Research a question in minutes

When you need to look something up for your business, like a new rule in your industry, what a supplier is known for, or whether a tool is worth trying, it’s easy to lose an afternoon to open tabs. This guide shows you how to ask an AI tool one clear question, get a short answer with sources, and check the parts that matter in a few minutes.

Before you start

• An AI tool that can search the web and show its sources, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok or Perplexity. Most have a search or research option; check the tool’s help pages if you can’t find it.
• One real question you need answered this week.
• About 15 minutes.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

20–45 minutes

Skills you’ll need: Frame a specific question, open source links, and compare conflicting evidence. You must check the facts you will act on.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Checked research can clarify what customers need to know before choosing you. When it informs a website page or offer, retaining the sources helps you publish useful answers without repeating unsupported claims.

1. 1

   Step 1: Write down the decision behind the question

   A vague question gets a vague answer. “Tell me about card readers” returns a page of general facts. “Which card reader should a mobile hairdresser use for about 20 payments a week?” returns something you can act on.

   Before you ask, write one line for each of these:

   • The question, in one sentence.
   • What you’ll decide once you know the answer, for example “whether to switch suppliers” or “whether I need to change my booking form”.
   • Where and when it applies: your country or region, and how recent the information needs to be.

   Tip: If you can’t name the decision, you may be researching out of curiosity. That’s fine, but cap it at ten minutes.

   Illustrated exampleGive the research a decision to serve

   Too broad

   “Tell me about card readers.”

   Add the decision and the boundaries

   My business

   Mobile hairdresser · around 20 payments a week

   My decision

   Which card reader to try first

   Place + time

   United Kingdom · prices and features available now

   Ready to research

   “Which card reader should a UK mobile hairdresser try for around 20 payments a week? Search for current prices and features, and link to the sources.”

2. 2

   Step 2: Turn on search and ask for sources

   Many AI tools answer from what they learned during training, which can be months or years out of date. For anything that changes, like rules, prices or product features, make sure the tool is searching the web. Look for a “search”, “web” or “research” button, or ask it directly to search.

   Then use the prompt at the end of this guide. It asks for a short answer, a link for each main point, the date of each source, and a clear note of anything the AI is unsure about.

3. 3

   Step 3: Open the links that matter

   AI tools sometimes get details wrong, or link to a page that says something different from what they claim. You don’t need to check everything. Check the two or three points your decision actually rests on.

   For each one, open the link and look for three things:

   • Does the page really say what the AI said it says?
   • Who wrote it? An official body, the company itself, or a news site is usually stronger than an anonymous blog or forum post.
   • How old is it? A two-year-old page about prices or rules may no longer be right.

   Tip: If a link is broken or goes somewhere unrelated, treat that point as unconfirmed until you find another source.

   Illustrated exampleA recent source can still contradict the answer

   Invented supplier and source, for illustration.

   The AI says

   “Example Payments offers phone support seven days a week.”

   The linked source

   Example Payments · Help centreContact our support team

   Updated 8 October 2026 · example date

   “Phone support is available Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.”

   1. Who wrote it?The supplier’s own help centre.
   2. How old is it?The example page was updated this month.
   3. Does it match?No. Weekdays only, not seven days.

   Keep the claim unconfirmed. If weekend support matters, ask the supplier before choosing.

4. 4

   Step 4: Ask for the other side

   Once you have an answer you like, ask the AI to argue against it. Reply in the same chat with: “What’s the strongest reason this might be wrong for a business like mine?”

   This takes thirty seconds and often surfaces the one thing you hadn’t thought of, like a cost that only kicks in later or a rule that only applies above a certain size.

5. 5

   Step 5: Save a short note with the links

   Write a few lines you can find again: the question, the answer, what you decided, and the links you checked. Keep it with your other business notes.

   Next time the question comes up, or someone asks why you chose what you did, you have the answer and the sources in one place.

   If the question affects your website, carry the checked finding into a specific next task: clarify a service description, answer a recurring customer question, or review an offer. Keep the source and date beside the proposed wording, then use the page-writing or safe-change guide before publishing. Research supports the decision; it does not update the website by itself.

   Tip: For anything legal, tax or financial, use the research to prepare good questions, then check the answer with a professional or the official government website before you act.

Please research a question for my small business. Search the web for current information, and explain everything in plain English.

My question: [your question in one sentence]
What I’ll decide with the answer: [for example, whether to switch suppliers]
Where I am: [your country or region]
How recent it needs to be: [for example, from the last 12 months]

Please:
1. Give me a short answer first, in five sentences or fewer.
2. Then list the main points, each with a link to the source and the date it was published or updated.
3. Prefer official sources and the companies’ own pages over blogs and forums.
4. Mark anything you couldn’t confirm or found conflicting information about.
5. Give me the strongest reason this answer might be wrong or not fit a business like mine.
6. Don’t guess at prices, rules or figures. If you can’t find a source, say so.