# SEO AEO content cluster Human Guide

## What This Is For
Maps out a complete topical authority structure around a pillar keyword. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for search and SEO workflows: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the SEO AEO content cluster 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 SEO AEO content cluster.
- 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 SEO AEO content cluster 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
- Use when building topical authority around a new subject
- Use when you need to know what to write next to support a pillar page
- Use when planning a content calendar for a niche
- Use when you want to identify AEO content gaps competitors are missing
- **Priority 1** — High volume, clear intent. Write these first.
- **Priority 2** — Medium volume, long-tail focus. Write second.
- **Priority 3** — Low volume, high conversion intent. Write last.
- How to Automate Your Savings in 3 Steps | how-to guide
- Budgeting for Millennials: What Nobody Tells You | opinion
- ✅ **Do:** Assign every cluster article a unique target keyword — no overlap
- ✅ **Do:** Include at least one FAQ page and one comparison article in every cluster
- ✅ **Do:** Flag the 2 highest AEO-opportunity articles for priority writing

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Overview, When to Use This Skill, How It Works, Step 1: Define the Pillar Page, Step 2: Generate Cluster Articles, Step 3: Build Internal Link Map, Step 4: Run Content Gap Analysis, Examples, Example: Automated Budgeting Cluster, Best Practices.

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
- Every cluster article must link back to the pillar page. No orphan articles. Show the full tree of relationships.
- ❌ **Don't:** Let any article become an orphan — every article links to at least one other
- ❌ **Don't:** Target the same keyword on both the pillar and a cluster article
- **Solution:** At least 2 articles must be structured as direct-answer pages (FAQ or "What Is" explainer).
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the SEO AEO content cluster 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 sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills skill entry for `seo-aeo-content-cluster`.

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

# SEO-AEO Content Cluster

## Overview

Maps out a complete topical authority structure around a pillar keyword. Produces a pillar page definition, 8–15 cluster articles sorted into Priority 1/2/3 tiers, a content type for each, an internal link map, and a content gap analysis identifying AEO opportunities competitors are missing.

Part of the [SEO-AEO Engine](https://github.com/mrprewsh/seo-aeo-engine).

## When to Use This Skill

- Use when building topical authority around a new subject
- Use when you need to know what to write next to support a pillar page
- Use when planning a content calendar for a niche
- Use when you want to identify AEO content gaps competitors are missing

## How It Works

### Step 1: Define the Pillar Page
Set the primary keyword, target audience, and word count target (2500–4000 words) for the pillar page that anchors the cluster.

### Step 2: Generate Cluster Articles
Produce 8–15 subtopics sorted into three priority tiers:
- **Priority 1** — High volume, clear intent. Write these first.
- **Priority 2** — Medium volume, long-tail focus. Write second.
- **Priority 3** — Low volume, high conversion intent. Write last.

Assign each article a unique keyword, content type, search intent, and link map.

### Step 3: Build Internal Link Map
Every cluster article must link back to the pillar page. No orphan articles. Show the full tree of relationships.

### Step 4: Run Content Gap Analysis
Identify angles that competitors likely miss — especially question-based AEO opportunities that AI engines commonly surface.

## Examples

### Example: Automated Budgeting Cluster
Pillar: The Complete Guide to Automated Budgeting
Priority 1:

How to Build a Budget That Actually Works | how-to guide
Best Budgeting Apps Compared | comparison
What Is Zero-Based Budgeting? | explainer ← AEO priority

Priority 2:
4. How to Automate Your Savings in 3 Steps | how-to guide
5. Budgeting for Millennials: What Nobody Tells You | opinion
Link Map:
Pillar ← Article 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Article 1 ↔ Article 4
Article 2 → Article 3
AEO Priority:
★ Article 3 — "What Is" format has highest AI extraction probability
★ Article 2 — comparison table will be lifted for product queries

## Best Practices

- ✅ **Do:** Assign every cluster article a unique target keyword — no overlap
- ✅ **Do:** Include at least one FAQ page and one comparison article in every cluster
- ✅ **Do:** Flag the 2 highest AEO-opportunity articles for priority writing
- ❌ **Don't:** Let any article become an orphan — every article links to at least one other
- ❌ **Don't:** Target the same keyword on both the pillar and a cluster article

## Common Pitfalls

- **Problem:** Cluster articles all target similar keywords and cannibalise each other
  **Solution:** Run a uniqueness check — every article needs a distinct keyword with no semantic overlap.

- **Problem:** No AEO content in the cluster
  **Solution:** At least 2 articles must be structured as direct-answer pages (FAQ or "What Is" explainer).

## Related Skills

- `@seo-aeo-keyword-research` — provides the keyword foundation for the cluster
- `@seo-aeo-blog-writer` — writes the Priority 1 cluster articles
- `@seo-aeo-internal-linking` — builds the detailed link map from cluster output

## Additional Resources

- [SEO-AEO Engine Repository](https://github.com/mrprewsh/seo-aeo-engine)