SEO Keyword Research Assistant

When to use this skill

User asks for keyword research
User needs keyword variations
User wants to analyze search intent
User mentions finding content gaps
User needs low-competition keywords

Workflow

[ ] Identify seed keywords
[ ] Generate variations and long-tails
[ ] Classify search intent
[ ] Identify opportunities
[ ] Group by topic clusters
[ ] Prioritize for content

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Seed Keywords

Required inputs:

| Field | Purpose | | ------------------ | ------------------------- | | Main topic/product | Core focus area | | Target audience | Who you're reaching | | Business goal | Traffic, leads, sales | | Competitors | For gap analysis | | Current rankings | What you already rank for |

Seed keyword sources:

| Source | How to Use | | --------------------- | --------------------- | | Product/service names | Direct terms | | Customer questions | Support tickets, FAQs | | Competitor content | What they rank for | | Industry terms | Jargon, acronyms | | Problem statements | Pain points |

Step 2: Generate Keyword Variations

Variation types:

| Type | Formula | Example (seed: "email marketing") | | ---------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Long-tail | [seed] + [modifier] | "email marketing for small business" | | Question | [question word] + [seed] | "how to start email marketing" | | Comparison | [seed] vs [alternative] | "email marketing vs social media" | | Best/top | best [seed] + [qualifier] | "best email marketing software 2026" | | How-to | how to [action] + [seed] | "how to improve email marketing" | | Guide | [seed] + guide/tutorial | "email marketing guide for beginners" | | Tool | [seed] + tool/software | "email marketing automation tools" | | Cost | [seed] + cost/pricing | "email marketing software pricing" |

Modifier categories:

| Category | Modifiers | | -------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | Intent | buy, compare, review, learn, find | | Time | 2026, today, now, quick, fast | | Quality | best, top, free, cheap, premium | | Audience | for beginners, for developers, for small business | | Location | near me, in [city], [country] | | Format | template, checklist, guide, examples |

Step 3: Search Intent Classification

Intent types:

| Intent | Signal Words | Content Type | Funnel Stage | | ------------- | ------------------------------ | ---------------------- | ---------------------- | | Informational | how, what, why, guide, learn | Blog, guide, tutorial | Top (awareness) | | Navigational | [brand name], login, website | Landing page, homepage | Middle | | Commercial | best, review, compare, vs, top | Comparison, review | Middle (consideration) | | Transactional | buy, price, discount, order | Product page, pricing | Bottom (decision) |

Intent identification patterns:

## Informational Intent

- "how to [action]"
- "what is [topic]"
- "why does [thing happen]"
- "[topic] explained"
- "[topic] tutorial"

## Commercial Investigation

- "best [product category]"
- "[product A] vs [product B]"
- "[product] review"
- "[product] alternatives"
- "top 10 [products]"

## Transactional Intent

- "buy [product]"
- "[product] price"
- "[product] discount code"
- "[product] free trial"
- "order [product] online"

## Navigational Intent

- "[brand] login"
- "[brand] website"
- "[brand] support"

Step 4: Keyword Opportunity Analysis

Opportunity scoring:

| Factor | Low Competition Signal | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | | Search volume | 100-1,000/month (sweet spot for new sites) | | Keyword difficulty | Under 30 (tool-dependent) | | SERP features | Few featured snippets, no ads | | Top results | Forums, outdated content, thin pages | | Domain authority | Low DA sites ranking |

Opportunity matrix:

| Volume | Difficulty | Priority | | ------ | ---------- | --------------------- | | High | Low | 🔥 Top priority | | Medium | Low | ✅ Quick wins | | High | Medium | 📈 Long-term targets | | Low | Low | ⚡ Easy content | | High | High | 🎯 Authority builders | | Low | High | ❌ Skip |

Step 5: Question-Based Keywords

Question patterns to generate:

| Question Word | Focus | | ------------- | ------------------------ | | How | Process, tutorial | | What | Definition, explanation | | Why | Reasoning, benefits | | When | Timing, triggers | | Where | Location, source | | Which | Comparison, selection | | Can/Could | Possibility, capability | | Should | Recommendation, advice | | Is/Are | Verification, validation |

Question generation template:

## Questions for: [Seed Keyword]

### How questions

- How to [action with keyword]?
- How does [keyword] work?
- How much does [keyword] cost?
- How long does [keyword] take?

### What questions

- What is [keyword]?
- What are the benefits of [keyword]?
- What is the best [keyword]?
- What [keyword] should I use?

### Why questions

- Why is [keyword] important?
- Why use [keyword]?
- Why does [keyword] fail?

### Comparison questions

- [Keyword A] vs [Keyword B]?
- Is [keyword] better than [alternative]?
- What's the difference between [A] and [B]?

