?
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q3
Who are the principals (names, roles, pronouns)?
Human-OnlyWHO
Q4
What geographic market(s) do you serve?
Human-OnlyWHERE
Q5
What is your differentiator -- the thing you do that others in your market do not?
Human-OnlyWHY
Q6
What existing brand/methodology/coaching system do you follow?
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q7
What is the public-facing brand name for AI-produced work?
Human-OnlyWHO
1.2 Business Goal
Q8
What is the primary business goal this content system serves?
Human-OnlyWHY
Q9
What does "conversion" mean for your business? (What action = success?)
Human-OnlyWHY
Q10
What is your current conversion path? (How do clients find you today?)
Human-OnlyWHY
Q11
Are you trying to grow volume, grow average deal size, or both?
Human-OnlyWHY
1.3 Audience Definition
Q12
Who is your ideal client? (Demographics, situation, motivation)
Human-OnlyWHO
Q13
What questions does your ideal client ask BEFORE they contact you?
Human-InputWHO
Q14
What platforms does your audience use to find answers?
Human-InputWHERE
Q15
Do you have an existing CRM/database? How many contacts? How are they organized?
Human-OnlyWHO
Determine what content to create, where to publish it, and what format works best.
Content
→
Distribution
→
Competitors
→
Tactical unlocks
2.1 Content Strategy
Q16
What is the first subject to build content around? (Proof-of-concept)
Human-InputWHAT
Q17
Do you want SEO (Google ranking), AEO (AI citation), or both?
Human-InputWHAT
Q18
What content already exists? (Blog, videos, social, email archives)
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q19
What is the quality bar? (Volume vs. only-proven-to-perform)
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q20
Are there topics that are OFF LIMITS or require special handling?
Human-OnlyWHAT
2.2 Distribution & Platforms
Q21
What platforms do you currently publish on?
Human-OnlyWHERE
Q22
Are there platforms you want to ADD or REMOVE?
Human-InputWHERE
Q23
Where should the content approval interface live?
Human-InputWHERE
Q24
What is the deploy infrastructure? (Hosting, domain, CDN)
Human-InputWHERE
2.3 Competitive Landscape
Q25
Who currently ranks for your target terms? (SEO competitors)
AI-AutonomousWHO
Q26
Who does the AI currently recommend for your services? (AEO competitors)
AI-AutonomousWHO
Q27
What is your current AI visibility score? (Baseline)
AI-AutonomousWHAT
Q28
What content formats do your competitors use successfully?
AI-AutonomousWHAT
Define cadence, production workflow, tools, and conversion mechanics.
Cadence
→
Production
→
Conversion
→
Integration unlocks
3.1 Cadence & Scheduling
Q29
How often should new content publish?
Human-InputWHEN
Q30
What is the approval cadence? (How often does the human review?)
Human-OnlyWHEN
Q31
What hours are available for autonomous processing?
Human-OnlyWHEN
Q32
How often should research refresh? (Market data, competitor analysis, AI visibility)
Human-InputWHEN
3.2 Production Workflow
Q33
What formats are available for production?
Human-InputWHAT
Q34
What production assets are needed per piece?
Human-InputWHAT
Q35
What tools already exist that should be wired in?
Human-InputWHAT
Q36
What needs to be built NEW?
AI-AutonomousWHAT
3.3 Conversion Mechanics
Q37
What is the "one-click connect" action? (What should a reader DO?)
Human-InputWHAT
Q38
What scheduling tool do you use or want?
Human-InputWHAT
Q39
How should content END? (Hard CTA, leading questions, assumptive, hybrid?)
Human-InputHOW
Q40
How does content connect to CRM distribution?
Human-InputHOW
Ensure new builds fit the existing ecosystem, do not break anything, and are unified at build time.
Technical
→
Quality Gates
→
Root Check
→
Deploy
4.1 Technical Integration
Q41
What existing automated systems must the new build integrate with?
Human-InputHOW
Q42
What is the existing CRM and does it have API access?
Human-InputWHAT
Q43
What structured data/schema does the website currently have?
AI-AutonomousWHAT
Q44
Are AI crawlers allowed or blocked?
AI-AutonomousWHAT
Q45
What is the self-healing protocol? (What happens when something breaks?)
Human-InputHOW
4.2 Quality Gates
Q46
What is the regression test checklist?
Human-InputHOW
Q47
What must be masked/hidden from public view?
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q48
What branding appears on every deliverable?
Human-OnlyWHAT
Q49
Who is the end-user litmus test?
Human-OnlyWHO
Q50
What is the locked decision change process?
Human-OnlyHOW
Summary
22 Human-Only (44%) | 19 Human-Input (38%) | 9 AI-Autonomous (18%)
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