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

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:

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

researching-seo-keywords