Source note: the dedicated How to start first set of keywords SOP page in Notion is currently empty. The steps below are the first-keywords portion already documented in the Month-1 “Before Day 1” flow; this page consolidates them. It needs Raymond to confirm and extend.
Where the seed comes from
The sales-call transcripts carry most of the strategy. The client usually names focus keywords and areas of interest for month 1, so extract seed keywords from them. Once the client confirms with payment, kick off the background research.Steps
- Extract seed keywords from the sales-call transcript(s): the focus keywords and areas of interest the client named.
- Parse the transcript into a Pi memory file so the account’s context is set up. See how-to: 2.1.1 Create org & init Pi.
- Expand the seeds with keyword research. Run the
keyword-explorationskill to grow the seed list. See how-to: 2.2.1 Keyword exploration. - Add keywords to the dashboard, tagged
Core,Fringe,<month>,Alternative, etc. - Run through Google Search Console for other keyword opportunities (if the client has an existing site with GSC data).
- Note key assumptions and questions to clarify with the client on the research call.
Then validate like any cycle
From here the first set goes through the same validation, dedupe, and conflict checks as every later cycle: get US volume, run SERP-cliff analysis, check for existing pages and current rankings, and drop near-duplicates. Run 3.4 Organise keywords for a cycle from Step 3 onward.First-cycle note: there’s no previous month to calibrate against, so lean harder on the SERP cliff and strategic fit. Client-provided keywords bypass the SERP-cliff gate on entry (see the keyword survival gates).
The first wave
Landing pages lead the first wave. Once the seeds are expanded and tagged, pick the first 10 to 20 landing-page keywords and ship the first 5 landing pages, prioritising by the product’s unique edge and the lowest cannibalization risk (start with the/uses/<slug> pages before the hub page). Pull a
top-5 and a top-10 keyword set for the pSEO pages and publish the top 5. Blogs follow: the first 3
blog posts, listicles or BOFU how-tos. Landing pages are the fastest path to a first ranking, so they
go first, and the blogs build the supporting authority behind them.
Related
- 3.1 — Onboarding Flow, Month 1: the full first-cycle context.
- 3.4 — Organise keywords for a cycle: the validation the seeds run through.
- Part 1 §1.4 SERP cliff: why a winnable SERP matters more than raw search volume.
- Part 1 §1.5 Intent & cannibalization.