• Setting up memory structure for a new SEO project
• After completing audits, ranking checks, or performance reports
• When starting a new campaign or optimization initiative
• When project context needs updating (new keywords, competitors, priorities)
• When you need to look up historical data or project-specific terminology
• After 30+ days of work to clean up and archive stale data
• When context retrieval feels slow or cluttered

1. Hot Cache Management: Maintains CLAUDE.md (~100 lines) with active context that's always loaded
2. Cold Storage Organization: Structures detailed archives in memory/ subdirectories
3. Context Lookup: Implements efficient lookup flow from hot cache to cold storage
4. Promotion/Demotion: Moves items between layers based on reference frequency
5. Glossary Maintenance: Manages project-specific terminology and shorthand
6. Update Triggers: Refreshes memory after audits, reports, or ranking checks
7. Archive Management: Time-stamps and archives old data systematically

See CONNECTORS.md for tool category placeholders.

1. Current target keywords with priority levels
2. Primary competitors (3-5 domains)
3. Key performance metrics and last update date
4. Active campaigns and their status
5. Any project-specific terminology or abbreviations

1. [Competitor 1] (DA: [X])
   • Main strengths: [brief]
   • Our position vs. them: [ahead/behind/competitive]
2. [Competitor 2] (DA: [X])
   • Main strengths: [brief]
   • Our position vs. them: [ahead/behind/competitive]

1. [Priority 1] - [Brief description]
   • Status: [not started/in progress/completed]
   • Expected impact: [high/medium/low]
   • Deadline: [date]
2. [Priority 2] - [Brief description]
   • Status: [not started/in progress/completed]
   • Expected impact: [high/medium/low]
   • Deadline: [date]

• Duration: [Start date] - [End date]
• Goal: [Specific goal]
• Status: [planning/active/completed]
• Progress: [X]%
• Key activities: [brief list]

• Duration: [Start date] - [End date]
• Goal: [Specific goal]
• Status: [planning/active/completed]
• Progress: [X]%
• Key activities: [brief list]

• [Important note 1]
• [Important note 2]
• [Important note 3]

undefined

• Project started: [Date]
• Major algorithm updates affecting us: [List with dates]
• Site migrations/redesigns: [List with dates]
• Key milestones: [List with dates]

undefined

• Is it in active keywords?
• Is it in primary competitors?
• Is it in current priorities or campaigns?

• Is it defined as project terminology?
• Is it a custom segment or shorthand?

• Search memory/keywords/ for historical data
• Search memory/competitors/ for past analyses
• Search memory/reports/ for archived mentions

• If not found in any layer, ask for clarification
• Log the new term in glossary if it's project-specific

User: "Update rankings for our hero KWs"

Step 1: Check CLAUDE.md → Found "Hero Keywords (Priority 1)" section
Step 2: Extract keyword list from hot cache
Step 3: Execute ranking check
Step 4: Update both CLAUDE.md and memory/keywords/historical-rankings.csv

1. Keyword promotion triggers:
   • Keyword referenced in 3+ conversations within 7 days
   • Keyword showing significant movement (5+ position change)
   • Keyword targeted in new active campaign
   • Keyword suddenly driving traffic spike
2. Competitor promotion triggers:
   • Competitor mentioned in 3+ recent analyses
   • Competitor showing aggressive SEO activity
   • Competitor launching competing content
3. Metric promotion triggers:
   • Metric requested frequently for reporting
   • Metric showing anomalous behavior
   • Metric tied to active priority/campaign

1. Add item to relevant section in CLAUDE.md
2. Add note: "Promoted [date] - [reason]"
3. Keep detailed data in cold storage
4. Set reminder to review in 30 days

1. Keyword demotion triggers:
   • Not referenced in 30+ days
   • Target rank achieved and stable for 60+ days
   • Keyword no longer in active strategy
   • Keyword replaced by higher-priority target
2. Competitor demotion triggers:
   • No significant activity in 60+ days
   • Fell out of top 5 competitors by relevance
   • No longer targeting same keywords
3. Campaign demotion triggers:
   • Campaign completed 30+ days ago
   • Campaign cancelled or postponed indefinitely

1. Remove from CLAUDE.md
2. Archive full data in memory/[category]/archive/
3. Add line to CLAUDE.md: "Last reviewed [category]: [date]"
4. Keep 1-line summary if historically significant

• Add discovered keywords to memory/keywords/
• Promote top opportunities to CLAUDE.md if high-value
• Update glossary if new terminology emerges

• Update historical-rankings.csv
• Refresh CLAUDE.md Hero Keywords table
• Flag significant movements for hot cache notes

• Update competitor files in memory/competitors/
• Refresh CLAUDE.md Primary Competitors section
• Add new competitors if they outrank current top 5

• Store full findings in memory/audits/content/
• Promote gap opportunities to CLAUDE.md priorities
• Update content calendar with recommended topics

