Content strategy
Turn the targeting map into inventory decisions, briefs and editorial ownership.
Search research and page targeting
Keyword research for your next page decisions
If a keyword list leaves your team unsure which page to improve, the research is unfinished. I connect relevant searches to your offer and current URLs, then recommend where an existing page can answer the question or a new page needs a distinct purpose. You receive a prioritized query-to-page map, with the evidence and assumptions behind each decision.
30-minute consultation · $200 USD · paid after the call, only if you don't continue with ongoing work
Your offer before the keyword list
A search can be relevant to the industry and still be wrong for your business. Research starts with what you sell, where you can deliver it and which customer decisions your website can help. A service you do not offer should not become a page just because a tool suggests the phrase.
I review the existing page inventory alongside the agreed markets. Your team supplies product or service priorities and confirms commercial boundaries. Search Console access or an export helps establish which searches already show your site. Without that access, the report identifies the missing first-party evidence.
From searches to page recommendations
Collect a relevant starting set
Combine the agreed offer with available site queries and customer language your team is permitted to share. Tool suggestions expand the candidate set, while unrelated terms and unsupported market assumptions are recorded or removed.
Inspect the result types
Review dated search results for the intended language and market. Product pages, service pages and explanatory articles answer different tasks. The observed mix informs the recommended page type and the questions it needs to address.
Compare intent with the current inventory
Group searches by the decision behind them, then inspect the matching URLs. Several phrases may belong on one useful page. A new URL needs a purpose that the current pages cannot serve adequately.
Prioritize the next decisions
Rank the proposed work by business relevance and evidence, accounting for production effort and technical dependencies. Uncertain opportunities remain research questions instead of acquiring an invented traffic forecast.
The research handoff
| Deliverable | Decision it supports |
|---|---|
| Query and intent groups | Which searches concern the same reader task and can share a page. |
| Existing or proposed URL | Where the topic belongs, with the reason for improving or creating a page. |
| Market and evidence notes | Which language, geography and capture date support the recommendation. |
| Priority and dependencies | What can be commissioned now and what needs validation or access first. |
Search evidence with its limits
Search Console shows queries associated with your site and the selected reporting period. It cannot describe every search your future customers might make. Third-party volume estimates retain their provider and market definitions. If Google Trends is used, its relative interest data is kept separate from search-volume estimates.
A Spanish keyword set needs its own result review. Translating English phrases does not establish the page type or vocabulary appropriate to another market. For wider language architecture, multilingual SEO can be scoped alongside the research.
Research grounded in the site you can change
My previous role as Global SEO Lead at Shopify from 2015 to 2022 informs the attention I give to page architecture and implementation constraints. A recommendation must fit the site your team operates. The map therefore includes existing URLs and dependencies, rather than leaving writers to decide the architecture after the research.
I lead the search diagnosis and targeting decisions. Your subject specialists validate the offer and factual requirements. Writing, design and implementation are separate agreed work. Content strategy extends this map into inventory decisions and editorial briefs when those are needed.
The proposed research flow
Offer and markets
Define the business scope and available evidence.
Observed searches
Review relevant queries and dated result types.
Intent and inventory
Compare each task with the pages already available.
Page decisions
Deliver a prioritized map with dependencies.
Common questions
Do I need a new page for every keyword?
Several queries can share a page when they concern the same task. I recommend a new URL when the reader needs a distinct answer or page type. The map records that rationale so the content team can challenge it.
Can you research a site with no Search Console history?
Yes. We can use the offer, current pages and public result evidence to establish a starting map. The handoff states that first-party query history was unavailable and identifies what should be revisited after data becomes available.
Does the research include writing the content?
This service defines targeting and page recommendations. Drafting or a wider editorial program requires an agreed production scope. If you already have writers, they can use the map as an input to their briefs.
Will the map guarantee rankings or traffic?
No. It provides documented decisions and priorities. Search results and competitors change, while implementation and the quality of the final page affect what can be evaluated after publication.
Related services
Content marketing
Scope production and ongoing content work after the research decisions.
SEO audit
Investigate technical or indexing constraints that could change the priorities.
Multilingual SEO
Plan language versions and market-specific page requirements.
Bring the page decision you need to make
Share your site and priority offers, along with the markets you serve. Book a consultation to establish the research scope and the evidence already available.
30-minute consultation · $200 USD · paid after the call, only if you don't continue with ongoing work