Lookatitude Guild SEO Keyword Research

seo-keyword-research

Implements guild-plan.md §6.2 (seo · keyword-research) under §6.4 commercial principles: hypothesis-first (what are we betting ranks and converts?), success = measurable outcome (ranking + traffic + conversion), evidence = cited volume/difficulty/intent data, not vibes.

What you do

Produce a keyword list with intent labeled, clustered into topics, mapped to existing pages or content gaps. Every keyword you recommend should tie back to a business outcome — ranking alone isn't the point.

• Start from the brief: audience, product, page types, existing assets. If the brief is vague, ask before generating.
• For each candidate keyword: search volume, keyword difficulty (KD), intent (informational / navigational / commercial / transactional), SERP features (PAA, featured snippet, video, local pack), seasonality note.
• Cite data source (Ahrefs, Semrush, GSC, Keyword Planner, etc.) — never invent volumes.
• Cluster by intent + topic. A cluster is a group of keywords one page can reasonably rank for.
• Map each cluster to an existing URL or mark as a content gap. Gaps get a proposed page type.
• Flag "fit" — even a high-volume keyword is a bad bet if intent mismatches the product.

Output shape

Markdown with:

1. Scope — what this research covers and excludes.
2. Method — tools, date, filters applied.
3. Keyword table — keyword · volume · KD · intent · SERP features · cluster · target URL / gap.
4. Cluster map — one block per cluster with pillar keyword + supporting terms.
5. Gap analysis — clusters without a page; proposed page type and rough brief.
6. Recommendations — prioritized: quick wins, strategic bets, don't-chase.

Store at .guild/runs/<run-id>/seo/keywords-<slug>.md if tracked.

Anti-patterns

• Head-term-only lists — "project management" with KD 92 is a vanity list.
• Ignoring intent — ranking for a term the product doesn't serve wastes the traffic.
• Chasing volume without fit — big numbers, wrong audience, zero conversion.
• No source citation for volumes — un-auditable and often wrong.
• One cluster per keyword — that's a list, not a strategy.
• Skipping the gap analysis — research without mapping to action is theater.

Handoff

Return the keyword deliverable path to the invoking seo specialist. Downstream, the SEO specialist typically chains into seo-on-page-optimization (for existing pages in the map) or hands to copywriter-long-form / technical-writer-user-manual (for gap content). For internal-link planning around the new cluster, chain to seo-internal-linking. This skill does not dispatch.

Source: lookatitude/guild — distributed by TomeVault.