Keyword research

OpenSEO Keyword Research

Goal

Turn seed topics into a prioritized keyword opportunity set using OpenSEO MCP data. The output should help the user decide what to target, what to save, and what to research next.

Required inputs

• projectId
• One or more seed topics, products, pages, competitors, or audience problems
• Optional market/location/language

If projectId is missing, use list_projects first. If the target market/location/language is unclear and would materially affect keyword metrics, ask the user; otherwise use the MCP tool defaults.

OpenSEO MCP tools

• research_keywords: primary discovery tool. Use 1-5 seeds per call and prefer 150 results unless the user asks for exhaustive research.
• get_keyword_metrics: hydrate up to 700 known keywords with volume, keyword difficulty (KD), search intent, CPC, and monthly trends in one call. Use it to score candidate or known terms — including the Search Console striking-distance queries from step 1.
• get_ranked_keywords: pull exact ranking keyword rows when a target domain or page is part of the research brief.
• get_search_console_performance: when Search Console is connected, start from the project's real first-party demand — queries already earning impressions and near-ranking ("striking distance") terms. Request a high rowLimit and filter average position 5-20 client-side, since the API sorts by clicks and can't filter by position. Then hydrate those striking-distance queries with get_keyword_metrics to attach difficulty and intent.
• get_serp_results: inspect SERPs for the top candidate terms, especially when intent is ambiguous.
• search_local_businesses, get_local_serp_results, and get_google_business_questions: use for local SEO topics when a business/location radius matters.
• list_saved_keywords: avoid duplicating already-saved work or use existing tags as context.
• save_keywords: save selected keywords only after explicit user confirmation.

Workflow

1. Normalize seeds into a small set of distinct research angles. If Search Console is connected for the project, first pull get_search_console_performance (high rowLimit, default lookback), filter to striking-distance positions (~5–20) client-side, and hydrate those queries with get_keyword_metrics to attach KD and intent. That ranked, hydrated list is your fastest opportunity set — work it before broad discovery.
2. If the request is local SEO, identify the business, location/coordinates or service area, and local categories. Use search_local_businesses and get_local_serp_results for the most important location/keyword set instead of relying only on national keyword/SERP data.
3. Call research_keywords for exploratory seeds. Use bulk calls when possible.
4. Use get_keyword_metrics to hydrate a fixed keyword list — or the striking-distance queries from step 1 — with volume, KD, and intent before prioritizing.
5. Use get_ranked_keywords when the user provides a domain/page and wants opportunities based on current rankings, near-misses, or competitor-owned terms.
6. Remove irrelevant, duplicate, branded-only, and off-intent terms.
7. Prioritize by practical opportunity, not volume alone:
   • Strong match to the user's product/page/topic
   • Clear search intent
   • Reasonable difficulty
   • Useful volume/CPC signal
   • SERP where the user can plausibly compete
   • For local SEO, local-pack/Maps visibility and proximity fit
8. Use get_serp_results for high-potential or ambiguous keywords when SERP intent would change the recommendation; keep the default check small.
9. Present a shortlist and a longer opportunity table.
10. Ask before saving keywords. When saving, suggest concise tags such as topic:<topic>, intent:<intent>, or page:<slug>.

Output format

Start with the highest-signal recommendation:

• Best opportunity theme
• Top keywords to target now
• Keywords to save
• Risks or SERP caveats

Then include a compact table:

Keyword	Intent	Volume	KD	CPC	Priority	Notes

End with next actions, including whether to run keyword clustering, create a content brief, or save the chosen keywords.

Guardrails

• Do not invent metrics. If OpenSEO does not return a value, write unknown.
• Do not call save_keywords without explicit confirmation.
• Prefer business-fit and intent-fit over chasing the largest volume term.

<!-- Source: https://github.com/every-app/open-seo/tree/main/.agents/skills/keyword-research (MIT) -->