SEO 2026 -- AI-Era Content Engine

SEO has changed. AI Overviews appear on 48% of Google queries. Getting cited by AI systems (Google AIO, ChatGPT, Perplexity) is now as important as ranking in the top 10. This skill handles both.

Quick Start

User says "write a blog post about X" or "do keyword research for X":

1. Run keyword research (Step 1)
2. Analyze top SERP results + AI Overview citations (Step 2)
3. Generate content brief (Step 3)
4. Write the article with AI-citation-optimized structure (Step 4)
5. Generate schema markup (Step 5)

Step 1: Keyword Research

Use web_search to find keyword opportunities:

web_search: "[topic] site:ahrefs.com OR site:semrush.com keyword difficulty"
web_search: "people also ask [topic]"
web_search: "[topic]" (examine autocomplete suggestions)

Evaluate each keyword on:

• Search intent: informational, transactional, commercial, navigational
• AI Overview presence: does this query trigger an AI Overview? (search it)
• Competition: who ranks? How deep is their content?
• Topic cluster fit: does it connect to other keywords we target?

Output a keyword map: primary keyword + 5-10 secondary/LSI keywords + intent classification.

For detailed keyword research methodology, see references/keyword-research.md.

Step 2: SERP + AI Citation Analysis

For the primary keyword, analyze what currently ranks:

1. web_search the keyword -- note top 5 results
2. web_fetch top 3 results -- analyze structure, depth, word count, headings
3. Check for AI Overview -- search the query, note what gets cited
4. Identify gaps -- what do competitors miss? What questions go unanswered?

Key metrics to extract:

• Average word count of top results
• Common H2/H3 headings across competitors
• Topics covered vs. topics missing
• Citation patterns in AI Overview (if present)

For the AI citation analysis framework, see references/ai-citation.md.

Step 3: Content Brief

Generate a brief containing:

# Content Brief: [Title]

**Primary keyword:** [keyword]
**Secondary keywords:** [list]
**Search intent:** [informational/transactional/etc.]
**Target word count:** [based on competitor analysis, typically 2000-4000]
**AI Overview status:** [present/absent for this query]

## Required Sections
- [H2 headings based on competitor analysis + gap fill]

## Questions to Answer
- [From "People Also Ask" + competitor gaps]

## Differentiation Angle
- [What we cover that competitors don't]

## Internal Links
- [Other pages on the site to link to/from]

## Citation Optimization Notes
- [Specific stats, data, or claims to include for AI citation]

Step 4: Write the Article

Follow this structure for maximum ranking + AI citation potential:

AI-Citation-Optimized Structure

1. Lead with a direct answer (40-60 words) before any elaboration. AI systems extract the first substantive paragraph.