SEO Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis

Comprehensive keyword research to rank for competitive markets.

Prerequisites

• docs/sitemap.md should exist (run sitemap-structure skill first)

• User provides primary keyword they want to rank for

Workflow

• Gather Input - Primary keyword, location, business type, competitors (if known)

• Competitive Analysis - Analyze top 5 ranking competitors via WebSearch

• Keyword Discovery - Find primary, secondary, long-tail, local, question, and semantic keywords

• Intent Classification - Categorize every keyword by search intent

• SERP Analysis - Understand what Google rewards for target keywords

• Keyword Mapping - Assign keywords to pages from docs/sitemap.md

• Content Gap Analysis - Find opportunities competitors miss

• Write Output - Create docs/seo-analysis.md

Input Template

Primary Keyword: [The main keyword you want to rank for] Location: [Target geographic area] Business Type: [Industry/niche] Known Competitors: [URLs of competitors, if known - optional]

Keyword Research Process (WebSearch)

Step 1: Competitor Discovery

Search queries to run:

• [primary keyword]

• See who ranks #1-5

• [primary keyword] [location]

• Local competitors

• [primary keyword] site:google.ch or site:google.de

• Regional results

• best [service] [location]

• Review/comparison sites

For each top 5 competitor, note:

• Domain URL

• Title tag content

• Meta description

• Their apparent primary keyword

• Content depth (comprehensive or thin?)

Step 2: Competitor Analysis Framework

For each top 5 competitor, analyze:

Analysis Point What to Look For

Title Tags Keywords used, format, length (50-60 chars)

Meta Descriptions CTAs, keywords, unique selling points

H1 Headlines Primary keyword placement

Content Structure H2/H3 topics they cover

Page Count How many pages, what topics

Content Depth Word count, comprehensiveness

Unique Content What they do that others don't

Weaknesses Gaps we can exploit

Step 3: Keyword Discovery

Search queries to run:

[primary keyword] + related searches [primary keyword] + "wie", "was", "warum" (informational intent) [primary keyword] + "kaufen", "buchen", "bestellen" (transactional intent) [primary keyword] + "vergleich", "test", "erfahrung" (commercial investigation) [primary keyword] + [location variations] [primary keyword] + [service variations]

Keyword types to find:

Type Description Example Priority

Primary Main target, high competition "Webdesign Zürich" Must rank

Secondary Supporting, medium competition "Website erstellen lassen" Should rank

Long-tail Specific, lower competition "Webdesign Agentur für KMU Zürich" Quick wins

Local Geographic variations "Webdesign Winterthur" Expansion

Semantic (LSI) Related concepts "Webentwicklung", "Homepage erstellen" Natural use

Question FAQ opportunities "Was kostet eine Website?" Content

Step 4: Search Intent Classification

Classify EVERY keyword by intent:

Intent Signal Words (DE) Signal Words (EN) User Goal Content Type

Transactional kaufen, buchen, bestellen, preis buy, book, order, price Ready to buy Service pages, pricing

Commercial Investigation vergleich, beste, test, erfahrung comparison, best, review Comparing options Comparison, reviews

Informational wie, was, warum, anleitung how, what, why, guide Learning Blog, FAQ, guides

Navigational [brand name], [company] [brand name], [company] Find specific site Homepage, about

Step 5: SERP Feature Analysis

For primary keywords, note what Google shows:

SERP Feature Impact on Strategy

Featured Snippet Target with structured content (lists, tables)

Local Pack (Map) Need Google Business Profile optimized

Images Optimize image ALT text, consider gallery

Videos Consider video content creation

People Also Ask FAQ content opportunities

Related Searches Long-tail keyword ideas

Step 6: Keyword Difficulty Assessment

Estimate difficulty based on:

Factor Low Difficulty High Difficulty

Competitor Authority Small local sites Major brands/portals

Content Quality Thin/outdated content Comprehensive guides

Backlink Profiles Few backlinks Many quality backlinks

SERP Features Organic results only Many SERP features

Search Volume Under 500/month Over 5000/month

Difficulty Rating:

