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:

• Product/service: What you offer

• Audience: Who searches for it

• Goals: Traffic, conversions, brand

• 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

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

• 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

• Parse — Read Excel/CSV, infer keyword, volume, KD, intent, etc. from headers

• Enrich — Web search, visit competitor/product pages; read project-context.md if present

• Build — Structure data for report

• 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