Skip to main content
Research commands help you discover high-value content opportunities through competitive analysis, trend detection, and performance insights. These commands integrate with Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and DataForSEO to provide data-driven content strategy.

​
Available Research Commands

​
/research-serp

Deep SERP analysis for a specific keyword to understand what Google wants. Usage: 
/research-serp "keyword phrase"
What it does:
  • Analyzes top 10 ranking results for a keyword
  • Identifies content type patterns (listicle, how-to, guide)
  • Calculates average word count and recommended length
  • Detects SERP features (featured snippet, PAA, video)
  • Assesses competitive difficulty and search intent
  • Generates comprehensive content brief
Output: research/serp-analysis-[keyword].md Time & Cost: 1-2 minutes, ~$0.02 per keyword (DataForSEO) Use cases:
  • Before creating new content to understand requirements
  • Before major content updates to check current expectations
  • When deciding content format and structure

​
/research-gaps

Identify content gaps where competitors rank but you don’t. Usage: 
/research-gaps
What it does:
  • Analyzes 7 competitors to find keywords they rank for (top 20)
  • Filters out branded/irrelevant keywords
  • Scores opportunity based on volume, difficulty, and intent
  • Determines content type needed
  • Prioritizes by potential impact
Output: research/competitor-gaps-YYYY-MM-DD.md Competitors analyzed:
  • Direct competitors from config/competitors.json
  • Industry blogs and media sites in your niche
The report includes:
  • Top 20 content gap opportunities
  • Priority level (CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM)
  • Competitor intel (who ranks, at what position)
  • Keyword metrics (volume, difficulty, CPC)
  • Search intent and content type needed
  • Specific action steps for each gap
Time & Cost: 3-5 minutes, ~$1-3 (analyzes 300-500 keywords) When to run: Monthly for full competitive landscape review
Identify topics gaining search interest NOW for time-sensitive content opportunities. Usage: 
/research-trending
What it does:
  • Compares last 7 days vs previous 30 days
  • Identifies topics with significant impression increases
  • Calculates urgency based on growth rate
  • Prioritizes by opportunity score
  • Shows your current position for each trend
Urgency levels:
LevelGrowthTimeline
🔥 CRITICAL+150%Act within 1 week
⚡ HIGH+75%Act within 2 weeks
⏳ MODERATE+30%Act within 1 month
Output: research/trending-YYYY-MM-DD.md Action based on position:
  • Already ranking (≤30): Update existing content immediately (3-5 days)
  • Not ranking (>30): Create comprehensive 2000+ word guide (1 week max)
Time & Cost: 1-2 minutes, ~$0.20-0.50 if enriching with search volume When to run: Weekly - trends change fast, catch them early ⚠️ Warning: Not all trends sustain. Monitor trend continuation over 2-4 weeks and validate with search volume data.

​
/research-topics

Analyze topical authority by clustering keywords into related topics. Usage: 
/research-topics
What it does:
  • Groups ranking keywords into topic clusters
  • Calculates authority score (0-100) for each cluster
  • Identifies coverage gaps within each topic
  • Prioritizes weak clusters with high demand
Authority levels identified:
  • Strong Authority: Topics you dominate (maintain & expand)
  • Moderate Authority: Partial coverage (strengthen)
  • Weak Authority: BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY (build comprehensive clusters)
  • Minimal Authority: Major gaps
For each cluster:
  • Authority score based on coverage, position, demand
  • Number of keywords ranking
  • Average position
  • Total impressions and clicks
  • 8-10 coverage gaps to fill
Output: research/topic-clusters-YYYY-MM-DD.md Key insight: Weak clusters with high demand = your biggest opportunity Strategy:
  1. Priority 1: Build weak clusters (select top 2-3 with highest demand)
  2. Priority 2: Maintain strong clusters (keep content fresh)
  3. Priority 3: Strengthen moderate clusters (add 3-5 articles)
Time & Cost: 2-3 minutes, ~$0.50 if fetching coverage gaps When to run:
  • Monthly to monitor topical authority growth
  • Before content planning to identify cluster opportunities
  • When entering new niche to find topics to own

​
/research-performance

Categorize all content by traffic and rankings to prioritize optimization. Usage: 
/research-performance
What it does:
  • Analyzes ALL blog content
  • Categorizes into 4 performance quadrants
  • Calculates traffic trends (180-day comparison)
  • Provides specific action recommendations
Performance quadrants:
  1. ⭐ Stars - High traffic + Good rankings → Maintain & expand
  2. 🚀 Overperformers - High traffic + Poor rankings → Learn why, improve SEO
  3. ⚠️ Underperformers - Low traffic + Good rankings → Fix CTR (title/meta)
  4. 📉 Declining - Low traffic + Poor rankings → Refresh or redirect
Output: research/performance-matrix-YYYY-MM-DD.md For each piece:
  • Traffic trends (rising/stable/declining)
  • Expected vs actual traffic
  • Specific action recommendations
  • Priority level
Time & Cost: 2-4 minutes, Free (requires GA4 and GSC) When to run:
  • Monthly to monitor content health
  • After major updates to track impact
  • When traffic drops to identify declining content

​
Research Workflow

​
Starting a New Content Project

# 1. Identify gaps and opportunities
/research-gaps

# 2. Analyze specific keyword requirements
/research-serp "target keyword"

# 3. Create content with insights
/write "target keyword"

​
Weekly Content Planning

# Monday: Check for trending opportunities
/research-trending

# Act on CRITICAL urgency trends within the week

​
Monthly Strategic Review

# Analyze content health
/research-performance

# Identify topical authority gaps
/research-topics

# Find competitive opportunities
/research-gaps

# Plan next month's content priorities

​
Integration with Other Commands

Research commands feed directly into content creation:
  • After /research-serp → Use /write [keyword] with content brief insights
  • After /research-gaps → Use /research-serp on high-priority gaps, then /write
  • After /research-trending → Act fast with /write [trending topic]
  • After /research-topics → Build cluster with pillar page + supporting articles
  • After /research-performance → Use /analyze-existing [URL] on underperformers

​
Requirements

API Credentials (configured in data_sources/config/.env):
  • Google Search Console (all commands)
  • Google Analytics 4 (performance matrix)
  • DataForSEO (SERP analysis, enrichment)
Python Dependencies: 
pip install -r data_sources/requirements.txt

​
Data Sources

Research commands pull from:
  • GSC: Rankings, impressions, clicks, CTR by page and keyword
  • GA4: Traffic, engagement, conversions, and trends
  • DataForSEO: Competitive rankings, SERP features, keyword metrics
All reports are saved to the research/ directory for reference and team collaboration.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us