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name: keyword-research description: Content planning framework using the 6 Circles Method for identifying high-value topics without paid SEO tools. This skill should be used when building content strategy from scratch, planning quarterly content calendars, finding content gaps, or when unsure what to write about next.

Keyword Research

This skill identifies high-value content opportunities by finding the intersection of audience interest, business value, and market opportunity - without requiring expensive SEO tools.

Objective

Discover content topics that sit at the intersection of six critical factors: what you can credibly write about, what your audience wants, what drives business, what people search for, where competitors are weak, and what's feasible to create.

The 6 Circles Method

Content gold exists where these six factors overlap:

        ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
        │           YOUR EXPERTISE                │
        │    (topics you have authority on)       │
        └─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                          │
    ┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
    │                     │                     │
    ▼                     ▼                     ▼
┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│  AUDIENCE   │    │  BUSINESS   │    │   SEARCH    │
│  INTERESTS  │    │    GOALS    │    │   DEMAND    │
└──────┬──────┘    └──────┬──────┘    └──────┬──────┘
       │                  │                  │
       └────────────┬─────┴─────┬────────────┘
                    │           │
              ┌─────▼─────┐ ┌───▼───────┐
              │COMPETITION│ │ CONTENT   │
              │   GAPS    │ │FEASIBILITY│
              └───────────┘ └───────────┘

Circle 1: Your Expertise

Topics where you (or your brand) have genuine authority, experience, or unique perspective.

Questions to ask:

• What have you done professionally for years?
• What do people ask you for advice on?
• What unique data, case studies, or experiences do you have?
• What contrarian views do you hold that you can defend?

Circle 2: Audience Interests

Topics your target audience actively seeks out and engages with.

Questions to ask:

• What questions do they ask in forums, communities, support tickets?
• What content do they share and comment on?
• What problems keep them up at night?
• What aspirations are they working toward?

Circle 3: Business Goals

Topics that align with revenue-generating activities.

Questions to ask:

• What topics lead to your product as a solution?
• What problems does your product solve?
• What content attracts buyers (not just browsers)?
• What topics position you for sales conversations?

Circle 4: Search Demand

Topics people actually search for on Google.

Questions to ask:

• Are people typing this into Google?
• What search volume exists (use free tools below)?
• Is search intent clear?
• Are results improving or declining over time?

Circle 5: Competition Gaps

Topics that are underserved by existing content.

Questions to ask:

• What's missing from top-ranking articles?
• Where is competitor content outdated or thin?
• What angles haven't been covered?
• What questions remain unanswered?

Circle 6: Content Feasibility

Topics you can realistically create quality content for.

Questions to ask:

• Do you have the expertise or access to create this?
• What resources are required (time, interviews, data)?
• Can you make this better than what exists?
• Is this maintainable/updatable?

Free Research Methods

Google Autocomplete

1. Type your seed keyword into Google
2. Note all autocomplete suggestions
3. Add letters a-z after your keyword for more variations
4. Use underscore (_) to find words people use before your keyword

People Also Ask

1. Search your topic on Google
2. Click on "People Also Ask" boxes
3. Each click reveals more questions
4. Map questions to content ideas

Reddit/Quora Mining

1. Search "[topic] site:reddit.com" or "site:quora.com"
2. Look for frequently asked questions
3. Note the language people use (not industry jargon)
4. Find frustrated users = content opportunities

Competitor Content Gaps

1. List top 5 competitor blogs
2. Scan their most popular posts
3. Identify topics they haven't covered
4. Find posts that are outdated or thin

Google Search Console (if available)

1. Check "Search Results" report
2. Find queries you rank for positions 5-20
3. These are low-hanging optimization opportunities
4. Also reveals topics audience associates with you

Answer The Public (free tier)

1. Enter seed keyword
2. Get organized questions (who, what, when, where, why, how)
3. Export and filter for relevance

Prioritization Matrix

Score each topic idea (1-5) on:

Factor	Weight	Score
Expertise	2x	__
Audience Interest	2x	__
Business Alignment	2x	__
Search Demand	1x	__
Competition Gap	1x	__
Feasibility	1x	__

Total = (Expertise × 2) + (Audience × 2) + (Business × 2) + Search + Competition + Feasibility

Tier your topics:

• Tier 1 (40+): Prioritize immediately
• Tier 2 (30-39): Strong candidates
• Tier 3 (20-29): Worth considering
• Below 20: Deprioritize

Content-to-Funnel Mapping

Map topics to the buyer journey:

Funnel Stage	Content Purpose	Topic Types
Awareness	Attract new audience	How-to, What is, Trends, Problems
Consideration	Educate on solutions	Comparisons, Best practices, Guides
Decision	Convert to customers	Case studies, Demos, vs. Competitors
Retention	Keep customers successful	Advanced tips, Updates, Community

Output Format

When completing keyword research, deliver:

1. Research Summary: Methods used, scope of analysis
2. Topic Candidates: 20-50 topic ideas with 6-circle scores
3. Prioritized List: Top 10-15 topics ranked by total score
4. Funnel Distribution: Topics mapped to buyer journey stages
5. Content Calendar Recommendation: Suggested topics for next quarter
6. Quick Wins: Topics that could be published within a week

Cross-References

• Feed prioritized topics to seo-content for article creation
• Use audience language discoveries in direct-response-copy
• Inform newsletter topic planning with research insights
• Topic gaps may inspire lead-magnet ideas
• content-atomizer can repurpose pillar content identified here