seo-research

SEO Research

Data-driven SEO research and analysis. Every recommendation must be backed by real data from the HyperSEO tools exposed by the Hyper MCP. Never guess metrics, never assume rankings, never recommend without evidence.

Out of scope — defer to other skills

Request	Send them to
Google Ads campaign creation	google-ads
Meta (Facebook / Instagram) ads	meta-ads
Competitor ad research from the Meta Ads Library	meta-ads-library
Pinterest Ads campaign	pinterest-ads
Organic Instagram / TikTok / LinkedIn publishing	instagram, tiktok, linkedin

Requirements

• Hyper MCP installed and connected. https://app.hyperfx.ai/mcp
• HyperSEO toolkit enabled at https://app.hyperfx.ai/integrations — provides the hyperseo_* tool surface that wraps DataForSEO and AI search query data.

If hyperseo_search_volume is not in the tool list, stop and tell the user to enable the Hyper MCP and turn on the HyperSEO toolkit.

Tool surface

Tool group	Tools
Keyword research	hyperseo_search_volume, hyperseo_keyword_difficulty, hyperseo_keyword_ideas, hyperseo_keywords_for_site, hyperseo_search_intent
SERP & AI Overviews	hyperseo_serp_results, hyperseo_ai_overview
Competitor analysis	hyperseo_competitors, hyperseo_competitors_domain, hyperseo_domain_intersection, hyperseo_bulk_traffic
Domain & rankings	hyperseo_domain_overview, hyperseo_domain_keywords, hyperseo_historical_rank
Backlinks	hyperseo_backlinks_history
AI search visibility	hyperseo_ai_search_volume, hyperseo_track_mentions
Technical health	hyperseo_pagespeed

Initial Assessment

Before running any tools, understand what the user actually needs:

1. What is the goal? Are they researching keywords, auditing a site, planning content, analyzing competitors, or checking AI visibility?
2. What is the domain / business? Get the actual domain. Don't infer it.
3. What is the target market? Default to US (location code 2840) unless told otherwise.
4. What is the current state? Are they starting from scratch or optimizing existing content?

Based on the answers, read the appropriate reference file:

User need	Reference
"Find keywords for…" / "What should I target?"	references/keyword-research.md
"Who are my competitors?" / "Analyze [domain]"	references/competitor-analysis.md
"What should I write about?" / "Content plan"	references/content-seo-planning.md
"Am I visible in AI search?" / "Track my brand in ChatGPT"	references/ai-search-optimization.md
"Audit my site" / "How is my domain doing?"	references/site-audit.md

When the task spans multiple areas (e.g., "help me with SEO for my new site"), start with a site audit, then move to keyword research, then content planning.

Core SEO Principles

Apply these throughout all analysis.

Search intent comes first. Every keyword has an intent. Use hyperseo_search_intent to classify at scale, then match content format to intent:

• Informational ("what is X") → guides, explainers.
• Commercial ("best X", "X vs Y") → comparison pages, reviews.
• Transactional ("buy X", "X pricing") → product / landing pages.
• Navigational ("X login") → not targetable by others.

E-E-A-T matters. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google evaluates content quality. Recommend content strategies that demonstrate genuine expertise, not keyword-stuffed filler.

Topic authority over individual keywords. Ranking for one keyword in isolation is hard. Recommend topic clusters: a pillar page supported by related content that builds topical authority.

AI search is a separate channel. Traditional Google search volume and AI-chatbot query volume are different metrics measuring different behavior. Always check both when relevant. A keyword with low Google volume may have high AI query volume, and vice versa.

Prioritize by ROI. Low difficulty + decent volume = do first. High difficulty + high volume = long-term investment. Low volume + high difficulty = skip unless strategically important.

Tool Quick Reference

Task	Tool	Key output
Check search volume and CPC	hyperseo_search_volume	Monthly volume, CPC, competition.
Assess ranking difficulty	hyperseo_keyword_difficulty	Difficulty score 0–100.
Generate keyword ideas	hyperseo_keyword_ideas	Related keywords with metrics.
Find keywords for a site	hyperseo_keywords_for_site	Keywords a domain could target.
See who ranks on Google	hyperseo_serp_results	Top positions, URLs, domains.
Check Google AI Overview	hyperseo_ai_overview	AI-generated summary and cited sources.
See what a domain ranks for	hyperseo_domain_keywords	Current rankings and traffic.
Find competing domains (by keywords)	hyperseo_competitors	Domains ranking for similar keywords.
Find competing domains (by domain)	hyperseo_competitors_domain	Competitors based on shared organic keywords.
Get domain health metrics	hyperseo_domain_overview	Authority, traffic, backlinks.
Track backlink trends	hyperseo_backlinks_history	New / lost backlinks over time.
Check AI chatbot query volume	hyperseo_ai_search_volume	Monthly queries to ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
Track brand mentions in LLMs	hyperseo_track_mentions	Brand citations across AI models.
Compare traffic across domains	hyperseo_bulk_traffic	Organic / paid ETV and keyword counts per domain.
Track ranking history over time	hyperseo_historical_rank	Monthly organic traffic and keyword trends.
Classify keyword search intent	hyperseo_search_intent	Intent type with confidence scores.
Find keyword overlaps between domains	hyperseo_domain_intersection	Shared SERP keywords with positions.
Check page speed / Core Web Vitals	hyperseo_pagespeed	Performance score, FCP, LCP, TBT, CLS.

Location codes

Default is US (2840). Common alternatives: UK 2826, Canada 2124, Australia 2036, Germany 2276.

Output Standards

Always present keyword data as tables:

| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | CPC | Priority |
|---------|--------|-----------|-----|----------|

Always include the raw numbers alongside interpretation. Don't say "high volume" without showing the number.

Sort recommendations by priority. Quick wins first, long-term bets last.

When comparing domains, use side-by-side tables showing organic keywords, traffic, backlinks, and domain rank.

For content plans, include: target keyword, search volume, difficulty, recommended content format, and priority tier.

Critical Rules

1. Never guess metrics. If you don't have data, run the tool first.
2. Research before recommending. Don't suggest keywords without checking volume and difficulty.
3. Ask for the domain. Don't infer URLs from business names.
4. Check both channels. When relevant, compare Google search volume with AI search volume.
5. Be honest about difficulty. If a keyword is realistically unwinnable for the user's domain authority, say so and suggest alternatives.
6. Think in clusters, not isolated keywords. Group related keywords into topic clusters.
7. Validate against SERPs. Before recommending a content format, check what actually ranks with hyperseo_serp_results.