- You already have a validated keyword list and need to implement on-page SEO — use **seo-geo**
- The content is not intended for search (internal docs, gated content)
−- You need to optimize for AI search specifically — use **ai-citability**
+- You need to optimize specifically for AI-driven retrieval (Web Guide, AI Overviews, chat responses) — use **ai-citability** or a dedicated AI-retrieval workflow
- The site is brand new with zero domain authority — focus on long-tail first
## Core concepts
@@ −25 +25 @@
| Concept | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| Search intent | The user's goal: informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial |
+| Keyword intent | Practical application of intent for planning: how a keyword should be used in your strategy (Ahrefs: "keyword intent" concept) |
−| Keyword difficulty (KD) | Ahrefs metric (0-100) estimating how hard it is to rank on page 1 |
+| Keyword difficulty (KD) | Ahrefs metric (0–100) estimating how hard it is to rank on page 1 |
| Search volume | Estimated monthly searches for a keyword in a target country |
| Traffic potential | Estimated organic traffic the top-ranking page gets (broader than search volume) |
| Content gap | Keywords competitors rank for that you do not |
| Keyword cluster | Group of semantically related keywords that can be targeted by a single page |
−| SERP features | Rich results (featured snippets, PAA, video) that change click-through dynamics |
+| SERP features | Rich results and AI features (featured snippets, PAA, video, AI Overviews, Web Guide groupings) that change click-through dynamics |
| Parent topic | The broader topic Ahrefs assigns to a keyword, identifying cluster opportunities |
+| AI retrievability | How likely a page is to be selected and cited by AI-powered SERP features (Web Guide, AI Overviews); depends on clarity, structure, citations, and provenance
+
+Notes: The distinction between "search intent" and "keyword intent" matters for planning vs on-page optimization (see Ahrefs, Mar 2026). Google has introduced experimental AI SERP features such as Web Guide (Search Labs, Jul 24 2025) that change which content is surfaced and how users discover information.
## Workflow
### Step 1: Seed keyword brainstorm
−Start with 10-20 seed keywords from three sources:
+Start with 10–20 seed keywords from three sources:
+1. Product/service terms — what you sell or do
+2. Problem terms — what pain points your audience has
−1. **Product/service terms** — what you sell or do
+3. Audience terms — what your audience calls themselves or their role
−2. **Problem terms** — what pain points your audience has
−3. **Audience terms** — what your audience calls themselves or their role
### Step 2: Expand with Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
@@ −56 +60 @@
In Ahrefs Site Explorer → Content Gap:
−1. Enter your domain vs. 3-5 competitors
+1. Enter your domain vs. 3–5 competitors
2. Filter: "Target ranks: Not in top 100" (your site doesn't rank)
3. Filter: At least 2 competitors rank in top 10
4. Export the gap keywords for clustering
@@ −71 +75 @@
| {topic-1} | "X vs Y" | commercial | 1,800 | 28 | 1 comparison |
| {topic-2} | "how to X" | informational | 5,200 | 22 | 1 guide |
| {topic-2} | "X tutorial" | informational | 3,100 | 18 | same page |
+
+When mapping intent, use Ahrefs' keyword intent guidance (Ahrefs, Mar 2026) to decide whether a keyword should be treated as informational, commercial, or used later in the funnel.
### Step 5: Prioritize with a scoring formula
Score each cluster to determine production order:
−```text
+Priority Score = (Volume × 0.3) + (Traffic Potential × 0.3) + ((100 − KD) × 0.2) + (Business Value × 0.2)
−Priority Score = (Volume × 0.3) + (Traffic Potential × 0.3)
− + ((100 - KD) × 0.2) + (Business Value × 0.2)
Business Value scale:
3 = directly related to product/service
2 = related to audience pain points
1 = topically adjacent but indirect
+
+Sort clusters by Priority Score descending. Produce content for the top clusters first.
+
−```
+### Step 6: Validate with SERP analysis (updated for 2026)
−Sort clusters by Priority Score descending. Produce content for the top
+Before committing to a cluster, manually check the SERP across dimensions that matter in 2026:
−clusters first.
+1. Content types dominating the SERP (listicle, guide, tool, product page)
+2. Average word count and depth of top 3 results
+3. Presence of traditional features: featured snippets, PAA, videos
+4. Presence of AI features: AI Overviews, Web Guide groupings, or chat responses (these can surface summaries or grouped links and may reduce traditional CTR)
+5. Evidence of retrieval/citation behaviour: are top pages being cited in AI Overviews or Web Guide?
−### Step 6: Validate with SERP analysis
+6. Winnability: can you realistically compete given your current authority and the type of content rewarded?
−Before committing to a cluster, manually check the SERP:
