Directory Structure - SEO Machine

SEO Machine uses a structured directory system to organize content through every stage of the creation process.

Overview

seomachine/
├── .claude/              # Claude Code configuration
├── config/              # Configuration files
├── context/             # Brand and SEO guidelines
├── data_sources/        # Analytics and modules
├── wordpress/           # WordPress integration
├── topics/              # Raw topic ideas
├── research/            # Research briefs and reports
├── drafts/              # Work-in-progress content
├── review-required/     # Content pending review
├── rewrites/            # Updated existing content
├── published/           # Final production-ready content
├── landing-pages/       # Landing page content
├── audits/              # Audit reports
└── README.md            # Documentation

Core Directories

.claude/

Claude Code workspace configuration.

.claude/
├── commands/            # Custom workflow commands
│   ├── analyze-existing.md
│   ├── research.md
│   ├── write.md
│   ├── rewrite.md
│   ├── optimize.md
│   ├── scrub.md
│   ├── performance-review.md
│   ├── publish-draft.md
│   ├── article.md
│   ├── priorities.md
│   ├── research-serp.md
│   ├── research-gaps.md
│   ├── research-trending.md
│   ├── research-performance.md
│   ├── research-topics.md
│   ├── landing-write.md
│   ├── landing-audit.md
│   ├── landing-research.md
│   ├── landing-competitor.md
│   └── landing-publish.md
├── agents/              # Specialized analysis agents
│   ├── content-analyzer.md
│   ├── seo-optimizer.md
│   ├── meta-creator.md
│   ├── internal-linker.md
│   ├── keyword-mapper.md
│   ├── editor.md
│   ├── performance.md
│   ├── headline-generator.md
│   ├── cro-analyst.md
│   └── landing-page-optimizer.md
└── skills/              # 26 marketing skills
    ├── copywriting.md
    ├── page-cro.md
    ├── content-strategy.md
    └── ... (23 more)

Purpose: Defines commands, agents, and skills for Claude Code. Do not edit unless creating custom commands or agents.

config/

Configuration files for SEO analysis scripts.

config/
├── competitors.json          # Your configuration
└── competitors.example.json  # Template

competitors.json:

{
  "direct_competitors": ["competitor1.com"],
  "content_competitors": ["blog1.com"],
  "bofu_keywords": ["pricing", "vs competitor"],
  "mofu_keywords": ["how to", "guide"],
  "alternative_keywords": ["competitor alternative"],
  "relevant_terms": ["industry", "keywords"],
  "skip_terms": ["spam", "irrelevant"]
}

Usage: SEO analysis scripts (seo_*.py) load keywords and competitors from this file.

context/

Brand guidelines and SEO configuration.

context/
├── brand-voice.md
├── writing-examples.md
├── features.md
├── internal-links-map.md
├── style-guide.md
├── target-keywords.md
├── competitor-analysis.md
├── seo-guidelines.md
└── cro-best-practices.md

Purpose: These files guide all content generation. Customize for your business. Key files:

brand-voice.md: Voice pillars, tone, messaging framework
writing-examples.md: 3-5 exemplary posts from your blog
style-guide.md: Grammar, formatting, terminology standards
seo-guidelines.md: SEO requirements and best practices
target-keywords.md: Keyword research organized by topic cluster
internal-links-map.md: Catalog of pages for internal linking
competitor-analysis.md: Competitive intelligence

See: examples/castos/ for complete examples.

data_sources/

Analytics integrations and Python modules.

data_sources/
├── modules/              # Python analysis modules
│   ├── google_analytics.py
│   ├── google_search_console.py
│   ├── dataforseo.py
│   ├── data_aggregator.py
│   ├── search_intent_analyzer.py
│   ├── keyword_analyzer.py
│   ├── seo_quality_rater.py
│   ├── content_length_comparator.py
│   ├── readability_scorer.py
│   ├── opportunity_scorer.py
│   ├── content_scorer.py
│   ├── engagement_analyzer.py
│   ├── social_research_aggregator.py
│   ├── competitor_gap_analyzer.py
│   ├── article_planner.py
│   ├── section_writer.py
│   ├── wordpress_publisher.py
│   ├── above_fold_analyzer.py
│   ├── cro_checker.py
│   ├── cta_analyzer.py
│   ├── landing_page_scorer.py
│   ├── landing_performance.py
│   ├── trust_signal_analyzer.py
│   └── content_scrubber.py
├── config/
│   └── .env              # API credentials (not in git)
├── utils/                # Helper functions
├── cache/                # Cached API responses
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
└── README.md             # Setup instructions

Purpose: Python modules for data analysis and integrations. Setup: See data_sources/README.md for API configuration.

wordpress/

WordPress publishing integration.

wordpress/
├── seo-machine-yoast-rest.php  # MU-plugin for Yoast fields
├── functions-snippet.php        # Theme functions addition
└── README.md                    # Setup instructions

Purpose: Publish articles to WordPress with Yoast SEO metadata. Setup: Install MU-plugin, configure .env with WP credentials.

