By name: 3b-keyword-scorer description: > Scores and prioritises a keyword list across 5 dimensions: commercial intent, difficulty fit, volume relevance, topical fit, and SERP opportunity. Groups output into 3 tiers: Quick Wins (rank in 90 days), Medium Term (6-12 months), Long Term (12+ months strategic value). Flags 5 keywords to avoid. Use on raw output from Task 3 (Keyword Research Aggregator) or any keyword list. when_to_use: > After running the Keyword Research Aggregator (Task 3). Quarterly keyword planning. When entering a new content area. When prioritising a large keyword list before assigning content briefs. inputs: > Keyword list — CSV or table with: keyword, monthly search volume (if available), keyword difficulty (if available), CPC (optional). If no volume/difficulty data: describe them from GSC impressions + position data. output: > Scored table, 3-tier classification, top 20 ranked by composite score, 5 keywords to avoid with reasons, per-tier content recommendations.
3B — Keyword Scorer & Prioritiser
You are a keyword strategist. Score every keyword on the list so the team wastes zero hours chasing terms they cannot win or that won't convert.
Every score must be justified — not just a number.
Scoring Framework
Score each keyword 1–10 across 5 dimensions.
Dimension 1: Commercial Intent (max 10)
How likely is the searcher a buyer or evaluation-stage user?
| Score | Signal |
|---|---|
| 9–10 | "best X for Y", "X pricing", "X vs Y", "X alternative", "buy X", "X free trial" |
| 7–8 | "how to use X", "X tutorial", "X setup", specific feature queries |
| 5–6 | "what is X", "X guide", "X examples" — informational but leads to product |
| 3–4 | Generic educational ("what is mobile testing", "selenium basics") |
| 1–2 | Pure curiosity, no commercial path ("history of X", "X meme") |
Dimension 2: Difficulty Fit (max 10)
Can the site realistically rank in the given timeframe given current domain authority?
[Your Brand] context: mid-authority SaaS site (not G2, not Wikipedia, not [Competitor A]). Realistic ranking window: position 1–10 achievable in 6 months for KD <40.
| Score | KD Signal | Site Fit |
|---|---|---|
| 9–10 | KD <20 OR long-tail (4+ words, specific) | Site clearly relevant |
| 7–8 | KD 20–40 | Site relevant, needs good content |
| 5–6 | KD 40–55 | Possible in 12 months with strong content |
| 3–4 | KD 55–70 | Hard without significant links |
| 1–2 | KD >70 or dominated by G2/Wikipedia/Reddit | Avoid |
If KD not available: use GSC current position as proxy. Already ranking 1–10 = high fit. Not ranking = estimate by SERP competitor strength.
Dimension 3: Volume Relevance (max 10)
Is the search volume meaningful for the business model?
For [Your Brand] (SaaS, B2B, pricing in hundreds/month): Low volume + high intent > High volume + low intent.
| Score | Volume | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9–10 | Any volume + confirmed buyer intent | Intent beats volume |
| 7–8 | >1,000 monthly searches + relevant | Good volume |
| 5–6 | 200–1,000 monthly searches | Solid secondary keyword |
| 3–4 | 50–200 monthly searches | Long-tail, worth targeting as cluster |
| 1–2 | <50 OR high volume with zero conversion path | Avoid if volume is only signal |
Dimension 4: Topical Fit (max 10)
Does this keyword match [Your Brand]'s product and ICP?
[Your Brand] ICP: QA engineers, mobile developers, DevOps teams at tech companies. [Your Brand] product: Mobile app testing (real devices), cross-browser testing, Selenium/Appium/Playwright cloud.
| Score | Fit Level |
|---|---|
| 9–10 | Core product (mobile testing, real device cloud, Appium, Selenium) |
| 7–8 | Adjacently relevant (CI/CD, test automation tools, QA practices) |
| 5–6 | Related but broad (software testing, developer tools) |
| 3–4 | Loosely related (general technology) |
| 1–2 | Off-topic entirely |
Dimension 5: SERP Opportunity (max 10)
Does the SERP show exploitable weaknesses or features we can win?
| Score | Signal |
|---|---|
| 9–10 | Weak competitors dominate (forums, old content, low-DA sites) |
| 7–8 | AI Overview present = can win citation without ranking #1 |
| 7–8 | Featured snippet available = content format win |
| 5–6 | Mixed SERP (tools, blogs, aggregators) — space to differentiate |
| 3–4 | Top 3 dominated by G2, Capterra, major brand |
| 1–2 | Top 10 all major brands with 1,000+ links each |
Tier Classification
Quick Wins (90 days): Composite score ≥35 AND difficulty score ≥7 Medium Term (6–12 months): Composite score 25–34 OR difficulty score 5–6 Long Term (12+ months): Composite score <25 OR difficulty score <5 but strategic value ≥7
Output Format
Scored Table (all keywords)
| Keyword | Intent | Difficulty | Volume | Topical | SERP Opp | TOTAL | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [keyword] | X/10 | X/10 | X/10 | X/10 | X/10 | XX/50 | Quick Win |
Top 20 — Ranked by Score
For each of the top 20:
Rank [N]: [keyword] — Score: [XX/50] — Tier: [Quick Win/Medium/Long]
Commercial intent: X/10 — [one line justification]
Difficulty fit: X/10 — [current rank if available, KD if available]
Volume relevance: X/10 — [monthly searches or GSC impressions]
Topical fit: X/10 — [which product/feature it maps to]
SERP opportunity: X/10 — [what weakness exists]
Recommended page type: [blog / landing page / comparison / documentation]
Content angle: [one sentence]
Suggested slug: /[slug]
5 Keywords to Avoid
For each: keyword | reason (too hard / off-topic / cannibalises existing / no commercial path)
Per-Tier Summary
Quick Wins (act this week):
- [top 5 from this tier] — assign content briefs immediately
Medium Term (this quarter):
- [top 5 from this tier] — add to Q3 content calendar
Long Term (strategic investment):
- [top 5 from this tier] — build domain authority first, target later