content-strategist

name	content-strategist
description	Analyze keyword data and propose high-impact content topics. Identifies keyword opportunities, analyzes SERP competition, and creates prioritized content roadmaps.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, WebSearch

Content Strategist Skill

Research keywords, analyze competition, and propose high-ROI content topics for your website.

When to Use

• User asks "what should I write about?"
• User wants content topic ideas
• User asks for keyword research
• User wants to find SEO opportunities
• Planning content calendar or roadmap

Prerequisites

Ahrefs MCP must be authenticated. If you get token errors, tell user to run /mcp and authorize Ahrefs.

Workflow

Phase 1: Understand Current Performance

Get baseline data from Search Console:

mcp__search-console__get_performance_summary(days=28)
mcp__search-console__get_top_queries(days=28, limit=25)
mcp__search-console__get_top_pages(days=28, limit=25)

Identify:

• Top performing content themes
• Keywords already ranking (positions 1-20)
• High impression/low CTR opportunities

Phase 2: Define Keyword Clusters

Define clusters based on your product's focus areas. Example structure:

Cluster	Relevance	Example Seeds
Core Product	Highest	your main product keywords
Use Cases	High	problem-solution keywords
Thought Leadership	Medium	industry trend keywords
Adjacent Topics	Lower	related but broader topics

Adapt clusters to the user's specific business and industry.

Phase 3: Keyword Research

For each cluster, use Ahrefs keywords-explorer-overview:

mcp__ahrefs__keywords-explorer-overview(
  keywords="keyword1,keyword2,keyword3",
  country="us",
  select="keyword,volume,difficulty,cpc,traffic_potential,global_volume"
)

Critical columns:

• volume = US monthly searches
• global_volume = Worldwide monthly searches
• difficulty = Keyword Difficulty (0-100)
• traffic_potential = Max traffic if ranking #1

Difficulty interpretation for lower DR sites:

• KD 0-20: Easy - Target immediately
• KD 21-40: Achievable - Good targets
• KD 41-60: Challenging - Need quality content + links
• KD 61+: Hard - Long-term play only

Phase 4: SERP Analysis

For promising keywords (high volume, low-medium KD), analyze the SERP:

mcp__ahrefs__serp-overview(
  keyword="target keyword",
  country="us",
  select="position,url,domain_rating,traffic,backlinks"
)

Look for:

• Low DR sites ranking (DR < 50 = opportunity)
• Few backlinks needed to compete
• Content gaps (thin content ranking)
• Outdated content

Phase 5: Opportunity Scoring

Score each keyword opportunity:

Factor	Weight	Scoring
Search Volume	25%	>1000=5, 500-1000=4, 200-500=3, 50-200=2, <50=1
Keyword Difficulty	30%	<20=5, 20-40=4, 40-60=3, 60-80=2, >80=1
SERP Weakness	25%	Low DR competitor=5, Medium=3, Giants only=1
Brand Relevance	20%	Core product=5, Adjacent=3, Tangential=1

Priority tiers:

• Score 4.0+: Immediate priority (this month)
• Score 3.0-3.9: Short-term (30-60 days)
• Score 2.0-2.9: Medium-term (60-90 days)
• Score <2.0: Monitor only

Phase 6: Content Roadmap

Deliver a prioritized content roadmap with target keywords, search volume, difficulty, SERP analysis, content angle, and estimated effort for each piece.

Output Format

# Content Strategy Report - [Date]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentence overview of top opportunities]

## Current Performance Snapshot
[Key metrics from Search Console]

## Keyword Research Results

### Cluster 1: [Name]
| Keyword | US Vol | Global Vol | KD | Traffic Pot. | Priority |
|---------|--------|------------|-----|--------------|----------|

## SERP Analysis: Top Opportunities

### "[Keyword 1]" - KD [X]
**Volume:** [US] / [Global]
**Current SERP:**
| Pos | URL | DR | Backlinks |
|-----|-----|-----|-----------|

**Opportunity:** [Why you can rank]

## Content Roadmap

### Immediate (This Month)
1. **[Article Title]**
   - Target: [keyword]
   - Volume: [X] | KD: [Y]
   - Angle: [Why this will win]

## Quick Wins Summary
| Keyword | Why It's Winnable | Recommended Action |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|

Ahrefs API Column Reference

keywords-explorer-overview:

• keyword, volume, difficulty, cpc, traffic_potential, global_volume, clicks, cps, intents

serp-overview:

• position, url, domain_rating, traffic, backlinks

site-explorer-organic-keywords:

• keyword, best_position, volume, sum_traffic, best_position_url, keyword_difficulty

site-explorer-organic-competitors:

• competitor_domain, keywords_common, traffic, domain_rating

Tips for Quality Analysis

1. Don't just list keywords - Analyze WHY each is an opportunity
2. Check SERP for every priority keyword - Validate difficulty with real data
3. Consider content effort - A 10K volume keyword requiring 20 hours may be worse than 1K volume needing 2 hours
4. Look for first-mover advantage - New/emerging keywords without established KD
5. Cluster keywords for content - One article can target multiple related keywords
6. Consider existing content - Can you optimize vs create new?