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Next Steps - Getting Started with SEO Machine

Welcome! 🎉

SEO Machine is ready to help you create world-class SEO content for your business. Here's what you have:

Project Structure

seomachine/
├── .claude/
│   ├── commands/          # 5 workflow commands
│   └── agents/            # 4 specialized agents
├── context/               # 7 configuration templates
├── topics/                # Topic idea storage
├── research/              # Research briefs
├── drafts/                # Work in progress
├── published/             # Final content
├── rewrites/              # Updated content
└── README.md             # Complete documentation

What You Have

Commands (in .claude/commands/):

  • ✅ /analyze-existing - Review existing blog posts
  • ✅ /research - Keyword and competitive research
  • ✅ /write - Create long-form SEO content
  • ✅ /rewrite - Update existing posts
  • ✅ /optimize - Final SEO polish

Agents (in .claude/agents/):

  • ✅ seo-optimizer - On-page SEO analysis
  • ✅ meta-creator - Meta title/description generation
  • ✅ internal-linker - Strategic internal linking
  • ✅ keyword-mapper - Keyword placement analysis

Context Templates (in context/):

  • ✅ brand-voice.md - Voice and messaging framework
  • ✅ writing-examples.md - Example blog posts template
  • ✅ style-guide.md - Editorial standards template
  • ✅ seo-guidelines.md - SEO requirements (complete)
  • ✅ target-keywords.md - Keyword research template
  • ✅ internal-links-map.md - Internal linking template
  • ✅ competitor-analysis.md - Competitor tracking template

Before You Start Writing

1. Configure Context Files (CRITICAL!)

The AI learns your voice and requirements from these files. Fill them in:

High Priority (Required for good results):

  1. context/brand-voice.md

    • Add your company-specific voice characteristics
    • Include messaging pillars
    • Define tone variations
    • Add do's and don'ts

  2. context/writing-examples.md

    • Add 3-5 complete your company blog posts
    • Include best-performing articles
    • Note what makes each example great
    • This is HOW the AI learns your style

  3. context/internal-links-map.md

    • List all key your company pages (product, features, blog)
    • Organize by topic cluster
    • Include URLs and when to link to each
    • Critical for internal linking strategy

Medium Priority (Fill in as you go): 4. context/target-keywords.md

  • Add your keyword research
  • Organize by topic cluster
  • List pillar and cluster keywords
  • Update as you do keyword research

  1. context/style-guide.md

    • Make decisions on capitalization, punctuation
    • Add your company-specific terminology
    • Define formatting preferences

  2. context/competitor-analysis.md

    • Add your main competitors
    • Document their content strategies
    • Identify gaps and opportunities

Already Complete (Review and adjust): 7. context/seo-guidelines.md - Already filled with best practices

2. Test the System

Try a simple workflow to ensure everything works:

# 1. Open the project in Claude Code
claude-code .

# 2. Try researching a topic
/research a topic relevant to your business

# 3. Review the research brief that gets created in /research

# 4. Write an article based on the research
/write a topic relevant to your business

# 5. Check the drafts folder for your article and agent reports

3. Create GitHub Repository

To push this to GitHub:

Option 1: Using GitHub Web Interface

  1. Go to https://github.com/new
  2. Create repository named "your company-writer"
  3. Don't initialize with README (you already have one)
  4. Copy the repository URL
  5. Run these commands:
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/your company-writer.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Option 2: Using GitHub CLI (if you have it)

gh repo create your company-writer --public --source=. --remote=origin --push

Option 3: Keep it Private

gh repo create your company-writer --private --source=. --remote=origin --push

Recommended Workflow for First Article

Day 1: Setup

  1. ✅ Fill in context/brand-voice.md with your company voice
  2. ✅ Add 3-5 examples to context/writing-examples.md
  3. ✅ Map key pages in context/internal-links-map.md

Day 2: First Article

  1. Add topic idea to topics/ folder
  2. Run /research [topic]
  3. Review research brief
  4. Run /write [topic]
  5. Review article and agent reports
  6. Make recommended improvements
  7. Run /optimize [article]
  8. Final review and publish

Day 3+: Optimize Workflow

  1. Update existing content with /analyze-existing
  2. Batch research multiple topics
  3. Create content calendar in topics/
  4. Build out topic clusters systematically

Tips for Success

Getting Great Results

  • Example quality = Output quality: The better your examples in writing-examples.md, the better the AI writes
  • Be specific in context files: Vague guidelines = generic output
  • Review and iterate: First drafts are starting points, not final products
  • Use the agents: They catch things you might miss

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ❌ Skipping context file configuration
  • ❌ Not providing writing examples
  • ❌ Ignoring agent recommendations
  • ❌ Publishing without optimization
  • ❌ Forgetting to update internal-links-map

Workflow Efficiency

  • Research multiple topics in one session
  • Use consistent article structure
  • Address high-priority fixes first
  • Let agents handle analysis
  • Build reusable templates

Support & Resources

Documentation

  • README.md - Complete workflow guide
  • CONTRIBUTING.md - How to improve the system
  • Each command and agent file has detailed instructions

Troubleshooting

  • Review the "Troubleshooting" section in README.md
  • Check that context files are properly filled in
  • Ensure Claude Code is up to date

Updates

  • Star the GitHub repo for updates
  • Check for new commands/agents periodically
  • Share improvements back to the project

Quick Reference

Most Common Commands

/research [topic]          # Research before writing
/write [topic]             # Create new article
/analyze-existing [URL]    # Audit existing post
/rewrite [topic]           # Update existing content
/optimize [file]           # Final polish

File Locations

  • Topic ideas: topics/
  • Research briefs: research/
  • Drafts: drafts/
  • Rewrites: rewrites/
  • Published: published/

Context Reference Priority

  1. brand-voice.md - Voice and tone
  2. writing-examples.md - Style examples
  3. seo-guidelines.md - SEO requirements
  4. internal-links-map.md - Pages to link to
  5. target-keywords.md - Keywords to target

Ready to Start!

Your system is complete. The next steps:

  1. Configure context files (especially brand-voice and writing-examples)
  2. Test with one article to verify everything works
  3. Push to GitHub if you want version control
  4. Start creating amazing SEO content for your company!

Questions? Check README.md or create an issue on GitHub.

Happy Writing! 📝