garrettjsmith Local Content Strategy Skill
Purpose
Transform a keyword list into a complete local content architecture — organized concept clusters, content vehicle assignments, production priority order, geogrid tracking keyword selection, GBP optimization confirmations, and internal linking structure. This skill turns research into a plan.
Position in the Workflow
local-keyword-research → [THIS SKILL] → local-content-briefs → local-landing-pages
Input: keyword list (from local-keyword-research or provided directly) Output: complete content strategy document ready to brief and execute
Core Principle: Keywords Are the Input, Concepts Are What You Build
A keyword list tells you what people are searching for. A content strategy tells you what to build, where to build it, how deeply to cover each topic, and in what order. The two most common mistakes practitioners make with a keyword list: (1) trying to target each keyword individually instead of grouping related terms into concept clusters, and (2) defaulting to "write a page for this" when many keywords are won through GBP signals and don't need a page at all.
This skill does the organizing work that usually happens in a spreadsheet over several hours — automatically, with reasoning attached to every decision.
Process
Step 1: Concept Clustering
Group the keyword list into concept clusters. A concept cluster is a set of keywords that share the same underlying topic and user intent — they would all be served by the same piece of content or the same GBP optimization.
Clustering rules:
- Geographic variants of the same term belong in the same cluster ("plumber Phoenix" + "plumber Scottsdale" + "plumber near me" are all the same concept at different geographic specificity levels)
- Service variants belong together ("drain cleaning" + "clogged drain" + "drain backup" = one cluster)
- A cluster should have one primary concept label — the plain-language name of the topic, not a keyword string
- Clusters should be mutually exclusive — if a keyword could belong to two clusters, assign it to the one where it represents the core intent
Output per cluster:
- Cluster name (plain language, not a keyword)
- Primary keyword (highest volume, most representative)
- Supporting keywords (variants, long-tail, geo-modified versions)
- Search volume range across the cluster
- User intent type (transactional, informational, navigational, near-me)
- Competitive level (high/medium/low based on available data)
Step 2: Content Vehicle Assignment
For each concept cluster, assign the right content vehicle. This is the most consequential decision in the strategy — the wrong vehicle means the content either doesn't rank or doesn't convert.
Content vehicle decision logic:
Location page — assign when:
- Cluster has clear transactional local intent
- Primary keyword includes a city, neighborhood, or service area modifier
- Search volume justifies a dedicated page (generally 50+ monthly searches)
- The concept is specific enough to write genuinely unique content for each location
GBP service entry — assign when:
- Cluster represents a specific service the business offers
- Keyword has local service intent but lower volume (under 50 MSV)
- The concept is a service variant rather than a primary service (e.g., "tankless water heater installation" vs. "water heater repair")
- A dedicated page would be thin — better as a GBP service that expands category coverage
GBP category — assign when:
- Cluster maps to a GBP secondary category the business should claim
- Claiming the category expands query eligibility for the entire cluster
- Note: this is a GBP action, not a content action
Blog post / FAQ content — assign when:
- Cluster has informational intent (how-to, what-is, comparison, cost questions)
- User is in the research phase before making a local service decision
- Content could be cited in AI Overviews or answer PAA questions
- No transactional local intent — this is awareness/consideration stage content
Near-me / GBP signal only — assign when:
- Cluster contains near-me variants that can't be targeted with page content
- These keywords are won through GBP prominence, proximity, and completeness
- No content action needed — the GBP optimization work covers this cluster
- Note this explicitly so clients understand why there's no page for these terms
Pillar page — assign when:
- Cluster represents a broad primary topic the business should own completely
- Volume and competition justify comprehensive long-form treatment
- Multiple supporting clusters exist that would link to this as a hub
- Typically the primary service category for the business
No action required — assign when:
- Volume is negligible (under 10 MSV) and competition is low for a reason
- Cluster represents a service the business doesn't offer
- Keyword is navigational for a competitor
Step 3: Coverage Gap Analysis
Compare the content vehicle assignments against the business's current content inventory (if provided) or against what would be needed for complete coverage.
