SEO Content: Keyword Research

Guides keyword research for SEO: finding target keywords, assessing difficulty, understanding search intent, and building topical maps. ~95% of keywords get fewer than 10 searches/month; low-volume, high-intent terms often yield faster rankings and conversion.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for product, audience, and positioning.

Identify:

1. Product/service: What you offer
2. Audience: Who searches for it
3. Goals: Traffic, conversions, brand
4. Tool access: Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, or SEO tools

Discovery Methods

Base Discovery

Method	Purpose
User perspective	What pain points? What would they search? Customer language from product context
Tool expansion	Related keywords, questions, suggestions; Google autocomplete, PAA, Related Searches
Competitor reverse	Analyze competitor titles, H1, URL; identify topics they rank for; find gaps (#4–10 = opportunity) — see competitor-research
Google PAA	People Also Ask and Related Searches; high-value signals from real user behavior
Extract from article	When auditing existing content: extract seed keywords from title, H1, H2s, meta keywords, first 100 words; then search "[primary keyword]" or "[primary keyword] related keywords" for opportunities; use "[primary keyword]" site:competitor.com if competitors known

Google Autocomplete (Long-Tail Discovery)

Google autocomplete reflects real user searches; suggestions only appear if queries have actual traffic. Free; often uncovers low-volume long-tail that keyword tools miss. ~70% of search traffic is long-tail; lower competition, higher conversion.

Alphabet method (seed + space + letter):

• Type seed keyword + space + each letter: keyword a, keyword b, ... keyword z
• Record relevant suggestions; repeat with numbers 0-9
• Example: SEO a -> "SEO audit," "SEO agency"; SEO b -> "SEO basics," "SEO best practices"

Position variants (seed in different positions):

• Prefix: a keyword, b keyword (discover what users add before)
• Suffix: keyword a, keyword b (most common; alphabet method)
• Middle: how to keyword a, best keyword for (question + modifier combos)

Question modifiers:

• how to keyword, what is keyword, why keyword, when to keyword, keyword vs
• keyword for beginners, keyword for small business, keyword without

Why it works: Keyword tools filter low-volume terms; autocomplete only shows queries with real traffic. Use with PAA and Related Searches for full coverage. Categorize results by intent (informational, commercial, transactional).

Incremental Discovery

• User feedback: Support, community, reviews, NPS—high-frequency questions = unmet search demand
• Multi-platform search: Reddit, Quora, X (Twitter), Hacker News—real questions and discussions

Search Intent

Intent	Content type	Example
Informational	Blog, guide, FAQ	"how to optimize sitemap"
Navigational	Brand page	"alignify login"
Commercial	Comparison, review	"SEO tools comparison"
Transactional	Product, pricing	"best SEO tool pricing"

Intent Identification

Modifier words (often signal intent):

Intent	Modifiers
Informational	"how," "what," "why," "guide," "tutorial"
Commercial	"best," "compare," "vs," "review," "top"
Transactional	"buy," "price," "cheap," "coupon," "free shipping"
Local	Location names

SERP check: Search the term—knowledge cards/Wiki → informational; product lists/reviews → commercial; brand sites → navigational. Broader terms often show mixed SERP. See serp-features for feature types.

Long-Tail Expansion

• Google Autocomplete: Alphabet method, position variants, question modifiers; see above. Primary source for long-tail.
• Intent modifiers: Core + "how," "best," "vs," "compare," "price"
• Question words: "how to," "what is," "why," "when"
• Functional modifiers: Core + "-er/-or" (e.g., "image optimizer" for tool-type queries); often higher conversion
• Clustering: Group by SERP overlap (same top pages), semantic similarity, or intent.

Keyword Clustering & Topical Map

Method	Use
SERP overlap	Keywords with overlapping top-ranking pages → same cluster
Semantic	Group by meaning, LSI, related concepts
Intent-based	Group by intent; separate pages if intent differs within cluster

Pillar–cluster (map keywords to structure):

• Pillar (Hub): Broad topic page; links to clusters
• Cluster (Spoke): Focused subtopic; links back to pillar
• Target long-tail first; then pillar. Interlink clusters within topic.
• See content-strategy for full pillar-cluster planning and implementation.

