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Keyword Research

Quick start (5 steps): Seed keywords > Expand with tools/autocomplete > Classify intent for each keyword > Tri-score (organic + AEO + GEO) > Cluster by topic with surface annotations. See the common tasks below for details.

Keyword research is the foundation of all organic and AI search strategy. It is the process of discovering what words and phrases people type into search engines and AI assistants, understanding why they search (intent), and evaluating which of three surfaces - organic results, answer engine features, or AI-generated citations - offers the best opportunity for each keyword.

In 2026, keyword research must account for three surfaces simultaneously:

• Organic blue links (SEO) - traditional rankings on Google, Bing, etc.
• Answer engine features (AEO) - featured snippets, People Also Ask, voice results
• AI-generated citations (GEO) - Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity

This skill covers the full research workflow - from seed topic to prioritized, tri-surface-scored keyword report. It tells you WHAT to target and WHERE the opportunity is. For HOW to optimize content once you have chosen your targets, use the companion skill absolute-seo for snippet/PAA formatting and AI citation optimization.

When to use this skill

Trigger this skill when the user:

• Wants to find keywords for a new website, product page, or blog
• Asks to analyze search intent for a keyword list
• Needs to group keywords into topic clusters or content pillars
• Wants to discover competitor keyword gaps or ranking opportunities
• Asks to find long-tail variations of a seed keyword
• Needs to prioritize a list of keywords by opportunity or difficulty
• Wants to understand what SERP features appear for a target keyword
• Asks to detect keyword cannibalization across existing pages
• Wants to evaluate keywords for snippet opportunity or featured snippet potential
• Asks to assess AI Overview presence for target keywords
• Needs a tri-surface keyword report scoring organic, AEO, and GEO opportunity
• Wants to understand which keywords AI search engines answer vs. defer

Do NOT trigger this skill for:

• Paid search (PPC/Google Ads) bid strategy - ad-specific match types, Quality Scores, and CPC optimization are a different domain
• Brand naming or tagline development - that is copywriting, not search research
• Formatting content to win snippets or PAA - that is absolute-seo
• Making content more citable by AI engines - that is absolute-seo

Key principles

1. Search intent is more important than volume - A keyword with 500 monthly searches and clear transactional intent will drive more revenue than a 50,000-search keyword that is purely informational. Always qualify intent before qualifying volume.

2. Cluster keywords by topic, not individual pages - One page should own a cluster of semantically related terms. Building one page per keyword creates duplication, splits authority, and fragments the user experience.

3. The SERP + AI Overview is the source of truth - No tool tells you more about what Google wants to rank than the current top 10 results and whether an AI Overview fires. Content type, length, format, featured snippet presence, and AI Overview citations all reveal the implicit standard for a keyword.

4. Long-tail keywords convert better - Longer, more specific queries have lower volume but higher purchase intent and lower competition. A content strategy built on long-tail clusters outperforms chasing high-volume head terms in most niches.

5. Competitor gaps reveal the fastest wins - Finding keywords where competitors rank in positions 4-15 (or not at all) is faster than trying to beat them on keywords where they dominate. Gaps are the entry points.

6. Every keyword has three surfaces to evaluate - A keyword that looks mediocre for organic ranking may have excellent snippet opportunity (AEO) or strong AI citation potential (GEO). Evaluating all three surfaces prevents blind spots and reveals non-obvious wins that single-surface research misses.

7. Research and optimization are separate phases - This skill identifies WHAT to target and WHERE the opportunity is. Optimization (HOW to format for snippets, HOW to boost AI citations) is a downstream activity handled by absolute-seo. Do not mix phases - complete research before starting optimization.

Core concepts

Search intent taxonomy classifies every keyword into one of four categories based on what the searcher is trying to accomplish. Informational intent ("how does X work", "what is Y") signals content and education needs. Navigational intent ("brand name", "site login") signals the user knows where they want to go. Transactional intent ("buy X online", "X pricing", "X discount code") signals readiness to act. Commercial investigation ("best X", "X vs Y", "X review") sits between informational and transactional - the user is evaluating options before deciding. See references/search-intent-mapping.md for detailed classification guidance including intent-to-surface mapping.

Keyword difficulty (KD) is a 0-100 score estimating how hard it is to rank on page one for a keyword, based primarily on the backlink authority of the current top-ranking pages. High difficulty does not mean impossible - it means you need more authority, better content, or a more specific angle to win. Treat KD as a relative filter, not an absolute gate.

Search volume vs. traffic potential are related but different. Search volume is the average monthly searches for one keyword. Traffic potential is the estimated traffic the top-ranking page receives for the entire cluster of keywords it ranks for. A keyword with 200 monthly searches may have traffic potential of 2,000 if the ranking page captures dozens of related terms. Always evaluate traffic potential over raw volume.

Keyword cannibalization occurs when two or more pages on the same site compete for the same keyword, splitting ranking signals and confusing Google about which page to surface. Symptoms include ranking oscillation, positions that drop when publishing new content, and two pages from the same domain appearing for the same query. Resolve by merging, redirecting, or clearly differentiating the pages.

Tri-surface keyword scoring evaluates every keyword across three surfaces: organic opportunity (0-10), AEO opportunity (0-10), and GEO opportunity (0-10). The composite score (0-30) reveals total opportunity, and the priority surface tells you where to focus optimization efforts. See references/tri-surface-scoring.md for the full scoring rubrics and worked examples.

SERP feature landscape - SERP features (featured snippets, PAA, video carousels, image packs, shopping results, AI Overviews) are research signals, not just ranking features. Their presence or absence tells you which surfaces are active for a keyword. A keyword with a featured snippet and an AI Overview has tri-surface potential. A keyword with only shopping results is organic-only. Map features during research to inform scoring.

AI search query patterns - AI search engines (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity) do not answer every query. They tend to fire on informational, comparison, and multi-step queries while skipping navigational, transactional, and simple factual queries. Understanding these patterns helps predict GEO opportunity during research. See references/search-intent-mapping.md for the full AI Overview intent pattern table.

Common tasks

1. Map search intent for a keyword list

For each keyword, classify it using the four-type taxonomy. Apply this decision order:

1. Check modifiers first - Words like "buy", "order", "coupon", "discount" signal transactional. Words like "best", "