Keyword Research

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

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 Identification

Modifier words (often signal intent):

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

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

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.

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

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

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