# Find keywords Human Guide

## What This Is For
Build a prioritized keyword universe from a seed topic using intent mapping, difficulty-adjusted opportunity scoring, and cluster seeding. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for find keywords: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Find keywords agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for find keywords.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Find keywords guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Domain and goal.** What site is this for? What is the primary conversion (leads, sign-ups, sales, traffic)?
- **Seed topic.** The core subject area — not a single keyword but the business category (e.g., "project management software", "personal injury law Chicago").
- **Existing rankings.** Does the site already rank for terms in this area? Existing rankings tell you where to defend vs. expand.
- **Constraints.** Budget, team size, content velocity — these determine whether to chase head terms or focus on long-tail.
- **Search `site:yourdomain.com [keyword]`** — does an existing page already target this term?
- **Check Google Search Console** — is an existing page already getting impressions for this keyword?
- If yes: **update the existing page** instead of creating a new one.
- If multiple pages rank for the same keyword: you have a cannibalization problem. Consolidate before expanding.
- **Positions 11-20** — You're almost on page 1. These keywords need content improvements or better internal linking, not new pages.
- **High impressions, low clicks** — Title/meta description optimization can unlock traffic without new content.
- **Declining positions** — Keywords where you're losing ground may need content refreshes (see recover-content).
- Target with pillar pages or the homepage

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Before You Start, Step 0: Cannibalization Screen, Low-Hanging Fruit Check, Keyword Universe Construction, Tier 1 — Head Terms (high volume, high difficulty), Tier 2 — Body Terms (medium volume, medium difficulty), Tier 3 — Long-tail Terms (lower volume, low difficulty), Intent Classification, Informational (user wants to learn), Commercial Investigation (user is evaluating).

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Two keywords with different intents should never target the same page.
- > content gaps — keywords your competitors rank for that you don't.

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Find keywords human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the calm-north/seojuice-skills skill entry for `find-keywords`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Find Keywords

Build a prioritized keyword universe from a seed topic using intent mapping,
difficulty-adjusted opportunity scoring, and cluster seeding.

## Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. **Domain and goal.** What site is this for? What is the primary conversion (leads, sign-ups, sales, traffic)?
2. **Seed topic.** The core subject area — not a single keyword but the business category (e.g., "project management software", "personal injury law Chicago").
3. **Existing rankings.** Does the site already rank for terms in this area? Existing rankings tell you where to defend vs. expand.
4. **Constraints.** Budget, team size, content velocity — these determine whether to chase head terms or focus on long-tail.

## Step 0: Cannibalization Screen

Before building a new keyword list, check what the site already targets. Creating
a new page for a keyword you already rank for can split authority and hurt both pages.

For each keyword you're considering:

1. **Search `site:yourdomain.com [keyword]`** — does an existing page already target this term?
2. **Check Google Search Console** — is an existing page already getting impressions for this keyword?
3. If yes: **update the existing page** instead of creating a new one.
4. If multiple pages rank for the same keyword: you have a cannibalization problem. Consolidate before expanding.

### Low-Hanging Fruit Check

Before chasing new keywords, look for existing wins:

- **Positions 11-20** — You're almost on page 1. These keywords need content improvements or better internal linking, not new pages.
- **High impressions, low clicks** — Title/meta description optimization can unlock traffic without new content.
- **Declining positions** — Keywords where you're losing ground may need content refreshes (see recover-content).

Address these before building net-new keyword lists.

## Keyword Universe Construction

Build the universe in three tiers:

### Tier 1 — Head Terms (high volume, high difficulty)

- Typically 1-2 words
- Define the category
- Target with pillar pages or the homepage
- Realistic timeline: 6-18 months for new sites

### Tier 2 — Body Terms (medium volume, medium difficulty)

- Typically 2-3 words, specific enough to indicate intent
- Target with dedicated landing pages or cluster articles
- 3-6 month window for established sites

### Tier 3 — Long-tail Terms (lower volume, low difficulty)

- 3+ words, specific intent
- Fastest to rank, highest conversion rate
- Target with blog posts, FAQ sections, supporting content
- 4-12 week window for fresh content

For each tier, produce:

| Keyword | Monthly Volume | Difficulty (0-100) | Intent | Tier | Priority |
|---------|---------------|-------------------|--------|------|----------|
| ... | ... | ... | informational / transactional / navigational / commercial | 1/2/3 | high / medium / low |

## Intent Classification

Classify every keyword by search intent and sub-category:

### Informational (user wants to learn)

| Sub-category | Signal Words | Example | Content Type |
|-------------|-------------|---------|-------------|
| Educational | what, why, definition, explain | "what is SEO" | Guide, explainer |
| Instructional | how to, steps, tutorial, guide | "how to set up GA4" | Step-by-step tutorial |
| Exploratory | types of, techniques, strategies | "link building techniques" | Comprehensive roundup |
| Troubleshooting | not working, fix, error, why is | "why is my site not ranking" | Diagnostic guide |

### Commercial Investigation (user is evaluating)