• Easy: Local competitors, thin content, low authority - Target immediately

• Medium: Mix of local and regional competitors - Target with quality content

• Hard: National brands, comprehensive content - Long-term target

• Very Hard: Major portals, Wikipedia, government sites - Consider alternatives

Step 7: Per-Page Keyword Mapping

Read docs/sitemap.md and assign keywords to each page:

Page Primary Keyword Secondary Keywords Long-tail Keywords

Homepage [main keyword] [2-3 supporting] [2-3 specific]

Services [service keyword] [service variations] [specific services]

About [brand + location] [trust keywords] [differentiators]

Contact [contact + location] [booking keywords] [specific CTAs]

Rules:

• ONE primary keyword per page (avoid cannibalization)

• Related keywords support the primary

• Different intent = different page

• Homepage: brand + main service + location

• Service pages: specific service + location

Step 8: Content Gap Analysis

Identify opportunities competitors miss:

• Topics they don't cover - Missing service pages, FAQ topics

• Questions they don't answer - Use "People Also Ask" for ideas

• Local pages they lack - Neighborhood/region targeting

• Content depth gaps - Thin content you can expand on

• Fresh content opportunities - Outdated competitor content

Output Format: docs/seo-analysis.md

SEO Analysis - [Business Name]

Executive Summary

Primary Keyword: [keyword] Target Position: Top 3 within [X months] Competitive Landscape: [Easy/Medium/Hard] Key Opportunities: [1-2 sentence summary]

Competitor Analysis

Market Overview

Competitor Content Analysis

[Competitor 1 - Current #1]

• Title: "[their title tag]"
• H1: "[their H1]"
• Content Focus: [topics they cover]
• Strengths: [what works]
• Weaknesses: [gaps to exploit]

[Repeat for top 3 competitors]

Competitive Advantages We Can Exploit

1. [Gap 1 - e.g., "No competitor has comprehensive pricing transparency"]
2. [Gap 2 - e.g., "All competitors have slow, outdated sites"]
3. [Gap 3 - e.g., "No one targets [specific long-tail keyword]"]

Keyword Strategy

Primary Keywords (Target: Position 1-3)

Secondary Keywords (Target: Position 1-10)

Long-tail Keywords (Quick Wins)

Local Keywords

Question Keywords (FAQ Opportunities)

Semantic Keywords (LSI)

Use these naturally throughout content:

• [semantic keyword 1]
• [semantic keyword 2]
• [semantic keyword 3]
• [semantic keyword 4]

Per-Page Optimization Guide

Homepage /

Primary Keyword: [keyword] Search Intent: [Transactional/Navigational]

Secondary Keywords to Include:

• [keyword 1] - use in [section]
• [keyword 2] - use in [section]

Services Page /dienstleistungen

Primary Keyword: [keyword] Search Intent: [intent]

Secondary Keywords to Include:

• [keyword] - use in [section]

About Page /ueber-uns

[Same format]

Contact Page /kontakt

[Same format]

Content Gap Opportunities

Pages Competitors Have That We Should Consider

Topics No Competitor Covers Well

Blog/Content Ideas (Future)

SERP Features Strategy

Implementation Priority

Phase 1: Foundation (Launch)

• Optimize homepage for [primary keyword]
• Optimize services page for [service keywords]
• Implement all meta titles/descriptions
• Add FAQ schema for question keywords

Phase 2: Expansion (Month 1-3)

• Target long-tail keywords with content
• Build local pages for [locations] if needed
• Create content for gap opportunities

Phase 3: Authority (Month 3-6)

• Blog content for informational keywords
• Build backlinks for [target keywords]
• Local SEO (Google Business Profile)

Success Metrics

Rules

• ALWAYS use WebSearch for real competitor data - don't guess

• Classify EVERY keyword by search intent

• Map EVERY keyword to a specific page

• Identify at least 3 competitive gaps

• Provide actionable per-page recommendations

• Prioritize quick wins (long-tail) alongside primary keywords

• One primary keyword per page - avoid cannibalization

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Create the sitemap (use sitemap-structure skill first)

• Write the actual content (use seo-content-optimization skill)

• Implement technical SEO (use technical-seo skill)

• Generate page content (provides strategy only)