# Research & Strategy

> Research-led digital strategy before a line of code: competitor analysis, SEO/AEO/GEO visibility audit, information architecture and a 90-day roadmap.

**Provider:** Oxwyn Studio (https://oxwynstudio.com)
**Page:** https://oxwynstudio.com/services/research-strategy

## Summary

Research & Strategy is a two-to-three week, research-led engagement that maps your market, buyer, search surface and technical constraints before any build begins. You leave with a written digital strategy document, covering positioning, information architecture, an SEO/AEO/GEO visibility audit and a sequenced 90-day roadmap, that you could hand to any competent team.

## What this fixes

- **You have a feature wishlist instead of a strategy.** Builds drift, scope inflates, and the launched product solves a problem no one paid you to solve.
- **Search and AI surfaces are invisible to you.** Competitors get cited inside ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews while your brand is absent from the answer.
- **Stakeholders disagree on who the customer actually is.** Copy, pricing and onboarding all drift in different directions, and every team rewrites them quarterly.

## The method

01. **Discover** — Stakeholder interviews, goal alignment and constraint capture.
02. **Map** — Competitor teardown and buyer job-to-be-done modelling.
03. **Audit** — Search and AI visibility across Google, Bing, Perplexity and ChatGPT.
04. **Synthesise** — Positioning, information architecture and message hierarchy.
05. **Sequence** — A prioritised 90-day delivery plan you can hand to any team.

## What's included

- Three-competitor teardown with screenshots and annotated notes
- Keyword, AEO and GEO query sheet built from live search data
- Information architecture and recommended sitemap
- Positioning statement and message hierarchy
- Search and AI visibility map across Google, Bing, Perplexity and ChatGPT
- Sequenced 90-day delivery plan with effort and impact scoring

## Depth of research — six intelligence disciplines

### 01. Market & demand intelligence
We size the real opportunity, not a guess. TAM/SAM/SOM modelling, demand-trend mapping and seasonality so you build for where the market is heading, not where it was.
Techniques: TAM / SAM / SOM sizing, Demand & trend mapping, Search-volume forecasting, Seasonality modelling, Pricing-sensitivity scan.

### 02. Competitor teardown
Every serious rival reverse-engineered: their funnel, tech stack, content velocity, keyword footprint and the exact gaps you can credibly take.
Techniques: Full funnel teardown, Tech-stack fingerprinting, Content-velocity tracking, Backlink-profile analysis, Gap & whitespace mapping.

### 03. Search & AI visibility
The triple audit almost no agency runs: classic SEO, plus AEO citation testing inside ChatGPT and Perplexity, plus GEO across generative engines.
Techniques: SEO ranking + technical audit, AEO citation testing, GEO generative-answer scan, Keyword cluster architecture, SERP-feature & intent mapping.

### 04. Buyer & audience mapping
We model the humans who actually buy: jobs-to-be-done, objection mapping, channel behaviour and the exact language they search with.
Techniques: Jobs-to-be-done modelling, Objection & friction mapping, Voice-of-customer mining, Channel-behaviour analysis, Persona & segment design.

### 05. Positioning & messaging
Synthesis into a sharp, defensible position: category framing, a differentiation ladder and message architecture mapped to real demand.
Techniques: Category & framing strategy, Differentiation ladder, Message architecture, Proof & narrative mapping, Naming & taxonomy.

### 06. Data & analytics baseline
We instrument the truth before launch so every decision after is measured, not guessed. Clean baselines, clean attribution, honest reporting.
Techniques: GA4 + GSC instrumentation, Conversion-event mapping, Attribution baseline, Vercel & PostHog setup, Reporting dashboards.

## Tools we triangulate across

Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, GA4, Vercel Analytics, PostHog, Notion.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?

SEO (search engine optimisation) is about ranking in classic Google and Bing results. AEO (answer engine optimisation) is about being the cited source inside AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. GEO (generative engine optimisation) extends that to how generative engines summarise and recommend your brand. We audit and plan for all three because buyers now research across all of them.

### Do I have to commit to a build afterwards?

No. The strategy document is yours and is written to be handed to any competent team, including your own. There is no obligation to build with us afterwards.

### How long does a Research & Strategy engagement take?

Two to three weeks depending on category complexity and stakeholder availability. We agree a fixed schedule at kickoff so you know exactly when each deliverable lands.

### What exactly do I receive at the end?

A single written document containing a three-competitor teardown, a keyword and AEO/GEO query sheet, an information architecture and sitemap, a positioning statement and message hierarchy, a search and AI visibility map, and a sequenced 90-day delivery plan.

### Is this just an SEO audit?

No. An SEO audit is one input. This engagement covers product discovery, market and competitor research, buyer mapping, positioning, information architecture and a delivery roadmap, alongside the search and AI visibility work.

### Who is this for?

Founders about to build or rebuild, teams preparing a funding round, and businesses that keep launching features without a coherent strategy. It is equally useful before a new website, a SaaS MVP or an AI tool.

### How do you research AI and answer-engine visibility?

We run your category's real queries through Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and ChatGPT, record which sources get cited, and identify the questions where you could become the cited answer. That becomes a concrete AEO and GEO action list.

### Can you work with our existing analytics and data?

Yes. We plug into GA4, Google Search Console and Vercel Analytics where available, and combine that first-party data with live SERP and AI-engine checks for an accurate picture.

## Keywords

digital strategy consulting, product discovery, market research for startups, competitor analysis, information architecture, answer engine optimisation, AEO, generative engine optimisation, GEO, search visibility audit, pre-build product strategy, 90-day roadmap, positioning strategy, go-to-market research, SEO strategy, website strategy consultant UK

## Next step

Book a strategy call: https://oxwynstudio.com/contact