tomevault-io SEO Skills
Keyword research, content planning, and competitor analysis with reasoning-based analysis and optional MCP enhancement.
The Iron Law
NO METRICS WITHOUT SOURCE DECLARATION
Always state whether analysis is reasoning-based or MCP-enhanced. Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit.
Data Source Detection
At the start of any SEO task, identify available data sources:
Check for MCP Tools
IF Ahrefs MCP available (tools contain ahrefs_):
- Use for: Volume, Keyword Difficulty, Backlinks, Domain Rating
- Confidence: HIGH
- Label: "Analysis enhanced with Ahrefs data"
IF SEMrush MCP available (tools contain semrush_):
- Use for: Volume, Keyword Difficulty, Competitor keywords, Domain overview
- Confidence: HIGH
- Label: "Analysis enhanced with SEMrush data"
IF GSC MCP available (tools contain gsc_ or search_console):
- Use for: Current rankings, Impressions, Clicks, CTR
- Confidence: HIGH
- Label: "Analysis enhanced with Search Console data"
IF user pastes data:
- Parse CSV/TSV format
- Confidence: MEDIUM
- Label: "Analysis based on provided data"
IF no MCP and no paste:
- Use reasoning based on SEO principles
- Confidence: MEDIUM
- Label: "Reasoning-based analysis"
Keyword Research
When to Use
- "find keywords for [topic]"
- "keyword research for [industry]"
- "what should I rank for"
- "analyze these keywords"
Data Source Gate
BEFORE analyzing keywords:
- CHECK for MCP tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, GSC)
- CHECK for pasted data from user
- DECLARE data source in output header
Analysis Framework
| Factor | With MCP/Data | Reasoning-Based |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Exact number from API | "Likely [high/medium/low] based on term type" |
| Difficulty | KD score from API | "Likely [easy/medium/hard] based on keyword structure" |
| Intent | Same analysis method | Same analysis method |
| Position | From GSC if available | "Unknown - connect GSC for current rankings" |
Output Format
With MCP Enhancement:
📊 KEYWORD ANALYSIS
**Data Source:** [Ahrefs/SEMrush] MCP + Reasoning
**Confidence:** High
| Priority | Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent | Reasoning |
|----------|---------|--------|----|---------| ----------|
| 🏆 Quick Win | "keyword" | 2,400 | 23 | Commercial | Low difficulty, good volume |
Analysis enhanced with live [tool] data.
Reasoning-Based:
📊 KEYWORD ANALYSIS
**Data Source:** Reasoning-based
**Confidence:** Medium
| Priority | Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent | Reasoning |
|----------|---------|--------|----|---------| ----------|
| 🏆 Quick Win | "keyword" | ~2-5K est. | Likely easy | Commercial | Long-tail, specific modifier |
Based on SEO principles and keyword structure.
Content Planning
When to Use
- "plan content for [topic]"
- "create content calendar"
- "content brief for [keyword]"
- "what should I write about"
Prerequisites Gate
BEFORE creating content plans:
- ✅ Keyword analysis done? (If not: do keyword research first)
- ✅ Brand context loaded? (If not:
/brand switch [name]) - ✅ Declare data sources in output
Placeholder Prohibition
NEVER output placeholders like:
- "[Topic]"
- "[First Step]"
- "Main Point 1"
Either generate specific content or ask for the information.
Content Brief Format
📝 CONTENT BRIEF
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📌 **Title:** [Actual title]
🎯 **Target Keyword:** [keyword]
📊 **Word Count:** [range] words
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
## Search Intent
[What the searcher wants - be specific]
## Target Audience
[From brand context or ask]
## Outline
### H2: [Actual heading]
- Key point
- Key point
### H2: [Actual heading]
- Key point
## Key Points to Cover
- [ ] [Specific point]
- [ ] [Specific point]
## Call to Action
[Based on intent + brand model]
**Data Sources:** [List what informed this brief]
Competitor Analysis
When to Use
- "analyze [competitor]"
- "competitor analysis"
- "find competitor keywords"
- "SEO gap analysis"
Data Source Options
With Ahrefs/SEMrush MCP:
- Pull competitor's top keywords
- Get backlink profile
- Domain authority/rating
- Traffic estimates
Without MCP:
- Analyze their visible content
- Review their site structure
- Infer target keywords from page titles/URLs
- Use web search to research competitor public content
Red Flags - STOP
If you catch yourself:
- Stating specific numbers (5,000 searches) without MCP data or paste
- Claiming "difficulty is 45" without KD source
- Saying "this is a quick win" without ranking data
- Making competitor claims without evidence
STOP. Declare it as reasoning-based or ask for data.
Verification Checklist
BEFORE presenting SEO analysis:
- Data source declared in header?
- Confidence level stated?
- Numbers sourced or marked as estimates?
- No unsupported "quick win" claims?
If any unchecked: Fix before presenting.
Source: itsbariscan/claude-code-marketing — distributed by TomeVault.