Serp Analysis

When This Must Trigger

Use this when the conversation involves any of these situations — even if the user does not use SEO terminology:

Use this whenever the task needs reusable market intelligence that should influence strategy, not just an ad hoc answer.

• Before creating content for a target keyword
• Understanding why certain pages rank #1
• Identifying SERP feature opportunities (featured snippets, PAA)
• Analyzing AI Overview/SGE patterns
• Evaluating keyword difficulty more accurately
• Planning content format based on what ranks
• Identifying ranking factors for specific queries

What This Skill Does

1. SERP Composition Analysis: Maps what appears on the results page
2. Ranking Factor Identification: Reveals why top results rank
3. SERP Feature Mapping: Identifies featured snippets, PAA, knowledge panels
4. AI Overview Analysis: Examines when and how AI answers appear
5. Intent Signal Detection: Confirms user intent from SERP composition
6. Content Format Recommendations: Suggests optimal format based on SERP
7. Difficulty Assessment: Evaluates realistic ranking potential

Quick Start

Start with one of these prompts. Finish with a short handoff summary using the repository format in Skill Contract.

Basic SERP Analysis

Analyze the SERP for [keyword]

What does it take to rank for [keyword]?

Feature-Specific Analysis

Analyze featured snippet opportunities for [keyword list]

Which of these keywords trigger AI Overviews? [keyword list]

Competitive SERP Analysis

Why does [URL] rank #1 for [keyword]?

Skill Contract

Expected output: a prioritized research brief, evidence-backed findings, and a short handoff summary ready for memory/research/.

• Reads: user goals, target market inputs, available tool data, and prior strategy from CLAUDE.md and the shared State Model when available.
• Writes: a user-facing research deliverable plus a reusable summary that can be stored under memory/research/.
• Promotes: durable keyword priorities, competitor facts, entity candidates, and strategic decisions to CLAUDE.md, memory/decisions.md, and memory/research/; hand canonical entity work to entity-optimizer.
• Next handoff: use the Next Best Skill below when the findings are ready to drive action.

Data Sources

Note: All integrations are optional. This skill works without any API keys — users provide data manually when no tools are connected.

See CONNECTORS.md for tool category placeholders.

With ~~SEO tool + ~~search console + ~~AI monitor connected: Automatically fetch SERP snapshots for target keywords, extract ranking page metrics (domain authority, backlinks, content length), pull SERP feature data, and check AI Overview presence using ~~AI monitor. Historical SERP change data and mobile vs. desktop variations can be retrieved automatically.

With manual data only: Ask the user to provide:

1. Target keyword(s) to analyze
2. SERP screenshots or detailed descriptions of search results
3. URLs of top 10 ranking pages
4. Search location and device type (mobile/desktop)
5. Any observations about SERP features (featured snippets, PAA, AI Overviews)

Proceed with the full analysis using provided data. Note in the output which metrics are from automated collection vs. user-provided data.

Instructions

When a user requests SERP analysis:

1. Understand the Query

   Clarify if needed:

   • Target keyword(s) to analyze
   • Search location/language
   • Device type (mobile/desktop)
   • Specific questions about the SERP

2. Map SERP Composition

   Document all elements appearing on the results page: AI Overview, ads, featured snippet, organic results, PAA, knowledge panel, image pack, video results, local pack, shopping results, news results, sitelinks, and related searches.

3. Analyze Top Ranking Pages

   For each of the top 10 results, document: URL, domain, domain authority, content type, word count, publish/update dates, on-page factors (title, meta description, H1, URL structure), content structure (headings, media, tables, FAQ), estimated metrics (backlinks, referring domains), and why it ranks.

4. Identify Ranking Patterns

   Analyze common characteristics across top 5 results: word count, domain authority, backlinks, content freshness, HTTPS, mobile optimization. Document content format distribution, domain type distribution, and key success factors.

5. Analyze SERP Features

   For each present SERP feature: analyze the current holder, content format, and strategy to win. Cover Featured Snippet (type, content, winning strategy), PAA (questions, current answers, optimization approach), and AI Overview (sources cited, content patterns, citation strategy).

6. Determine Search Intent

   Confirm primary intent from SERP composition. Document evidence, intent breakdown percentages, and content format implications (format, tone, CTA).

7. Calculate True Difficulty

   Score overall difficulty (1-100) based on: top 10 domain authority, page authority, backlinks required, content quality bar, and SERP stability. Provide realistic assessments for new, growing, and established sites, plus easier alternatives.

8. Generate Recommendations

   Produce a summary with: Key Findings, Content Requirements to Rank (minimum requirements + differentiators), SERP Feature Strategy, Recommended Content Outline, and Next Steps.

   Reference: See references/analysis-templates.md for detailed templates for each step.

Validation Checkpoints

Input Validation

• Target keyword(s) clearly specified
• Search location and device type confirmed
• SERP data is current (date confirmed)
• Top 10 ranking URLs identified or provided

Output Validation

• Every recommendation cites specific data points (not generic advice)
• SERP composition mapped with all features documented
• Ranking factors identified from actual top 10 analysis (not assumptions)
• Content requirements based on observed patterns in current SERP
• Source of each data point clearly stated (~~SEO tool data, ~~AI monitor data, user-provided, or manual observation)

Example

Reference: See references/example-report.md for a complete example analyzing the SERP for "how to start a podcast".

Advanced Analysis

Multi-Keyword SERP Comparison

Compare SERPs for [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3]

Historical SERP Changes

How has the SERP for [keyword] changed over time?

Local SERP Variations

Compare SERP for [keyword] in [location 1] vs [location 2]

Mobile vs Desktop SERP

Analyze mobile vs desktop SERP differences for [keyword]

Tips for Success

1. Always check SERP before writing - Don't assume, verify
2. Match content format to SERP - If lists rank, write lists
3. Identify SERP feature opportunities - Lower competition than #1
4. Note SERP volatility - Stable SERPs are harder to break into
5. Study the outliers - Why does a weaker site rank? Opportunity!
6. Consider AI Overview optimization - Growing importance

Save Results

After delivering findings to the user, ask:

"Save these results for future sessions?"

If yes, write a dated summary to memory/research/serp-analysis/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md containing:

• One-line headline finding
• Top 3-5 actionable items
• Open loops or blockers
• Source data references

If any findings should influence ongoing strategy, recommend promoting key conclusions to memory/hot-cache.md.

Reference Materials

• Analysis Templates — Detailed templates for each analysis step (SERP composition, top results, ranking patterns, features, intent, difficulty, recommendations)
• SERP Feature Taxonomy — Complete taxonomy of SERP features with trigger conditions, AI overview framework, intent signals, and volatility assessment
• Example Report — Complete example analyzing the SERP for "how to start a podcast"

Next Best Skill

• Primary: seo-content-writer — turn SERP patterns into a content brief or page structure.

Related Skills in This Suite

Install the full suite: See README for one-command install of all 20 skills.