Content Workflow Directories

topics/

Raw topic ideas and brainstorming.

topics/
├── content-marketing-ideas.md
├── podcast-topics.md
└── q4-2026-topics.md

Purpose: Capture ideas before research. Usage:

Add topic ideas as they come up
Organize by category or quarter
Use when ready to research

Example:

# Content Marketing Topics - Q1 2026

## High Priority
- AI content tools comparison
- Content distribution strategies
- SEO trends 2026

## Medium Priority
- Content repurposing guide
- Video content marketing

research/

Research briefs, analysis reports, and SERP studies.

research/
├── brief-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md
├── analysis-product-comparison-2026-03-04.md
├── quick-wins-2026-03-04.md
├── competitor-gaps-2026-03-04.md
├── performance-matrix-2026-03-04.md
├── topic-clusters-2026-03-04.md
├── trending-2026-03-04.md
├── serp-analysis-content-marketing.md
└── ROADMAP-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Store research before writing. Generated by:

/research [topic] command
/analyze-existing [URL] command
/research-serp [keyword] command
Research scripts (research_*.py)

Naming convention: type-topic-YYYY-MM-DD.md

drafts/

Work-in-progress articles.

drafts/
├── content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
├── seo-analysis-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
├── meta-options-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
├── internal-links-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
├── keyword-map-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
└── optimization-report-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Active writing and editing. Generated by:

/write [topic] command
Auto-triggered agents (SEO, Meta, Internal Links, Keywords)

Workflow:

/write [topic] creates article + agent reports
Review agent recommendations
Edit article based on feedback
Run /optimize [file] when ready
Move to published/ when complete

Keep: All agent reports with the article for reference.

review-required/

Articles pending editorial review.

review-required/
├── content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
└── seo-analysis-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Queue for manual review before publishing. Usage:

Move from drafts/ when ready for review
Team member reviews
Make any final edits
Move to published/ when approved

Optional: Not needed if you’re solo or trust automated scoring.

rewrites/

Updated versions of existing content.

rewrites/
├── product-comparison-rewrite-2026-03-04.md
├── analysis-product-comparison-original-2026-03-04.md
└── product-comparison-changes-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Store content updates and refreshes. Generated by:

/rewrite [topic] command
/analyze-existing [URL] command (creates analysis first)

Includes:

Rewritten article
Original analysis report
Change summary (what was updated)

Workflow:

/analyze-existing [URL] for current content
Review analysis and recommendations
/rewrite [topic] to update
Compare original vs rewrite
Move to published/ when satisfied

published/

Final, production-ready content.

published/
├── content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
├── product-comparison-2026-02-15.md
└── seo-guide-2026-01-20.md

Purpose: Archive of published articles. Usage:

Move from drafts/ or rewrites/ when complete
Ready to publish to your site
Keep for reference and updates

Naming: Use publish date in filename.

landing-pages/

Landing page content.

landing-pages/
├── pricing-page-2026-03-04.md
├── product-landing-2026-03-01.md
└── landing-audit-pricing-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Conversion-focused landing pages. Generated by:

/landing-write [topic] command
/landing-audit [file] command
/landing-research [topic] command

Different from blog posts: CRO-focused with specific conversion elements.

audits/

Audit reports and analysis.

audits/
├── site-audit-2026-Q1.md
├── content-audit-march-2026.md
└── competitor-audit-2026-03-04.md

Purpose: Store comprehensive site and content audits. Usage:

Quarterly content audits
Competitive analysis reports
Performance reviews
SEO audits

File Naming Conventions

Articles & Content

Format: topic-name-YYYY-MM-DD.md Examples:

content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
podcast-hosting-guide-2026-02-15.md
seo-trends-2026-01-10.md

Research Briefs

Format: brief-topic-name-YYYY-MM-DD.md Examples:

brief-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md
brief-seo-strategies-2026-02-20.md

Analysis Reports

Format: analysis-topic-name-YYYY-MM-DD.md Examples:

analysis-product-comparison-2026-03-04.md
analysis-pricing-page-2026-02-28.md

Research Scripts Output

Format: script-type-YYYY-MM-DD.md Examples:

quick-wins-2026-03-04.md
competitor-gaps-2026-03-04.md
performance-matrix-2026-03-04.md
ROADMAP-2026-03-04.md (comprehensive priorities)

