Keyword Research

Keyword Research & Opportunity Finder

Purpose

Identify high-value keyword opportunities for NextStep Therapy that balance search volume, difficulty, and business value, with focus on Ontario therapy market.

When to Use This Skill

• User asks "what keywords should I target?"
• User mentions "keyword research" or "keyword opportunities"
• User provides Ahrefs or GSC data
• Planning new content or pages
• Prioritizing SEO efforts for quarter/month

Research Foundation

2024 Therapy Keyword Insights

Key Statistics:

• 3+ million monthly searches for therapy-related terms in North America
• 70% of new patients find therapists via internet search
• Keywords with difficulty < 40 are achievable for newer sites
• Long-tail keywords (4+ words) have higher conversion rates
• Location-based keywords are critical for local practices

Optimal Difficulty Ranges:

Sources:

• Keyword Research 2024
• Keyword Difficulty Guide
• SEO Keywords for Therapists

Data Request Template

Always ask user for this data:

To provide expert-level keyword recommendations, I need:

1. AHREFS DATA (if available):
   - Keyword Explorer export for seed keywords
   - Keyword difficulty scores
   - Search volume (monthly)
   - Parent topic data
   - SERP features present

2. GSC DATA (if available):
   - Queries report (last 3-6 months)
   - Pages report with avg position
   - Impressions, clicks, CTR by query

3. COMPETITOR DATA:
   - Top 3-5 competitor domains
   - Ahrefs organic keywords report for competitors

4. BUSINESS CONTEXT:
   - Primary services to promote
   - Target cities/regions
   - Existing top-performing pages
   - Seasonal considerations

Quick Start Workflow

Step 1: Gather & Categorize Seed Keywords

Therapy Practice Keyword Categories:

Step 2: Priority Score Calculation

Formula:

Priority Score = (Volume Score × 0.30) + (Difficulty Score × 0.35) +
                 (Intent Score × 0.20) + (Business Value × 0.15)

Where:
- Volume Score: 0-100 (normalized from search volume)
- Difficulty Score: 100 - keyword_difficulty (inverted, lower KD = higher score)
- Intent Score: 0-100 (transactional = 100, informational = 50)
- Business Value: 0-100 (core service = 100, tangential = 50)

Score Interpretation:

Step 3: Identify Quick Wins

Quick Win Criteria:

• Difficulty < 40
• Volume > 50/month
• Clear commercial/transactional intent
• Relevant to core services
• No cannibalization with existing pages

Quick Win Template:

QUICK WIN OPPORTUNITY:
Keyword: [keyword]
Volume: [monthly searches]
Difficulty: [KD score]
Priority Score: [calculated score]
Current Ranking: [if any]
Recommended Page Type: [service/location/blog]
Estimated Time to Rank: [30/60/90 days]

Step 4: Cannibalization Check

Critical for therapy sites with multiple location pages:

Before targeting any keyword:

1. Search GSC for query matches
2. Check if multiple pages rank for same term
3. Identify which page has highest authority
4. Consolidate or differentiate

Cannibalization Detection:

Search: site:nextsteptherapy.ca "target keyword"

If 2+ pages appear:
- Analyze which ranks higher
- Check search intent alignment
- Decide: consolidate or differentiate

Common Cannibalization Issues:

Step 5: Map Keywords to Content

Keyword-to-Content Mapping:

Topic Cluster Assignment:

PILLAR: anxiety-therapy-ontario.html
  ├── CLUSTER: anxiety-therapy-toronto.html (location)
  ├── CLUSTER: anxiety-therapy-burlington.html (location)
  ├── CLUSTER: students/university-anxiety.html (audience)
  ├── CLUSTER: professionals/work-anxiety.html (audience)
  └── CLUSTER: blog/5-ways-manage-anxiety.html (informational)

Ontario Therapy Keyword Database

Condition Keywords (High Value)

Anxiety:

Depression:

Trauma/PTSD:

Audience Keywords (Lower Competition)

Students:

Professionals:

Location Keywords

Major Cities:

Smaller Cities (Quick Wins):

Analysis Output Template

# Keyword Research Analysis
Date: [Today's date]
Data Sources: [Ahrefs, GSC, etc.]

## Executive Summary
- Total keywords analyzed: [X]
- Quick wins identified: [X]
- Highest priority opportunities: [X]
- Cannibalization issues found: [X]

## Priority Opportunities

### Tier 1: Quick Wins (Target Now)
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Priority Score | Page Type |
|---------|--------|------------|----------------|-----------|
| [keyword] | [vol] | [KD] | [score] | [type] |

### Tier 2: High Value (Next 30 Days)
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Priority Score | Page Type |
|---------|--------|------------|----------------|-----------|
| [keyword] | [vol] | [KD] | [score] | [type] |

### Tier 3: Build Clusters (60-90 Days)
| Pillar Keyword | Cluster Keywords | Total Opportunity |
|----------------|------------------|-------------------|
| [pillar] | [clusters] | [combined volume] |

## Cannibalization Issues

| Keyword | Competing Pages | Recommended Action |
|---------|-----------------|-------------------|
| [keyword] | [pages] | [action] |

## Topic Cluster Recommendations

### Cluster 1: [Topic]
- Pillar: [page]
- Clusters: [list]
- Internal linking plan: [brief]

## Content Calendar Recommendations

### Month 1:
1. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
2. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]

### Month 2:
1. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
2. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]

## Next Steps
1. [Action item]
2. [Action item]
3. [Action item]

Cannibalization Deep Dive

How to Detect

Method 1: GSC Query Analysis

1. Export Queries report
2. Filter by query containing target keyword
3. If multiple pages appear for same query = cannibalization

Method 2: Site Search

site:nextsteptherapy.ca "anxiety therapy"

If 5+ results, you may have cannibalization.

Method 3: Ahrefs Keywords Report

1. Run site audit
2. Check "cannibalization" report
3. Review overlapping keywords

How to Fix

Special Considerations for Therapy Keywords

YMYL Implications

• Therapy keywords are YMYL (Your Money Your Life)
• Google applies higher scrutiny
• E-E-A-T signals critical for ranking
• New sites need stronger authority signals

Seasonal Trends

Competitor Intelligence

Request from user:

Can you export Ahrefs organic keywords for these competitors:
1. [competitor 1]
2. [competitor 2]
3. [competitor 3]

I'll analyze which keywords they rank for that we don't.

Sources

Keyword Research:

• Keyword Research 2024 Hidden Gems
• SEO Keywords for Therapists
• Keyword Difficulty Explained

Cannibalization:

• Keyword Cannibalization Guide (SEMrush)
• How to Fix Cannibalization (Backlinko)

Therapy SEO:

• SEO for Therapists 2024
• Local SEO for Therapy Practices