The short answer
Label brainstorming outputs as ideas unless a licensed data source supplies actual measurements. A generated phrase is not evidence of search volume, difficulty or competition. Keep the planning value of the idea while making the absence of demand data clear.
A worked example
A fictional local tool suggests 'how to choose guest-post publications' from a seed topic. The editor can use it to explore a reader question. Adding '12,000 searches' or a difficulty score would require a real source and observation period; the brainstorming function has not measured either.
A practical checklist
- Record where the phrase came from: support question, editorial idea, provider report or local pattern generation. Preserve that provenance in the planning sheet.
- Group ideas by useful reader task and compare them with existing articles. Avoid creating duplicate pages for minor wording changes.
- If demand metrics are needed, obtain authorized provider data and keep its date, geography and measurement definition. Do not combine estimates from different scopes without explanation.
What to avoid
Avoid describing deterministic suggestions as search-engine autocomplete or AI research when no such service was called. The current tool supplies local intent and question patterns only. That capability can still be useful if its output is presented honestly.
A useful follow-up
Do local suggestions include real search volumes?
No. They are brainstorming prompts; live demand metrics need a legitimate provider and an explicitly sourced report.