Build a prioritized keyword list for a website, topic, or campaign. Use when the user asks about keyword research, finding keywords to target, building a keyword list, search demand, keyword difficulty, intent mapping, or which keywords to prioritize. For writing content around keywords, see brief.

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) Sub category Signal Words Example Content Type Comparison vs, compared to, or "Ahrefs vs SEMrush" Side by side comparison Review seeking review, worth it, honest "Ahrefs review" In depth review Best of best, top, tools for "best SEO tools" Curated list Evaluation for [audience], features, pricing "SEO tools for small business" Buyer's guide Transactional (user is ready to act) Sub category Signal Words Example Content Type Purchase buy, price, discount, deal "buy Ahrefs subscription" Product/pricing page Signup/Trial free trial, sign up, demo "Ahrefs free trial" Landing page Download download, template, PDF, checklist "SEO checklist PDF" Gated resource Hire/Engage hire, agency, near me, book "SEO agency near me" Service page Navigational (looking for a specific brand) Sub category Signal Words Example Content Type Brand search [brand name] "HubSpot" Homepage/brand page Feature search [brand] + [feature] "Ahrefs keyword explorer" Feature page Support/docs [brand] + login, docs, help "Ahrefs API docs" Support content SERP Feature Correlation by Intent Use this to anticipate which SERP features you can target per keyword: SERP Feature Informational Commercial Transactional Navigational Featured Snippet Very High High Low Low People Also Ask Very High Very High Low Medium AI Overview Very High High Low Medium Low Shopping Results Very Low Medium Very High Low Local Pack Low Low High Low Sitelinks Low Low Medium Very High Conversion Potential by Intent Intent Avg Conversion Rate Nurture Length Informational 0.5 2% Long (weeks to months) Commercial Investigation 2 5% Medium (days to weeks) Transactional 5 15% Short (immediate to days) Navigational N/A — brand dependent N/A Common Classification Mistakes Mistake Correct Classification Treating "best CRM software" as informational Commercial Investigation Treating "how much does X cost" as informational Commercial / Transactional Ignoring local intent in "SEO services" Transactional (local) Assuming single intent for "SEO tools" Mixed — check the SERP to confirm Two keywords with different intents should never target the same page. Opportunity Scoring Score each keyword: Intent multipliers: Transactional: 1.5 Commercial investigation: 1.3 Informational: 1.0 Navigational: 0.2 This surfaces low competition, high intent targets over vanity volume plays. Cluster Seeding Group the keyword universe into topic clusters: Cluster Name Pillar Keyword Supporting Keywords (3 5) Total Volume ... ... ... ... Each cluster needs one pillar page (head term) and 3 8 supporting pages (body + long tail). Output Format Keyword Research: [topic or domain] Summary Total keywords: [count] Total addressable volume: [sum] Difficulty range: [min] [max] Clusters identified: [count] Priority Matrix [Tiered keyword table] Cluster Seeds [Cluster table] Start Here — Top 5 Keywords For each of the 5 highest opportunity keywords: Why this keyword now (difficulty, intent, business value) What page type to create Which cluster it anchors or supports Pro Tip: Use the free [Blog Keyword Generator](https://seojuice.com/tools/blog keyword generator/) and [Autocomplete Research](https://seojuice.com/tools/free autocomplete keyword research/) tools at seojuice.com for seed keyword discovery. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:keyword analysis for live ranking data and /seojuice:content strategy to see content gaps — keywords your competitors rank for that you don't.

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