Keyword Research Agent Skill

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

• Keyword Discovery: Generates comprehensive keyword lists from seed terms
• Intent Classification: Categorizes keywords by user intent (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional)
• Difficulty Assessment: Evaluates competition level and ranking difficulty
• Opportunity Scoring: Prioritizes keywords by potential ROI
• Clustering: Groups related keywords into topic clusters
• 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:

• Seed keywords or topic description
• Target audience and geographic location
• Business goals (traffic, leads, sales)
• Current domain authority (if known) or site age
• 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:

• 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?

• 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

• Expand Keyword List

For each seed keyword, generate variations:

   ## 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

• Classify Search Intent

Categorize each keyword:

| Intent | Signals | Example | Content Type |

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

| Informational | what, how, why, guide, learn | "what is SEO" | Blog posts, guides |

| Navigational | brand names, specific sites | "google analytics login" | Homepage, product pages |

| Commercial | best, review, vs, compare | "best SEO tools [current year]" | Comparison posts, reviews |

| Transactional | buy, price, discount, order | "buy SEO software" | Product pages, pricing |

• Assess Keyword Difficulty

Score each keyword (1-100 scale):

   ### 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

• 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

   ### Opportunity Matrix
   
   | Scenario | Volume | Difficulty | Intent | Priority |
   |----------|--------|------------|--------|----------|
   | Quick Win | Low-Med | Low | High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
   | Growth | High | Medium | High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
   | Long-term | High | High | High | ⭐⭐⭐ |
   | Research | Low | Low | Low | ⭐⭐ |

• Identify GEO Opportunities

Keywords likely to trigger AI responses:

   ### 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

• Create Topic Clusters

Group keywords into content clusters:

   ## 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...]

• 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 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 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

• Start with seed keywords that describe your core offering
• Don't ignore long-tail - they often have highest conversion rates
• Match content to intent - informational queries need guides, not sales pages
• Group into clusters for topical authority
• Prioritize quick wins to build momentum and credibility
• Include GEO keywords in your strategy for AI visibility
• Review quarterly - keyword dynamics change over time

Reference Materials

• Keyword Intent Taxonomy — Complete intent classification with signal words and content strategies
• Topic Cluster Templates — Hub-and-spoke architecture templates for pillar and cluster content
• Keyword Prioritization Framework — Priority scoring matrix, categories, and seasonal keyword patterns
• Example Report — Complete example keyword research report for project management software

Next Best Skill

• Primary: content-writer — turn keyword opportunities into optimized content.