Evaluate & Screen

Factor	Consider
Search volume	Monthly searches; ~100+/month typical floor; niche can relax
Keyword difficulty (KD)	New sites target lower KD
CPC	Higher CPC often = stronger commercial intent
SERP features	Featured Snippet, PAA, zero-click; SERP features can satisfy intent without click—affects real traffic; see serp-features (Zero-Click section), featured-snippet
Screening order	1) Remove irrelevant 2) Filter very low volume 3) Assess achievability 4) Prioritize commercial/transactional

Product Positioning Test (SEO Fit)

Test if positioning is clear enough for search:

• XXX + Function words: Generator, Creator, Maker, Builder, Changer, Shortener, Scraper, Converter, Downloader, Translator, Extender, Summarizer, Resizer, Remover, Extractor, Recorder, Rewriter, Solver, Calculator; or Platform, Tool, Software, App, Provider, Assistant, Copilot
• Input + to + Output: e.g., "image to video," "text to speech"—clear input/output signals intent

Agent/Copilot products: Pure native Agent hard to grow via SEO; users rarely search "agent." Release related features first (e.g., CRM, sales bot for sales agent) to build traffic, then funnel to Agent product.

Principles

• Core rule: Someone must search it—validate with tools; avoid inventing terms
• Functional keywords: Tool-type (-er/-or) often convert better; users are closer to action
• Multi-language: Re-research in target language; don't translate existing lists. See translation for translation workflow.

SEO–PPC Keyword Synergy

Keyword research serves both SEO and Google Ads. Align both channels to avoid duplication, cannibalization, and wasted spend.

Data flow	Use
keyword-research → google-ads	Keyword list, clusters, intent; support terms (login, forum, pricing) → negative keywords for PPC
google-ads → keyword-research	PPC conversion rate, Search Terms report → SEO priority; high-converting PPC terms = worth ranking organically
keyword-research → landing-page	Clusters → dedicated LP per intent; PAA questions → FAQ sections
GSC organic rank 4+	If you rank well organically, consider reducing/pausing PPC on those terms to avoid cannibalization

PPC data for SEO priority: SEO ROI ≈ (Organic clicks × PPC conversion rate × Customer value) − SEO cost. Use PPC conversion data to validate which keywords to pursue in organic.

Reference: Backlinko – SEO and PPC: 8 Smart Ways to Align

Data Sources

Source	Use
Ahrefs	Keywords Explorer, Site Explorer
SEMrush	Keyword Overview, Organic Research
GSC	Search queries, impressions, clicks
GA	Traffic by landing page
PostHog	Feature/search usage

Report Workflow

1. Parse — Read Excel/CSV, infer keyword, volume, KD, intent, etc. from headers
2. Enrich — Web search, visit competitor/product pages; read project-context.md if present
3. Build — Structure data for report
4. Generate — Output report in chosen format

Output Format

• Keyword list with volume, KD, intent
• Keyword mapping to pages/content
• Content gaps (competitors rank, you don't)
• Priority ranking for implementation
• Topical map (cluster → pillar → page mapping)

Report Structure Reference

Section	Content
Executive Summary	Priorities (top 3)
Keyword Overview	Total keywords, primary intent, avg KD, content gaps count
Keyword List	Keyword, volume, KD, intent, priority, target page
Keyword Mapping	Page/URL, target keywords, status
Content Gaps	Keywords competitors rank for that you don't
Action Plan	Priority, action, impact, effort
Appendix	Search intent reference (Informational, Commercial, Transactional, Navigational)

Related Skills

• seo-strategy: SEO workflow, Product-Led SEO, audit approach; keyword research is Content phase
• google-ads: Keywords inform Search targeting; PPC data feeds back into SEO priority
• paid-ads-strategy: When to use paid vs organic; channel selection
• content-strategy: Keywords inform content plan; topic clusters
• content-optimization: Keyword placement, density vs stuffing, H2 keywords
• title-tag, meta-description: Keywords in title, description
• heading-structure: Keywords in H1, H2
• link-building: Keywords inform link targets
• serp-features: SERP features in keyword screening; PAA, Featured Snippet
• featured-snippet: Snippet-worthy query targeting
• competitor-research: Competitor keyword/topic analysis; reverse engineering
• faq-page-generator: PAA questions to FAQ sections; question-based keyword to FAQ content