Step 6: Topic Cluster Organization

Cluster structure:

## Topic Cluster: [Pillar Topic]

### Pillar Page (main keyword)

- Target: [High-volume keyword]
- Intent: [Informational/Commercial]
- Content: Comprehensive guide (3,000+ words)

### Cluster Content (supporting pages)

| Topic        | Keyword   | Intent   | Internal Link |
| ------------ | --------- | -------- | ------------- |
| [Subtopic 1] | [keyword] | [intent] | → Pillar      |
| [Subtopic 2] | [keyword] | [intent] | → Pillar      |
| [Subtopic 3] | [keyword] | [intent] | → Pillar      |
| [Subtopic 4] | [keyword] | [intent] | → Pillar      |

Cluster example:

## Topic Cluster: Email Marketing

### Pillar Page

- Target: "email marketing guide"
- Intent: Informational
- Content: Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing

### Cluster Content

| Topic           | Keyword                         | Intent        |
| --------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------- |
| Getting started | "how to start email marketing"  | Informational |
| Tools           | "best email marketing software" | Commercial    |
| Templates       | "email marketing templates"     | Informational |
| Automation      | "email marketing automation"    | Commercial    |
| Metrics         | "email marketing KPIs"          | Informational |
| B2B focus       | "b2b email marketing"           | Commercial    |
| List building   | "how to build email list"       | Informational |

Step 7: Competitor Gap Analysis

Gap analysis template:

## Competitor Keyword Gap Analysis

### Competitors Analyzed

1. [Competitor 1 URL]
2. [Competitor 2 URL]
3. [Competitor 3 URL]

### Keywords They Rank For (You Don't)

| Keyword   | Volume | Difficulty | Competitor  | Priority   |
| --------- | ------ | ---------- | ----------- | ---------- |
| [keyword] | [vol]  | [KD]       | [who ranks] | [priority] |

### Content Gaps Identified

| Topic   | Competitor Coverage | Your Coverage | Action        |
| ------- | ------------------- | ------------- | ------------- |
| [topic] | 3 articles          | 0 articles    | Create pillar |
| [topic] | 1 article           | Outdated      | Update        |
| [topic] | None                | None          | First mover   |

Step 8: Keyword Prioritization

Prioritization framework:

| Criteria | Weight | Score (1-5) | | -------------------- | ------ | ----------- | | Search volume | 20% | | | Keyword difficulty | 25% | | | Business relevance | 25% | | | Conversion potential | 20% | | | Content gap | 10% | |

Priority tiers:

## Keyword Priorities

### Tier 1: Immediate (This Month)

- Low difficulty + high relevance
- Quick wins for traffic
  | Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent |
  |---------|--------|----|----|

### Tier 2: Short-term (1-3 Months)

- Medium difficulty + commercial intent
- Revenue-driving content
  | Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent |
  |---------|--------|----|----|

### Tier 3: Long-term (3-6 Months)

- High difficulty + high volume
- Authority-building pillar content
  | Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent |
  |---------|--------|----|----|

Output Format

## Keyword Research: [Topic/Niche]

**Seed keywords:** [List of seeds]
**Target audience:** [Who you're reaching]
**Business goal:** [Traffic/Leads/Sales]

---

### Keyword List

| Keyword | Volume | KD  | Intent | Priority |
| ------- | ------ | --- | ------ | -------- |
|         |        |     |        |          |

### By Search Intent

**Informational:**

- [keywords]

**Commercial:**

- [keywords]

**Transactional:**

- [keywords]

---

### Topic Clusters

[Cluster organization]

---

### Question Keywords

[Question-based keywords for FAQ/content]

---

### Quick Wins (Low KD, Decent Volume)

| Keyword | Volume | KD  | Content Type |
| ------- | ------ | --- | ------------ |
|         |        |     |              |

---

### Content Recommendations

1. [Recommendation 1]
2. [Recommendation 2]
3. [Recommendation 3]

Validation

Before completing:

[ ] Keywords classified by intent
[ ] Volume and difficulty included
[ ] Question keywords generated
[ ] Topic clusters organized
[ ] Priority tiers assigned
[ ] Quick wins identified
[ ] Content recommendations provided
[ ] Competitor gaps noted

Error Handling

No seed keywords: Ask for main product/service or topic area.
Too broad: Narrow with audience, location, or specific use case.
No volume data: Note as "volume unknown" and prioritize by relevance.
All high difficulty: Focus on long-tail variations or question keywords.
No competitors identified: Search top 3 ranking for seed keywords.

Resources

Ahrefs - Keyword research and competitor analysis
SEMrush - Keyword gap and difficulty
Ubersuggest - Free keyword ideas
AnswerThePublic - Question keywords
AlsoAsked - People Also Ask data
Google Search Console - Current rankings