SERP Qualification

What this skill does

Phase 4 of the pipeline. Ahrefs numbers alone are useless without understanding the SERP. This step inspects what actually ranks for each keyword candidate and issues a verdict.

It evaluates each candidate on:

• Intent clarity - does the SERP agree on what the searcher wants?
• Format signals - what page type wins (listicle, comparison, guide, LP)?
• Competitive landscape - who ranks and how entrenched they are
• Beatability - is there a realistic gap to exploit?

Each candidate gets a QUALIFY, CONDITIONAL, or KILL verdict. Many topics die here. That's the point - it stops weak topics before they reach a content brief.

Inputs

• Keyword candidate list - from keyword-validation, or pasted in directly

Requirements

• Ahrefs MCP server connected (SERP overview); live SERP checks via web search

When it activates

• "qualify these keywords against the SERP"
• "which of these can we actually rank for"
• /serp-qualification (after keyword-validation, or standalone)

Output

Each keyword tagged QUALIFY / CONDITIONAL / KILL, with the SERP reasoning behind the verdict.

Tips

• Survivors go to the Business Fit Filter next
• A KILL here is a win - it saves the cost of briefing a topic that can't rank
• CONDITIONAL means winnable with a specific angle - note the angle for topic shaping