| name | keyword-research |
| description | Identify high-value, low-competition keywords for Ontario therapy practice. Analyzes Ahrefs/GSC data to find opportunities, calculates priority scores (volume + difficulty + intent), identifies quick wins under difficulty 40, detects cannibalization risks, maps keywords to content types, and suggests topic clusters. Use when user asks "what keywords should I target", mentions "keyword research", provides Ahrefs data, or when planning content strategy. |
Keyword Research & Opportunity Finder
Purpose
Identify high-value keyword opportunities for NextStep Therapy that balance search volume, difficulty, and business value, with focus on Ontario therapy market.
When to Use This Skill
- User asks "what keywords should I target?"
- User mentions "keyword research" or "keyword opportunities"
- User provides Ahrefs or GSC data
- Planning new content or pages
- Prioritizing SEO efforts for quarter/month
Research Foundation
2024 Therapy Keyword Insights
Key Statistics:
- 3+ million monthly searches for therapy-related terms in North America
- 70% of new patients find therapists via internet search
- Keywords with difficulty < 40 are achievable for newer sites
- Long-tail keywords (4+ words) have higher conversion rates
- Location-based keywords are critical for local practices
Optimal Difficulty Ranges:
| Site Authority | Target Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| New (< 1 year) | 0-30 | Focus on long-tail, local |
| Growing (1-3 years) | 20-45 | Mix of quick wins and stretch goals |
| Established (3+ years) | 30-60 | Can target competitive terms |
Sources:
Data Request Template
Always ask user for this data:
To provide expert-level keyword recommendations, I need:
1. AHREFS DATA (if available):
- Keyword Explorer export for seed keywords
- Keyword difficulty scores
- Search volume (monthly)
- Parent topic data
- SERP features present
2. GSC DATA (if available):
- Queries report (last 3-6 months)
- Pages report with avg position
- Impressions, clicks, CTR by query
3. COMPETITOR DATA:
- Top 3-5 competitor domains
- Ahrefs organic keywords report for competitors
4. BUSINESS CONTEXT:
- Primary services to promote
- Target cities/regions
- Existing top-performing pages
- Seasonal considerations
Quick Start Workflow
Step 1: Gather & Categorize Seed Keywords
Therapy Practice Keyword Categories:
| Category | Examples | Volume Range | Difficulty Range |
|---|
| Condition + Service | "anxiety therapy", "depression treatment" | High (1000+) | High (50+) |
| Condition + Location | "anxiety therapy toronto" | Medium (100-500) | Medium (30-50) |
| Treatment Modality | "ACT therapy", "CBT counseling" | Medium (100-500) | Medium-High (40-60) |
| Audience Specific | "university student anxiety", "executive stress" | Low-Medium (50-200) | Low (10-30) |
| Question/Long-tail | "how to find a therapist in ontario" | Low (10-100) | Very Low (0-20) |
| Local Intent | "therapist near me", "virtual therapy ontario" | High (500+) | Medium-High (40-55) |
Step 2: Priority Score Calculation
Formula:
Priority Score = (Volume Score × 0.30) + (Difficulty Score × 0.35) +
(Intent Score × 0.20) + (Business Value × 0.15)
Where:
- Volume Score: 0-100 (normalized from search volume)
- Difficulty Score: 100 - keyword_difficulty (inverted, lower KD = higher score)
- Intent Score: 0-100 (transactional = 100, informational = 50)
- Business Value: 0-100 (core service = 100, tangential = 50)
Score Interpretation:
| Score | Priority | Action |
|---|
| 80-100 | Highest | Target immediately |
| 60-79 | High | Target in next 30 days |
| 40-59 | Medium | Build topic cluster around |
| 20-39 | Low | Long-term roadmap |
| 0-19 | Lowest | Deprioritize or ignore |
Step 3: Identify Quick Wins
Quick Win Criteria:
- Difficulty < 40
- Volume > 50/month
- Clear commercial/transactional intent
- Relevant to core services
- No cannibalization with existing pages
Quick Win Template:
QUICK WIN OPPORTUNITY:
Keyword: [keyword]
Volume: [monthly searches]
Difficulty: [KD score]
Priority Score: [calculated score]
Current Ranking: [if any]
Recommended Page Type: [service/location/blog]
Estimated Time to Rank: [30/60/90 days]
Step 4: Cannibalization Check
Critical for therapy sites with multiple location pages:
Before targeting any keyword:
- Search GSC for query matches
- Check if multiple pages rank for same term
- Identify which page has highest authority
- Consolidate or differentiate
Cannibalization Detection:
Search: site:nextsteptherapy.ca "target keyword"
If 2+ pages appear:
- Analyze which ranks higher
- Check search intent alignment
- Decide: consolidate or differentiate
Common Cannibalization Issues:
| Issue | Solution |
|---|
| Multiple city pages ranking for provincial keyword | Strengthen pillar page, adjust city page focus |
| Blog post competing with service page | Consolidate or adjust blog focus |
| Old page competing with new page | 301 redirect old to new if new is better |
Step 5: Map Keywords to Content
Keyword-to-Content Mapping:
| Intent Type | Page Type | Example |
|---|
| Commercial (high intent) | Service page | "anxiety therapy toronto" |
| Navigational | Homepage or About | "nextstep therapy" |
| Informational | Blog post | "how to cope with anxiety" |
| Transactional | Booking/Contact | "book therapy appointment online" |
Topic Cluster Assignment:
PILLAR: anxiety-therapy-ontario.html
├── CLUSTER: anxiety-therapy-toronto.html (location)
├── CLUSTER: anxiety-therapy-burlington.html (location)
├── CLUSTER: students/university-anxiety.html (audience)
├── CLUSTER: professionals/work-anxiety.html (audience)
└── CLUSTER: blog/5-ways-manage-anxiety.html (informational)
Ontario Therapy Keyword Database
Condition Keywords (High Value)
Anxiety:
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| anxiety therapy ontario | 500+ | 45-55 | Main pillar target |
| anxiety therapist near me | 300+ | 50-60 | Local intent |
| anxiety treatment toronto | 200+ | 40-50 | City-specific |
| therapy for anxiety and depression | 400+ | 45-55 | Dual condition |
| virtual anxiety therapy | 150+ | 30-40 | Service format |
Depression:
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| depression therapy ontario | 400+ | 45-55 | Main pillar target |
| therapist for depression | 250+ | 50-60 | General query |
| depression counseling near me | 200+ | 45-55 | Local intent |
| online depression therapy | 100+ | 30-40 | Service format |
Trauma/PTSD:
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| trauma therapy ontario | 150+ | 35-45 | Lower competition |
| ptsd therapist | 100+ | 40-50 | Specific condition |
| trauma-informed therapy | 100+ | 30-40 | Approach-focused |
Audience Keywords (Lower Competition)
Students:
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| university student anxiety | 50-100 | 15-25 | Quick win |
| college student counseling | 50-100 | 20-30 | Quick win |
| academic stress therapy | 30-50 | 10-20 | Quick win |
| first year university anxiety | 20-50 | 10-20 | Very low comp |
Professionals:
| Keyword | Est. Volume | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|
| executive stress therapy | 30-50 | 15-25 | Quick win |
| work anxiety therapy | 50-100 | 20-30 | Quick win |
| burnout therapist | 50-100 | 25-35 | Quick win |
| career anxiety counseling | 20-50 | 15-25 | Quick win |
Location Keywords
Major Cities:
| Location | Format | Est. Difficulty |
|---|
| Toronto | [condition] therapy toronto | 45-55 |
| Ottawa | [condition] therapist ottawa | 35-45 |
| Mississauga | therapy [condition] mississauga | 30-40 |
| Hamilton | [condition] counseling hamilton | 25-35 |
| London | therapist [condition] london ontario | 25-35 |
Smaller Cities (Quick Wins):
| Location | Format | Est. Difficulty |
|---|
| Burlington | anxiety therapy burlington | 20-30 |
| Oshawa | depression therapist oshawa | 15-25 |
| Kitchener | anxiety counseling kitchener | 20-30 |
| Sudbury | therapy sudbury ontario | 15-25 |
| Barrie | therapist barrie ontario | 15-25 |
Analysis Output Template
# Keyword Research Analysis
Date: [Today's date]
Data Sources: [Ahrefs, GSC, etc.]
## Executive Summary
- Total keywords analyzed: [X]
- Quick wins identified: [X]
- Highest priority opportunities: [X]
- Cannibalization issues found: [X]
## Priority Opportunities
### Tier 1: Quick Wins (Target Now)
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Priority Score | Page Type |
|---------|--------|------------|----------------|-----------|
| [keyword] | [vol] | [KD] | [score] | [type] |
### Tier 2: High Value (Next 30 Days)
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Priority Score | Page Type |
|---------|--------|------------|----------------|-----------|
| [keyword] | [vol] | [KD] | [score] | [type] |
### Tier 3: Build Clusters (60-90 Days)
| Pillar Keyword | Cluster Keywords | Total Opportunity |
|----------------|------------------|-------------------|
| [pillar] | [clusters] | [combined volume] |
## Cannibalization Issues
| Keyword | Competing Pages | Recommended Action |
|---------|-----------------|-------------------|
| [keyword] | [pages] | [action] |
## Topic Cluster Recommendations
### Cluster 1: [Topic]
- Pillar: [page]
- Clusters: [list]
- Internal linking plan: [brief]
## Content Calendar Recommendations
### Month 1:
1. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
2. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
### Month 2:
1. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
2. [Page type]: "[Title]" targeting [keyword]
## Next Steps
1. [Action item]
2. [Action item]
3. [Action item]
Cannibalization Deep Dive
How to Detect
Method 1: GSC Query Analysis
- Export Queries report
- Filter by query containing target keyword
- If multiple pages appear for same query = cannibalization
Method 2: Site Search
site:nextsteptherapy.ca "anxiety therapy"
If 5+ results, you may have cannibalization.
Method 3: Ahrefs Keywords Report
- Run site audit
- Check "cannibalization" report
- Review overlapping keywords
How to Fix
| Scenario | Fix |
|---|
| Two strong pages | Keep both, differentiate intent |
| One strong, one weak | 301 redirect weak → strong |
| Multiple location pages cannibalize pillar | Add unique local content, strengthen pillar |
| Blog post vs service page | Consolidate or add canonical |
Special Considerations for Therapy Keywords
YMYL Implications
- Therapy keywords are YMYL (Your Money Your Life)
- Google applies higher scrutiny
- E-E-A-T signals critical for ranking
- New sites need stronger authority signals
Seasonal Trends
| Season | Trending Keywords |
|---|
| Jan-Feb | New year anxiety, SAD, motivation |
| Mar-Apr | Spring anxiety, academic stress (finals) |
| Aug-Sep | Back to school, university anxiety |
| Nov-Dec | Holiday stress, seasonal depression, loneliness |
Competitor Intelligence
Request from user:
Can you export Ahrefs organic keywords for these competitors:
1. [competitor 1]
2. [competitor 2]
3. [competitor 3]
I'll analyze which keywords they rank for that we don't.
Sources
Keyword Research:
Cannibalization:
Therapy SEO:
