From metaflow-marketing-skills
Designs content systems optimized for both Google rankings and AI citations using the ski ramp structure, topic clusters, and AEO-aware briefs.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/metaflow-marketing-skills:seo-aeo-content-strategyThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
- **Topic clusters drive ~30% more organic traffic and hold rankings 2.5x longer** than standalone content (industry benchmarks, 2025).
All citations above are data-backed. The ski ramp framework has p-value 0.0 (statistically indisputable) in large-sample citation studies.
references/content-brief-template.md for the complete brief template.Pillar page: "The Complete Guide to [Core Topic]"
├── Cluster page 1: "[Specific subtopic]"
├── Cluster page 2: "[Specific subtopic]"
├── Cluster page 3: "[Specific subtopic]"
│ ├── Supporting: FAQ
│ ├── Supporting: Comparison / vs
│ └── Supporting: Tool/calculator
└── Cluster page N: ...
Linking rules:
Sizing: pillar pages 2,500-5,000 words; cluster pages 1,200-2,500 words; supporting content as needed. These are guides, not targets — write what the topic actually requires.
| Score | Label | Action | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strong | Keep / Monitor | Ranking top 10, driving conversions, recently updated, AI-cited |
| 2 | Needs refresh | Update | Ranking 11-30, traffic declining, outdated info, structurally sound |
| 3 | Duplicative | Consolidate | Multiple thin pages on same topic, cannibalizing each other |
| 4 | Underperforming | Prune or rewrite | Not ranking, no traffic, no backlinks, thin content |
| 5 | Gap | Create | Topic covered by competitors but missing from our site |
Pruning is not deleting. A pruned page may be merged into another (301 redirect), rewritten entirely, noindexed (for legal/historical retention), or deleted with a redirect to the most relevant parent page.
This is the single most important content framework in this skill. Derived from large-sample ChatGPT citation analysis (p-value 0.0). Apply it to every piece of content meant to earn AI citations.
1. Front-load the answer (first 30% captures 44.2% of citations).
2. Use question-based H2 headings (78.4% of question-containing citations come from headings).
3. Follow each H2 with a direct, definitive answer.
4. High entity density (~20%).
5. The middle of paragraphs matters.
6. Include a summary/conclusion section (the "wake-up" zone).
What NOT to do:
Core fields every brief should include:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Target keyword cluster | Primary + 5-15 supporting |
| Search intent | Informational / commercial / transactional / navigational |
| Fan-out sub-queries | From seo-keyword-research skill |
| Target word count | Based on top-10 SERP average + 20% |
| H1 | Primary topic, natural phrasing, includes target KW |
| H2 structure | Question-based, one topic each, sequenced by the user journey |
| First-paragraph key claim | The specific answer/finding to front-load |
| Key entities | Named brands, tools, people, places, dates, numbers to include |
| Internal links | To pillar (required) + 2-3 related clusters + supporting content |
| External citations | Primary sources, data, expert quotes |
| Schema type | Article, FAQPage, HowTo, Product, etc. |
| Competitor content to beat | Top 3-5 currently ranking |
| Information gain angle | What new data/insight do we add that nothing else has? |
| Named author + credentials | Required for E-E-A-T |
See references/content-brief-template.md for the complete version with prompts and guidance for each field.
| Content type | Refresh interval | Triggers an ad-hoc refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Pillar pages | Quarterly | Core update, major competitor launch, outdated stat |
| Cluster pages (priority) | Quarterly | Drop below top 10, traffic decay >20%, factual staleness |
| Cluster pages (secondary) | Semi-annually | Significant SERP shift |
| News/trend posts | As needed | Original news posts do not get refreshed; they get superseded |
| Evergreen reference | Annually | Only when facts change |
| Product/pricing pages | On change | Whenever pricing, features, or positioning shifts |
Why: Content not updated quarterly is ~3x more likely to lose AI citations in published multi-model benchmarks. Freshness is a confirmed signal across several open and closed LLMs. This is a real, data-backed signal — but remember, AI citation itself is volatile (45.5% of citations change between consecutive observations), so absolute consistency is impossible.
Applies to Google quality rater guidelines and overlaps with LLM trust signals.
Person type) linking to credentials"Information gain" = what does this page add that no other page on the topic contains? Without it, you're competing on formatting and word count, which is a losing game against established sites.
High information gain sources:
Critical amplification insight: Brands are 6.5x more likely to be cited via third-party sources than their own domains. Earned media distribution boosts AI citations up to 325% vs publishing only on-site. This means original research has more value when distributed — a proprietary study pitched to industry publications, syndication partners, and expert podcasts will earn more AI citations than the same study published only on your blog.
Plan information gain as a distributable asset, not a blog post. Hand off to seo-link-building for the distribution plan.
## Content Strategy — [Client/Project]
**Business goals:** [List]
**Target audience:** [Persona + intent state]
**Time horizon:** [Quarter / half-year / year]
### Topic universe
| Core topic | Subtopics | Pillar status | Cluster status |
|-----------|-----------|---------------|----------------|
### Cluster architecture
[Visual tree or table showing pillar → cluster → supporting for each core topic]
### Content audit summary
| Score | Count | Action | Est. effort |
|-------|-------|--------|-------------|
| 1 Keep | | | |
| 2 Update | | | |
| 3 Consolidate | | | |
| 4 Prune/rewrite | | | |
| 5 Gap — create | | | |
### Editorial calendar (next 90 days)
| Week | Action | Content | Type | Brief owner | Writer |
|------|--------|---------|------|-------------|--------|
### Content briefs
[Link or reference to detailed briefs for each piece — see references/content-brief-template.md]
### Information gain / distribution plan
[What original assets will we create? How will they be distributed beyond our site?]
### Measurement
| KPI | Baseline | Target | Review cadence |
|-----|----------|--------|----------------|
Goals: 3x organic leads in 6 months; establish topical authority in product analytics. Audience: Product managers and growth leads at B2B SaaS companies, 10-200 employees. Time horizon: Next 90 days (with 6-month vision).
Topic universe (core topics):
Cluster architecture for "Product analytics fundamentals" (example):
/product-analytics-guide (3,500 words, the definitive primer)
/product-analytics-vs-web-analytics/product-analytics-tools-comparison/how-to-choose-product-analytics-tool/product-analytics-metrics-that-matter/product-analytics-glossaryAudit (36 existing posts):
Ski ramp brief for /product-analytics-guide pillar:
Editorial calendar: 6 new pieces / month + 4 refreshes / month. Benchmark survey is the Q2 tentpole asset.
When planning content briefs or writing to the standard, read:
references/content-brief-template.md — Complete content brief template with field-by-field guidance and ski-ramp examples. Read when creating or reviewing a content brief.Creates, edits, and optimizes skills for Claude Code, including drafting, evaluating with test prompts, iterating on performance, and improving skill descriptions for better triggering accuracy.
npx claudepluginhub narayan-metaflow/metaflow-marketing-skills --plugin metaflow-marketing-skills