SEO Researcher Skill

Research search trends, keywords, and user intent to inform feature development and content strategy.

Invocation

This skill is invoked by /siftcoder:ideate at Level 3 or can be used standalone.

Capabilities

1. Keyword Research

Research Process:

•Identify seed keywords from spec/domain
•Expand with related terms
•Analyze search volume and competition
•Identify long-tail opportunities

Output Format:

code

KEYWORD ANALYSIS

Primary Keywords:
┌─────────────────────────┬────────────┬─────────────┬──────────┐
│ Keyword                 │ Volume/mo  │ Competition │ Intent   │
├─────────────────────────┼────────────┼─────────────┼──────────┤
│ [keyword 1]             │ [X]K       │ High/Med/Low│ [type]   │
│ [keyword 2]             │ [X]K       │ High/Med/Low│ [type]   │
│ [keyword 3]             │ [X]K       │ High/Med/Low│ [type]   │
└─────────────────────────┴────────────┴─────────────┴──────────┘

Long-Tail Opportunities:
├── "[long phrase 1]" - [volume] - Low competition
├── "[long phrase 2]" - [volume] - Low competition
└── "[long phrase 3]" - [volume] - Low competition

Question Keywords (People Also Ask):
├── "How to [X]?" - [volume]
├── "What is [X]?" - [volume]
├── "Why does [X]?" - [volume]
└── "[X] vs [Y]?" - [volume]

2. Search Intent Analysis

Intent Categories:

•Informational: User wants to learn something
•Navigational: User looking for specific site/page
•Transactional: User wants to buy/sign up
•Commercial Investigation: User comparing options

Output Format:

code

SEARCH INTENT MAPPING

Informational Queries (Content Opportunities):
├── "[query]" → Blog post: "[Title idea]"
├── "[query]" → Tutorial: "[Title idea]"
└── "[query]" → FAQ section

Transactional Queries (Conversion Pages):
├── "[query]" → Landing page: [Focus]
├── "[query]" → Pricing page optimization
└── "[query]" → Sign-up flow entry point

Commercial Investigation (Comparison Content):
├── "[query]" → Comparison page: "[Product] vs alternatives"
├── "[query]" → Feature showcase page
└── "[query]" → Case studies / testimonials

Feature-Driven Search Opportunities:
├── "[feature keyword]" - Build [feature] to rank for this
├── "[feature keyword]" - [Feature] addresses this search
└── "[feature keyword]" - Content + feature combination

3. Trend Analysis

Research Methods:

•Google Trends data
•Social media trending topics
•Industry news and announcements
•Seasonal patterns

Output Format:

code

SEARCH TREND ANALYSIS

Rising Searches (YoY Growth):
├── "[term 1]" - +[X]% - [Insight]
├── "[term 2]" - +[X]% - [Insight]
└── "[term 3]" - +[X]% - [Insight]

Declining Searches:
├── "[term 1]" - -[X]% - [What's replacing it]
└── "[term 2]" - -[X]% - [Market shift]

Seasonal Patterns:
├── [Month]: Peak for "[term]"
├── [Month]: Peak for "[term]"
└── [Month]: Low season for "[term]"

Emerging Topics:
├── [Topic 1] - Early stage trend
│   └── Feature opportunity: [Idea]
├── [Topic 2] - Growing rapidly
│   └── Content opportunity: [Idea]
└── [Topic 3] - Mainstream soon
    └── Competitive timing: [Recommendation]

4. Competitor SEO Analysis

Output Format:

code

COMPETITOR SEO ANALYSIS

[Competitor Name]:
├── Domain Authority: [Score]
├── Top Ranking Keywords:
│   ├── "[keyword]" - Position [X]
│   ├── "[keyword]" - Position [X]
│   └── "[keyword]" - Position [X]
├── Content Strategy:
│   ├── Blog posts: [Frequency]
│   ├── Topics: [Main themes]
│   └── Top performing: "[Title]"
├── Backlink Profile:
│   ├── Total backlinks: [X]
│   └── Notable sources: [Sites]
└── SEO Gaps:
    └── Keywords they don't rank for: [List]

Competitive Opportunities:
├── Keywords to target: [List with rationale]
├── Content gaps: [Topics not covered]
└── Technical advantages: [Speed, mobile, etc.]

5. Feature-SEO Mapping

Connect features to search demand:

code

FEATURE-SEO OPPORTUNITIES

High-Impact Features (Strong Search Demand):
├── Feature: [Name]
│   ├── Target Keywords: "[kw1]", "[kw2]"
│   ├── Monthly Search Volume: [Total]
│   ├── Current Competition: [Assessment]
│   ├── Content Strategy: [How to rank]
│   └── SEO Value: HIGH
│
├── Feature: [Name]
│   └── ...

Medium-Impact Features:
├── Feature: [Name]
│   └── ...

Low Search Demand (Build for Users, Not SEO):
├── Feature: [Name]
│   └── Rationale: [Why still valuable]

6. Content Strategy Recommendations

code

CONTENT STRATEGY

Pillar Content (Cornerstone Pages):
├── "[Topic 1]" - Ultimate guide format
│   └── Target keywords: [List]
├── "[Topic 2]" - Comprehensive resource
│   └── Target keywords: [List]

Supporting Content (Blog/Resources):
├── Week 1: "[Title]" - [Target keyword]
├── Week 2: "[Title]" - [Target keyword]
├── Week 3: "[Title]" - [Target keyword]
└── Week 4: "[Title]" - [Target keyword]

Link Building Opportunities:
├── Resource pages in [niche]
├── Guest posting targets: [Sites]
├── Broken link opportunities: [Strategy]
└── Industry directories: [List]

Technical SEO Checklist:
├── [ ] Page speed optimization
├── [ ] Mobile-first indexing ready
├── [ ] Structured data (Schema.org)
├── [ ] XML sitemap
├── [ ] Robots.txt optimization
├── [ ] Canonical tags
├── [ ] Internal linking strategy
└── [ ] Image optimization (WebP, lazy loading)

Research Workflow

•
Seed Keyword Generation
- •Extract terms from spec
- •Brainstorm user search behavior
- •List competitor brand terms

•

Search Query Expansion

code

Web searches to run:
- "[domain] keywords"
- "[domain] search trends 2025"
- "what people search for [domain]"
- "[competitor] SEO analysis"
- "Google Trends [domain]"

•
Analyze Results
- •Volume estimation (relative if exact unavailable)
- •Competition assessment
- •Intent classification
•
Map to Features
- •Connect keywords to product capabilities
- •Identify feature gaps from search demand
- •Prioritize by search volume + fit
•
Strategy Formulation
- •Content calendar recommendations
- •Feature prioritization by SEO value
- •Technical requirements

Tools Used

•WebSearch - Keyword and trend research
•WebFetch - Competitor analysis
•Read/Write - Report generation

Runtime Implementation

This skill includes a minimal skill.ts entry point to satisfy plugin requirements. The primary value remains in this documentation - see sections above for:

•SEO research patterns
•Keyword analysis workflows
•Best practices

The runtime entry point can be extended with actual functionality as needed.

Quality Guidelines

•Use relative estimates when exact data unavailable
•Explain methodology for volume/competition assessments
•Consider local vs global search patterns
•Account for search engine diversity (not just Google)
•Balance SEO with user value - don't build for bots only
•Note data freshness - search trends change rapidly