keyword-research · diff

git:20260404.11d7f5d to git:20260814.8d9d54b

11 added, 294 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: keyword-research

+ argument-hint: "<topic, niche, or seed keyword>"

description: >

- Discover, analyze, and prioritize keywords for SEO and GEO content strategies.

- Identifies high-value opportunities based on search volume, competition,

- intent, and business relevance. Generates topic clusters and content calendars.

- Use when asked to "find keywords", "keyword research", "what should I write

- about", "keyword analysis", "find me topics to write", "search volume",

- "keyword difficulty", "content ideas", or any keyword discovery task.

+ Discover, analyze, and prioritize keywords for SEO and GEO content strategies

+ from a seed keyword or niche. Identifies high-value opportunities based on

+ search volume, competition, intent, and business relevance. Generates topic

+ clusters. For building a dated editorial calendar from your own Search

+ Console data, use `content-planner` instead — this skill is seed-driven

+ keyword discovery, not calendar scheduling. Use when asked to "find

+ keywords", "keyword research", "keyword analysis", "search volume", "keyword

+ difficulty", "content ideas from a seed", or any keyword discovery task.

---

- # Keyword Research

- Discovers, analyzes, and prioritizes keywords for SEO and GEO content strategies. Identifies high-value opportunities based on search volume, competition, intent, and business relevance.

- ## When This Must Trigger

- Use this when the conversation involves any of these situations — even if the user does not use SEO terminology:

- Use this whenever the task needs reusable market intelligence that should influence strategy, not just an ad hoc answer.

- - Starting a new content strategy or campaign

- - Expanding into new topics or markets

- - Finding keywords for a specific product or service

- - Identifying long-tail keyword opportunities

- - Understanding search intent for your industry

- - Planning content calendars

- - Researching keywords for GEO optimization

- ## What This Skill Does

- 1. **Keyword Discovery**: Generates comprehensive keyword lists from seed terms

- 2. **Intent Classification**: Categorizes keywords by user intent (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional)

- 3. **Difficulty Assessment**: Evaluates competition level and ranking difficulty

- 4. **Opportunity Scoring**: Prioritizes keywords by potential ROI

- 5. **Clustering**: Groups related keywords into topic clusters

- 6. **GEO Relevance**: Identifies keywords likely to trigger AI responses

- ## Quick Start

- Start with one of these prompts.

- ### Basic Keyword Research

- ```

- Research keywords for [topic/product/service]

- ```

- Find keyword opportunities for a [industry] business targeting [audience]

- ```

- ### With Specific Goals

- ```

- Find low-competition keywords for [topic] with commercial intent

- ```

- Identify question-based keywords for [topic] that AI systems might answer

- ```

- ### Competitive Research

- ```

- What keywords is [competitor URL] ranking for that I should target?

- ```

- ## Data Sources

- > **Note:** All integrations are optional. This skill works without any API keys — users provide data manually when no tools are connected.

- **With ~~SEO tool + ~~search console connected:**

- Automatically pull historical search volume data, keyword difficulty scores, SERP analysis, current rankings from ~~search console, and competitor keyword overlap. The skill will fetch seed keyword metrics, related keyword suggestions, and search trend data.

- **With manual data only:**

- Ask the user to provide:

- 1. Seed keywords or topic description

- 2. Target audience and geographic location

- 3. Business goals (traffic, leads, sales)

- 4. Current domain authority (if known) or site age

- 5. Any known keyword performance data or search volume estimates

- Proceed with the full analysis using provided data. Note in the output which metrics are from automated collection vs. user-provided data.

- ## Instructions

- When a user requests keyword research:

- 1. **Understand the Context**

- Ask clarifying questions if not provided:

- - What is your product/service/topic?

- - Who is your target audience?

- - What is your business goal? (traffic, leads, sales)

- - What is your current domain authority? (new site, established, etc.)

- - Any specific geographic targeting?

- - Preferred language?

- 2. **Generate Seed Keywords**

- Start with:

- - Core product/service terms

- - Problem-focused keywords (what issues do you solve?)

- - Solution-focused keywords (how do you help?)

- - Audience-specific terms

- - Industry terminology

- 3. **Expand Keyword List**

- For each seed keyword, generate variations:

- ```markdown

- ## Keyword Expansion Patterns

- ### Modifiers

- - Best [keyword]

- - Top [keyword]

- - [keyword] for [audience]

- - [keyword] near me

- - [keyword] [year]

- - How to [keyword]

- - What is [keyword]

- - [keyword] vs [alternative]

- - [keyword] examples

- - [keyword] tools

- ### Long-tail Variations

- - [keyword] for beginners

- - [keyword] for small business

- - Free [keyword]

- - [keyword] software/tool/service

- - [keyword] template

- - [keyword] checklist

- - [keyword] guide

- ```

- 4. **Classify Search Intent**

- Categorize each keyword:

- |--------|---------|---------|--------------|

- 5. **Assess Keyword Difficulty**

- Score each keyword (1-100 scale):

- ```markdown

- ### Difficulty Factors

- **High Difficulty (70-100)**

- - Major brands ranking

- - High domain authority competitors

- - Established content (1000+ backlinks)

- - Paid ads dominating SERP

- **Medium Difficulty (40-69)**

- - Mix of authority and niche sites

- - Some opportunities for quality content

- - Moderate backlink requirements

- **Low Difficulty (1-39)**

- - Few authoritative competitors

- - Thin or outdated content ranking

- - Long-tail variations

- - New or emerging topics

- ```

- 6. **Calculate Opportunity Score**

- Formula: `Opportunity = (Volume × Intent Value) / Difficulty`

- **Intent Value** assigns a numeric weight by search intent:

- - Informational = 1

- - Navigational = 1

- - Commercial = 2

- - Transactional = 3

- ```markdown

- ### Opportunity Matrix

- |----------|--------|------------|--------|----------|

- | Quick Win | Low-Med | Low | High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |

- | Research | Low | Low | Low | ⭐⭐ |

- ```

- 7. **Identify GEO Opportunities**

- Keywords likely to trigger AI responses:

- ```markdown

- ### GEO-Relevant Keywords

- **High GEO Potential**

- - Question formats: "What is...", "How does...", "Why is..."

- - Definition queries: "[term] meaning", "[term] definition"

- - Comparison queries: "[A] vs [B]", "difference between..."

- - List queries: "best [category]", "top [number] [items]"

- - How-to queries: "how to [action]", "steps to [goal]"

- **AI Answer Indicators**

- - Query is factual/definitional

- - Answer can be summarized concisely

- - Topic is well-documented online

- - Low commercial intent

- ```

- 8. **Create Topic Clusters**

- Group keywords into content clusters:

- ```markdown

- ## Topic Cluster: [Main Topic]

- **Pillar Content**: [Primary keyword]

- - Search volume: [X]

- - Difficulty: [X]

- - Content type: Comprehensive guide

- **Cluster Content**:

- ### Sub-topic 1: [Secondary keyword]

- - Volume: [X]

- - Difficulty: [X]

- - Links to: Pillar

- - Content type: [Blog post/Tutorial/etc.]

- ### Sub-topic 2: [Secondary keyword]

- - Volume: [X]

- - Difficulty: [X]

- - Links to: Pillar + Sub-topic 1

- - Content type: [Blog post/Tutorial/etc.]

- [Continue for all cluster keywords...]

- ```

- 9. **Generate Output Report**

- Produce a report containing: Executive Summary, Top Keyword Opportunities (Quick Wins, Growth, GEO), Topic Clusters, Content Calendar, and Next Steps.

- > **Reference**: See [references/example-report.md](references/example-report.md) for the full report template and example.

- ## Validation Checkpoints

- ### Input Validation

- - [ ] Seed keywords or topic description clearly provided

- - [ ] Target audience and business goals specified

- - [ ] Geographic and language targeting confirmed

- - [ ] Domain authority or site maturity level established

- ### Output Validation

- - [ ] Every recommendation cites specific data points (not generic advice)

- - [ ] Search volume and difficulty scores included for each keyword

- - [ ] Keywords grouped by intent and mapped to content types

- - [ ] Topic clusters show clear pillar-to-cluster relationships

- - [ ] Source of each data point clearly stated (~~SEO tool data, user-provided, or estimated)

- ## Example

- > **Reference**: See [references/example-report.md](references/example-report.md) for a complete example report for "project management software for small businesses".

- ### Advanced Usage

- - **Intent Mapping**: `Map all keywords for [topic] by search intent and funnel stage`

- - **Seasonal Analysis**: `Identify seasonal keyword trends for [industry]`

- - **Competitor Gap**: `What keywords do [competitor 1], [competitor 2] rank for that I'm missing?`

- - **Local Keywords**: `Research local keywords for [business type] in [city/region]`

- ## Tips for Success

- 1. **Start with seed keywords** that describe your core offering

- 2. **Don't ignore long-tail** - they often have highest conversion rates

- 3. **Match content to intent** - informational queries need guides, not sales pages

- 4. **Group into clusters** for topical authority

- 5. **Prioritize quick wins** to build momentum and credibility

- 6. **Include GEO keywords** in your strategy for AI visibility

- 7. **Review quarterly** - keyword dynamics change over time

- ## Reference Materials

- - [Keyword Intent Taxonomy](references/keyword-intent-taxonomy.md) — Complete intent classification with signal words and content strategies

- - [Topic Cluster Templates](references/topic-cluster-templates.md) — Hub-and-spoke architecture templates for pillar and cluster content

- - [Keyword Prioritization Framework](references/keyword-prioritization-framework.md) — Priority scoring matrix, categories, and seasonal keyword patterns

- - [Example Report](references/example-report.md) — Complete example keyword research report for project management software

- ## Next Best Skill

+ # Canonical NotFair workflow

- - **Primary**: [content-writer](../content-writer/SKILL.md) — turn keyword opportunities into optimized content.

+ Read [`../../seo/keyword-research/SKILL.md`](../../seo/keyword-research/SKILL.md) completely, then follow it as the active workflow. Resolve every relative reference from that file against `../../seo/keyword-research/`.