Agent Reports

Format: agent-name-article-topic-YYYY-MM-DD.md Examples:

seo-analysis-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md
meta-options-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md
internal-links-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md
keyword-map-content-marketing-2026-03-04.md

Organization Best Practices

Daily Workflow

Start in topics/: Capture ideas
Move to research/: Run /research or scripts
Write in drafts/: Run /write and edit
Optimize in drafts/: Run /optimize
Publish from published/: Move when complete

Weekly Maintenance

Add new topic ideas to topics/
Review drafts/ for stalled articles
Check review-required/ queue
Archive old research reports
Update context/ files if needed

Monthly Cleanup

Archive old drafts that won’t be used
Move outdated research to archive folder
Review and update internal-links-map.md
Add new published content to map
Run performance analysis

Archive Strategy

Create archive folders for old content:

research/
├── archive/
│   └── 2025/
│       ├── Q1/
│       ├── Q2/
│       ├── Q3/
│       └── Q4/

Archive after:

Research reports: 90 days
Unused drafts: 60 days
Agent reports: When article published

Keep indefinitely:

Published articles
ROADMAP files
Context files

Git Integration

.gitignore

Add to .gitignore:

# API credentials
data_sources/config/.env
credentials/

# API response cache
data_sources/cache/

# Work in progress (optional)
drafts/
review-required/

# Personal notes (optional)
topics/

# Python
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.pytest_cache/

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

What to Commit

Always commit:

.claude/ directory
context/ files (your brand guidelines)
published/ articles (final content)
config/competitors.example.json (template)
README.md and documentation

Optional:

research/ reports (can be large)
rewrites/ updates
landing-pages/

Never commit:

.env files
API credentials
Cache files

Tips & Tricks

Use Descriptive Names

Bad:

article1.md
article2.md
research.md

Good:

content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md
brief-seo-trends-2026-02-15.md
analysis-pricing-page-2026-01-20.md

In drafts/:

content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md         (article)
seo-analysis-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md  (agent report)
meta-options-content-marketing-strategies-2026-03-04.md  (agent report)

Use Dates in Filenames

Why:

Easy to sort by date
Track when content created
Identify outdated content
Avoid name conflicts

Format: YYYY-MM-DD (sorts correctly)

Separate by Content Type

Don’t mix:

drafts/
├── blog-post.md
├── landing-page.md      # Move to landing-pages/
└── research-report.md   # Move to research/

Do:

drafts/
└── blog-post.md

landing-pages/
└── landing-page.md

research/
└── research-report.md

Create Subdirectories for Scale

When you have 50+ files:

published/
├── 2026/
│   ├── 03-march/
│   ├── 02-february/
│   └── 01-january/
└── 2025/
    ├── 12-december/
    └── ...

Use TODO Comments

In markdown files:

<!-- TODO: Add statistics -->
<!-- TODO: Find better example -->
<!-- TODO: Update screenshot -->
<!-- REVIEW: Check this claim -->

Search for TODOs:

grep -r "TODO" drafts/

Common Questions

Where do I start?

Configure context/ files (copy from examples/castos/)
Add topics to topics/
Run /research [topic]
Run /write [topic]
Review drafts/

What if I have 100s of drafts?

Create subdirectories:

drafts/
├── in-progress/
├── needs-review/
├── ready-to-publish/
└── archived/

Should I commit draft files?

No, add to .gitignore. Only commit:

Final published content
Context files
Configuration

How do I find old research?

# By date
ls -lt research/

# By keyword
grep -l "content marketing" research/*.md

# By type
ls research/brief-*.md
ls research/quick-wins-*.md

How long to keep drafts?

Archive or delete:

Unused drafts after 60 days
Research reports after 90 days
Agent reports after article published

Keep indefinitely:

Published articles
Context files
Successful templates

Directory Checklist

Setup checklist: Ready to create content! 🚀

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Core Directories

​.claude/

​config/

​context/

​data_sources/

​wordpress/

​Content Workflow Directories

​topics/

​research/

​drafts/

​review-required/

​rewrites/

​published/

​landing-pages/

​audits/

​File Naming Conventions

​Articles & Content

​Research Briefs

​Analysis Reports

​Research Scripts Output

​Agent Reports

​Organization Best Practices

​Daily Workflow

​Weekly Maintenance

​Monthly Cleanup

​Archive Strategy

​Git Integration

​.gitignore

​What to Commit

​Tips & Tricks

​Use Descriptive Names

​Keep Related Files Together

​Use Dates in Filenames

​Separate by Content Type

​Create Subdirectories for Scale

​Use TODO Comments

​Common Questions

​Where do I start?

​What if I have 100s of drafts?

​Should I commit draft files?

​How do I find old research?

​How long to keep drafts?

​Directory Checklist