/keyword-research

name: keyword-research
description: When the user wants to research keywords, find target keywords, or analyze search intent. Also use when the user mentions "keyword research," "keyword tool," "target keywords," "search volume," "search intent," "keyword difficulty," "topical map," "keyword clustering," "People Also Ask," "Google autocomplete," "autocomplete keywords," or "alphabet method." For clusters, use content-strategy.
metadata:
  version: 1.3.1

SEO Content: Keyword Research

Guides keyword research for SEO: finding target keywords, assessing difficulty, understanding search intent, and building topical maps. ~95% of keywords get fewer than 10 searches/month; low-volume, high-intent terms often yield faster rankings and conversion.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product, audience, and positioning.

Identify: 1. **Product/service**: What you offer 2. **Audience**: Who searches for it 3. **Goals**: Traffic, conversions, brand 4. **Tool access**: Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, or SEO tools

Discovery Methods

Base Discovery

| Method | Purpose | |--------|---------| | **User perspective** | What pain points? What would they search? Customer language from product context | | **Tool expansion** | Related keywords, questions, suggestions; Google autocomplete, PAA, Related Searches | | **Competitor reverse** | Analyze competitor titles, H1, URL; identify topics they rank for; find gaps (#4–10 = opportunity) — see **competitor-research** | | **Google PAA** | People Also Ask and Related Searches; high-value signals from real user behavior | | **Extract from article** | When auditing existing content: extract seed keywords from title, H1, H2s, meta keywords, first 100 words; then search `"[primary keyword]"` or `"[primary keyword] related keywords"` for opportunities; use `"[primary keyword]" site:competitor.com` if competitors known |

Google Autocomplete (Long-Tail Discovery)

Google autocomplete reflects real user searches; suggestions only appear if queries have actual traffic. Free; often uncovers low-volume long-tail that keyword tools miss. ~70% of search traffic is long-tail; lower competition, higher conversion.

**Alphabet method** (seed + space + letter):

• Type seed keyword + space + each letter: `keyword a`, `keyword b`, ... `keyword z`
• Record relevant suggestions; repeat with numbers 0-9
• Example: `SEO a` -> "SEO audit," "SEO agency"; `SEO b` -> "SEO basics," "SEO best practices"

**Position variants** (seed in different positions):

• **Prefix**: `a keyword`, `b keyword` (discover what users add before)
• **Suffix**: `keyword a`, `keyword b` (most common; alphabet method)
• **Middle**: `how to keyword a`, `best keyword for` (question + modifier combos)

**Question modifiers**:

• `how to keyword`, `what is keyword`, `why keyword`, `when to keyword`, `keyword vs`
• `keyword for beginners`, `keyword for small business`, `keyword without`

**Why it works**: Keyword tools filter low-volume terms; autocomplete only shows queries with real traffic. Use with PAA and Related Searches for full coverage. Categorize results by intent (informational, commercial, transactional).

Incremental Discovery

• **User feedback**: Support, community, reviews, NPS—high-frequency questions = unmet search demand
• **Multi-platform search**: Reddit, Quora, X (Twitter), Hacker News—real questions and discussions

Search Intent

| Intent | Content type | Example | |--------|--------------|---------| | **Informational** | Blog, guide, FAQ | "how to optimize sitemap" | | **Navigational** | Brand page | "alignify login" | | **Commercial** | Comparison, review | "SEO tools comparison" | | **Transactional** | Product, pricing | "best SEO tool pricing" |

Intent Identification

**Modifier words** (often signal intent):

| Intent | Modifiers | |--------|-----------| | Informational | "how," "what," "why," "guide," "tutorial" | | Commercial | "best," "compare," "vs," "review," "top" | | Transactional | "buy," "price," "cheap," "coupon," "free shipping" | | Local | Location names |

**SERP check**: Search the term—knowledge cards/Wiki → informational; product lists/reviews → commercial; brand sites → navigational. Broader terms often show mixed SERP. See **serp-features** for feature types.

Long-Tail Expansion

• **Google Autocomplete**: Alphabet method, position variants, question modifiers; see above. Primary source for long-tail.
• **Intent modifiers**: Core + "how," "best," "vs," "compare," "price"
• **Question words**: "how to," "what is," "why," "when"
• **Functional modifiers**: Core + "-er/-or" (e.g., "image optimizer" for tool-type queries); often higher conversion
• **Clustering**: Group by SERP overlap (same top pages), semantic similarity, or intent.

Keyword Clustering & Topical Map

| Method | Use | |--------|-----| | **SERP overlap** | Keywords with overlapping top-ranking pages → same cluster | | **Semantic** | Group by meaning, LSI, related concepts | | **Intent-based** | Group by intent; separate pages if intent differs within cluster |

**Pillar–cluster** (map keywords to structure):

• **Pillar** (Hub): Broad topic page; links to clusters
• **Cluster** (Spoke): Focused subtopic; links back to pillar
• Target long-tail first; then pillar. Interlink clusters within topic.
• See **content-strategy** for full pillar-cluster planning and implementation.

Evaluate & Screen

| Factor | Consider | |--------|----------| | **Search volume** | Monthly searches; ~100+/month typical floor; niche can relax | | **Keyword difficulty (KD)** | New sites target lower KD | | **CPC** | Higher CPC often = stronger comme