• Log to memory/content-calendar/published-content.md
• Track target keyword and publish date
• Set reminder to check performance in 30 days

• CLAUDE.md exists and is under 150 lines (aim for ~100)
• memory/ directory structure matches template
• glossary.md exists and is populated with project basics
• All historical data files include timestamps in filename or metadata

• CLAUDE.md "Last Updated" date is current
• Every keyword in hot cache has current rank, target rank, and status
• Every competitor has domain authority and position assessment
• Every active campaign has status percentage and expected completion date
• Key Metrics Snapshot shows "Previous" values for comparison

• Test lookup flow: reference a term → verify it finds it in correct layer
• Test promotion: manually promote item → verify it appears in CLAUDE.md
• Test demotion: manually archive item → verify removed from CLAUDE.md
• Glossary contains all custom segments and shorthand used in CLAUDE.md

• After ranking check, historical-rankings.csv has new row with today's date
• After competitor analysis, analysis-history/ has dated file
• After audit, top action items appear in CLAUDE.md priorities
• After monthly report, metrics snapshot reflects new data

• free backlink checker moved to #6 (only 3 positions from target!)
• keyword research tools gained 3 positions (strong movement)
• All other keywords showing stable or positive movement

1. CLAUDE.md → Hero Keywords table updated with current ranks
2. memory/keywords/historical-rankings.csv → New row added:

   2024-12-15,keyword research tools,12,best seo software,24,free backlink checker,6,...

1. Push additional content/backlinks to "free backlink checker" pages to hit #3 target
2. Investigate why "keyword research tools" suddenly gained 3 positions (replicate success)
3. Monitor "best seo software" for any negative trends

---

**User**: "What does 'quick wins' mean in our project?"

**Assistant**:

```markdown
Let me look that up in the project memory.

[Step 1: Check CLAUDE.md → not found]
[Step 2: Check memory/glossary.md → found!]

From your project glossary:

**Quick Wins**
- **Definition**: Low-difficulty, high-value target keywords
- **Keyword Count**: 25 keywords
- **Context**: This segment includes keywords where you can achieve page 1 rankings within 30-60 days due to low competition, despite having decent search volume

According to your memory files, your current quick wins are stored in:
`memory/keywords/long-tail-keywords.md` (tagged with "quick-win" label)

Would you like me to show you the current list of quick win keywords?

I'll set up the two-layer memory system for your outdoor gear e-commerce site.

1. Target Keywords: What are your top 10 hero keywords? (e.g., "hiking backpacks", "camping tents", "outdoor clothing")
2. Primary Competitors: Who are your top 3-5 competitors? (e.g., rei.com, backcountry.com, moosejaw.com)
3. Current Metrics (if available):
   • Domain authority?
   • Current organic traffic?
   • Any existing rankings?
4. Active Initiatives:
   • Are you launching a new category?
   • Running a content campaign?
   • Focusing on any specific product line?
5. Project Terminology:
   • Any internal product names or abbreviations?
   • How do you segment your keyword strategy?

• CLAUDE.md with your initial hot cache
• memory/glossary.md with project terminology
• memory/keywords/ structure with placeholder files
• memory/competitors/ with initial competitor list
• memory/content-calendar/active-calendar.md for Q1 2025

• "Update rankings for hero keywords"
• "Add new competitor [domain]"
• "Promote [keyword] to hot cache"
• "Archive campaigns from Q3 2024"

undefined

1. Keep hot cache lean - CLAUDE.md should never exceed 150 lines. If it grows larger, aggressively demote.
2. Date everything - Every file in cold storage should have YYYY-MM-DD in filename or prominent metadata.
3. Update after every significant action - Don't let memory drift from reality. Update immediately after ranking checks, audits, or reports.
4. Use glossary liberally - If you find yourself explaining a term twice, add it to glossary.
5. Review hot cache weekly - Quick scan to ensure everything there is still relevant and active.
6. Automate where possible - If ~~SEO tool or ~~search console connected, set up automatic updates to historical-rankings.csv.
7. Archive aggressively - Better to have data in cold storage and not need it than clutter hot cache.
8. Link between layers - CLAUDE.md should always reference where detailed data lives ("Full data: memory/keywords/").
9. Timestamp changes - When updating CLAUDE.md, always update "Last Updated" date.
10. Use memory for continuity - If you switch between different analysis sessions, memory ensures nothing is forgotten.

• rank-tracker - Provides ranking data to update memory
• competitor-analysis - Generates competitor reports for storage
• keyword-research - Discovers keywords to add to memory
• performance-reporter - Creates reports that trigger memory updates
• content-gap-analysis - Identifies optimization priorities for hot cache
• seo-content-writer - Logs published content to memory calendar
• content-quality-auditor - Audit results stored in memory for tracking