seo-content-audit

SEO Content Audit

The complete SEO footprint analysis. Orchestrates three granular skills — content cataloging, SEO metrics, and brand voice extraction — into a comprehensive audit with competitive gap matrices and prioritized recommendations.

Quick Start

Run an SEO content audit for [company]. Website: [url]. Competitors: [list].

Or with a client context file:

Run an SEO content audit for [client]. Use context at clients/[client]/context.md.

Inputs

Input	Required	Source
Company name	Yes	User provides or clients/<client>/context.md
Company domain	Yes	User provides or context file
Seed competitors	Recommended	User provides 2-5; system discovers more
Target keywords	Optional	User provides; system also auto-discovers
Client context file	Optional	clients/<client>/context.md for ICP, positioning

Cost

Component	Est. Cost
Content catalog (target)	~$0-0.50 (free unless Apify fallback needed)
Semrush data (target)	~$0.10
Ahrefs data (target)	~$0.10
Google rank checks (~30 keywords)	~$0.06
Competitor Semrush data (3-5 competitors)	~$0.30-0.50
Content catalog (competitors, lighter)	~$0-1.00
Brand voice extraction	Free (WebFetch)
Total typical audit	~$1-3

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Context & Setup

1. Load context: If clients/<client>/context.md exists, read it for company info, known competitors, positioning
2. Gather basics: Company name, domain, seed competitors, target keywords
3. Create output directory: clients/<client>/research/

Phase 2: Content Inventory

Run site-content-catalog for the target domain:

python3 skills/site-content-catalog/scripts/catalog_content.py \
  --domain "[domain]" \
  --deep-analyze 20 \
  --output "clients/[client]/research/content-inventory.json" \
  --markdown "clients/[client]/research/content-inventory.md"

This produces:

• Full page catalog (every URL, title, date, type, topic cluster)
• Content grouped by type and topic
• Publishing cadence analysis

Phase 3: SEO Performance Data

Run seo-domain-analyzer for the target domain:

python3 skills/seo-domain-analyzer/scripts/analyze_domain.py \
  --domain "[domain]" \
  --competitors "[comma-separated competitors]" \
  --keywords "[comma-separated keywords]" \
  --output "clients/[client]/research/seo-profile.json" \
  --markdown "clients/[client]/research/seo-profile.md"

This produces:

• Domain authority, traffic estimates, keyword count
• Backlink profile (DR, referring domains)
• Keyword ranking positions for target keywords
• Auto-discovered competitors from keyword overlap
• Competitor domain metrics for comparison

Phase 4: Competitor Content Analysis

For each competitor (3-5 max), run a lighter content catalog:

# For each competitor domain:
python3 skills/site-content-catalog/scripts/catalog_content.py \
  --domain "[competitor]" \
  --output "clients/[client]/research/competitor-[name]-content.json"

We only need:

• Content type breakdown (how many blog posts, case studies, comparisons, etc.)
• Topic clusters (what topics they cover)
• Publishing cadence (how often they publish)

No deep analysis needed for competitors.

Phase 5: Build Gap Matrices

Using data from Phases 2-4, build two matrices:

A) Topic/Keyword Gap Matrix

Cross-reference the target's keyword rankings and content topics against competitors:

| Topic / Keyword | [Target] | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | Gap? |
|-----------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|------|
| cloud cost optimization | #4, 3 posts | #1, 12 posts | #2, 8 posts | #7, 5 posts | Partial |
| aws savings plans | No content | #3, 4 posts | No content | #1, 6 posts | YES |
| finops best practices | 1 post, not ranking | #5, 3 posts | #2, 7 posts | — | YES |

For each topic/keyword:

• Does the target have content? How much?
• Does the target rank for it? What position?
• Which competitors rank? How much content do they have?
• Is this a gap? (target has no/weak content, competitors are strong)

How to build this:

1. Collect all unique topic clusters from target + all competitors
2. For each topic, count content pieces per company
3. Cross-reference with keyword ranking data (from Phase 3)
4. Flag gaps where competitors have coverage and target doesn't

B) Content Type Gap Matrix

Compare what types of content each company produces:

| Content Type | [Target] | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | Gap? |
|-------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|------|
| Blog posts | 89 | 156 | 112 | 45 | Volume gap |
| Comparison pages | 0 | 12 | 8 | 3 | YES |
| Case studies | 5 | 22 | 15 | 8 | Weak |
| Glossary / educational | 0 | 45 | 0 | 30 | YES |
| Integration pages | 12 | 34 | 28 | 15 | Partial |
| ROI calculator / tools | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Opportunity |
| Webinars / video | 3 | 18 | 12 | 6 | Weak |

How to build this:

1. Use the content type classifications from all content catalogs
2. Count per type per company
3. Flag types where target is at zero or significantly behind competitors

Phase 6: Brand Voice Extraction

Run brand-voice-extractor on the target's top content:

1. From the content inventory (Phase 2), select 10-15 of the best blog posts
   • Prioritize: most recent, longest, most diverse topics
2. WebFetch each page and analyze the writing
3. Produce brand voice guidelines (see brand-voice-extractor SKILL.md for full process)

Phase 7: Synthesis & Report

Combine all findings into the final report. Save to clients/<client>/research/seo-content-audit.md.

---

Output Template

# SEO Content Audit: [Company Name]

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Domain:** [domain]
**Competitors analyzed:** [list]
**Data sources:** [Semrush (via Apify), Ahrefs (via Apify), Google SERP, sitemap crawl, RSS]

---

## Executive Summary

[3-5 sentences. Overall SEO health assessment. Biggest strength. Biggest gap.
Most important recommendation. How they compare to competitors overall.]

