keyword-research

/keyword-research -- Data-Backed Keyword Strategy

Most keyword research is backwards. People start with tools, get overwhelmed by data, and end up with a spreadsheet they never use.

This skill starts with strategy. What does your business need? Who are you trying to reach? What would make them find you? Then it validates with live search data and builds a content plan that actually makes sense.

No expensive tools required. Systematic thinking plus web search.

Read ./brand/ per _system/brand-memory.md

Follow all output formatting rules from _system/output-format.md

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Brand Memory Integration

On every invocation, check for existing brand context.

Reads (if they exist)

File	What it provides	How it shapes output
./brand/positioning.md	Market angles, differentiators	Aligns keyword selection with brand positioning -- a rebel brand targets different keywords than a trusted advisor
./brand/audience.md	Buyer profiles, sophistication level	Informs search intent mapping -- beginner audience means more "what is" and "how to" keywords
./brand/competitors.md	Named competitors, their positioning	Seeds competitive content gap analysis -- search what they rank for, find what they miss

Writes

File	What it contains
./brand/keyword-plan.md	The complete prioritized keyword plan (profile file, create-or-overwrite)
./campaigns/content-plan/*.md	Individual content briefs for top-priority keywords
./brand/assets.md	Appends entries for each content brief created

Context Loading Behavior

1. Check whether ./brand/ exists.
2. If it exists, read positioning.md, audience.md, and competitors.md if present.
3. If loaded, show the user what you found:

   Brand context loaded:
   ├── Positioning     ✓ "{primary angle summary}"
   ├── Audience        ✓ "{audience summary}"
   └── Competitors     ✓ {N} competitors profiled
   
   Using this to shape keyword strategy.
   

4. If files are missing, proceed without them. Note at the end:

   → /positioning-angles would sharpen keyword alignment
   → /audience-research would tune intent mapping
   → /competitive-intel would unlock gap analysis
   

5. If no brand directory exists at all:

   No brand profile found — this skill works standalone.
   I'll ask what I need as we go. Run /start-here or
   /brand-voice later to unlock personalization.