Identify:
- Missing coverage — concept clusters with no current content vehicle
- Thin coverage — clusters with a page that doesn't fully cover the concept
- Duplicate coverage — multiple pages targeting the same cluster (cannibalization risk)
- Misassigned coverage — content in the wrong vehicle (a full page for a term that should be GBP-only, or vice versa)
Step 4: Geogrid Tracking Keyword Selection
From the full concept map, select 3–5 keywords for geogrid tracking. These are not necessarily the highest-volume keywords — they are the keywords that best represent the business's concept coverage and for which geographic ranking variation is most meaningful.
Geogrid keyword selection criteria:
- Clear local pack intent (not informational, not navigational)
- One keyword per distinct concept cluster (don't track five plumbing variants — pick one per concept)
- Competitive enough that current position matters (top 3 vs. position 8 changes lead volume significantly)
- Representative of the business's primary revenue services (track what makes the business money)
- Distinct geographic coverage (if the business has multiple service areas, select keywords that test coverage in each)
Output: ranked geogrid tracking list with reasoning per keyword selection.
Step 5: GBP Confirmation
Confirm the GBP actions that fall out of the concept map:
- Secondary categories to add (each should correspond to a concept cluster)
- Services to add to the GBP service menu (each should be a cluster with a GBP service assignment)
- Attributes to claim (which attributes support which concept clusters)
- Description keywords (which concept clusters should appear naturally in the business description)
Step 6: Internal Linking Architecture
Design the internal link structure that connects the content vehicles into a coherent topic cluster:
- Hub page — the pillar page or primary location page that all supporting pages link to
- Spoke pages — location pages and blog posts that link to the hub and to each other where topically relevant
- GBP-to-website links — which pages should receive the GBP website link (usually the primary location page or homepage depending on the query)
- Anchor text guidance — what concept-based anchor text to use for each internal link
Output Format
# Local Content Strategy: [Business Name] — [Market]
## Concept Clusters (N total)
### Cluster 1: [Concept Name]
Primary keyword: [keyword] | MSV: [X]
Supporting keywords: [list]
Intent: [Transactional / Informational / Near-me]
Competition: [High / Medium / Low]
Content vehicle: [assignment]
Reasoning: [1-2 sentences explaining the assignment]
[repeat for all clusters]
---
## Content Vehicle Summary
### Location Pages to Build (N)
| Page | Primary Concept | Primary Keyword | Priority |
|------|----------------|-----------------|----------|
| [page slug] | [concept] | [keyword] | P1/P2/P3 |
### GBP Actions
Categories to add: [list]
Services to add: [list]
Attributes to confirm: [list]
### Blog / FAQ Content to Create (N)
| Topic | Primary Concept | Format | Priority |
|-------|----------------|--------|----------|
### Near-Me Clusters (GBP signal only, no content needed)
[list]
---
## Geogrid Tracking Keywords
1. [keyword] — reasoning: [why this represents the concept well for geogrid]
2. [keyword] — reasoning:
3. [keyword] — reasoning:
[4-5 total]
---
## Coverage Gaps (Priority Order)
1. [Gap description] — [impact on visibility if unaddressed]
2. [Gap description]
[continues]
---
## Internal Linking Architecture
Hub: [page] — receives links from all spokes
Spokes: [list of pages with their hub connection]
Cross-links: [relevant spoke-to-spoke connections]
---
## Production Priority Order
Phase 1 (immediate — GBP actions, no content needed):
[GBP changes that can be made today]
Phase 2 (first 30 days — high-impact content):
[Location pages and GBP services for primary concept clusters]
Phase 3 (30-90 days — supporting content):
[Blog/FAQ content, secondary location pages]
Phase 4 (ongoing):
[Long-tail content, content refresh, gap filling]
Usage Notes
When keyword list is not provided: Run local-keyword-research first, then pass the output directly into this skill. The two skills chain naturally.
When business context is limited: Ask for: business type, primary services, locations served, and one or two competitors currently outranking them. This context improves cluster assignments significantly.
When client has existing content: Request a URL list or sitemap. The skill will audit current coverage against the concept map and identify gaps, duplicates, and misassigned pages before recommending new content builds.
Connection to local-content-briefs: This skill produces the strategy. The local-content-briefs skill takes each content vehicle assignment from this output and produces a full semantic content brief. The two skills are designed to chain: run local-content-strategy first, then run local-content-briefs for each piece identified.