keyword-research

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# 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

**Project context:** Read root `contextus.md` when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.

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

From kostja94/marketing-skills, MIT.

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