---

## 1. Content Inventory

### Overview
- **Total pages cataloged:** X
- **Blog posts:** X
- **Landing pages:** X
- **Case studies:** X
- **Comparison pages:** X
- **Other:** X

### Content by Topic Cluster
| Topic | Posts | % of Content | Most Recent |
|-------|-------|-------------|-------------|
| [Topic 1] | X | X% | YYYY-MM-DD |
| ... |

### Publishing Cadence
- **Average:** X posts/month
- **Trend:** [increasing/decreasing/stable]
- **Most recent publish:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Unique authors:** X

### Content Depth Assessment
[From deep analysis of top 20 pages: average word count, funnel stage distribution,
how many have CTAs, internal linking patterns]

---

## 2. SEO Performance

### Domain Metrics
| Metric | [Target] | Industry Benchmark* |
|--------|----------|-------------------|
| Authority Score (Semrush) | X/100 | |
| Domain Rating (Ahrefs) | X/100 | |
| Monthly Organic Traffic | ~X | |
| Organic Keywords | X | |
| Backlinks | X | |
| Referring Domains | X | |

### Top Performing Pages
| # | URL | Est. Traffic | Top Keyword | Position |
|---|-----|-------------|-------------|----------|
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Keyword Rankings
| Keyword | Position | URL | Gap? |
|---------|----------|-----|------|
| [keyword 1] | #X | [url] | |
| [keyword 2] | Not ranking | — | YES |

### Backlink Profile
- Domain Rating: X/100
- Referring Domains: X
- Top linking sites: [list]
- Notable: [any insights about link profile quality]

---

## 3. Competitor Comparison

### Domain Metrics Comparison
| Metric | [Target] | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] |
|--------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
| Authority Score | | | | |
| Organic Traffic | | | | |
| Keywords | | | | |
| Blog Posts | | | | |
| Content Types | | | | |

### Topic/Keyword Gap Matrix
| Topic / Keyword | [Target] | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | Gap? |
|-----------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|------|
| [topic 1] | X posts, #Y | ... | ... | ... | |
| ... |

### Content Type Gap Matrix
| Content Type | [Target] | [Comp 1] | [Comp 2] | [Comp 3] | Gap? |
|-------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|------|
| Blog posts | X | X | X | X | |
| Comparison pages | X | X | X | X | |
| Case studies | X | X | X | X | |
| ... |

---

## 4. Gaps & Opportunities

### Critical Gaps (High Impact, Act Now)
1. **[Gap]:** [Description. What competitors have that target doesn't.
   Estimated search volume / traffic opportunity. Difficulty to address.]
2. ...

### Content Type Opportunities
1. **[Missing content type]:** [Why it matters. What competitors are doing.
   Estimated effort to create.]
2. ...

### Quick Wins (Low Effort, Immediate Impact)
1. **[Quick win]:** [What to do. Expected impact.]
2. ...

### Keyword Opportunities
| Keyword | Est. Search Volume | Competitor Positions | Difficulty | Priority |
|---------|-------------------|---------------------|------------|----------|
| ... |

---

## 5. Brand Voice Profile

### Voice Summary
[2-3 sentence summary of their writing voice]

### Tone
| Dimension | Position |
|-----------|----------|
| Formality | [e.g., Professional-casual] |
| Authority | [e.g., Expert/teacher] |
| Humor | [e.g., None] |
| Directness | [e.g., Very direct] |

### Writing Guidelines
**Do:**
- [Guideline 1]
- [Guideline 2]

**Don't:**
- [Anti-pattern 1]
- [Anti-pattern 2]

[Link to full brand voice profile at clients/<client>/research/brand-voice.md]

---

## 6. Recommendations (Prioritized)

### Tier 1: High Impact, Do First
1. **[Recommendation]**
   - What: [specific action]
   - Why: [evidence from audit]
   - Expected impact: [traffic/ranking improvement]
   - Effort: [Low/Medium/High]

2. ...

### Tier 2: Medium Impact, Plan For
1. ...

### Tier 3: Long-term Strategic
1. ...

---

## Appendix

### A. Full Content Catalog
[Link to content-inventory.md]

### B. Complete SEO Profile
[Link to seo-profile.md]

### C. Brand Voice Guidelines
[Link to brand-voice.md]

### D. Raw Data
- Content inventory JSON: `clients/[client]/research/content-inventory.json`
- SEO profile JSON: `clients/[client]/research/seo-profile.json`
- Competitor content JSONs: `clients/[client]/research/competitor-*.json`

---

Tips

• Run Phases 2-3 in parallel. Content cataloging and SEO metrics are independent — run them simultaneously to save time.
• Start with 3 competitors, not 5. More competitors = more Apify costs. Start small, add more if the initial analysis shows gaps.
• The gap matrices are the most valuable output. Focus your analysis effort there. They directly feed into content strategy recommendations.
• Brand voice is optional but valuable. If you're pressed for time, skip it. But if this feeds into content creation or outreach, it's worth the 10 minutes.
• Update quarterly. SEO landscapes shift. Re-run the audit every quarter to track progress and discover new gaps.
• Combine with AEO visibility for a complete organic search picture — traditional SEO + AI answer engine coverage.
• The free fallback works. If Apify is unavailable, the scripts fall back to web search probes. You get less precise data but still a useful audit.

Dependencies

• Python 3.8+ with requests
• APIFY_API_TOKEN env var (for full analysis; partial free fallback without)
• Skills: site-content-catalog, seo-domain-analyzer, brand-voice-extractor
• Web fetch capability (for brand voice extraction and content deep analysis)