# Placeholder SEO Sprint

**Date Created:** January 2, 2026  
**Status:** Active — Track A remaining  
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Owner:** Oleg  
**Last Updated:** January 5, 2026

---

## Sprint Summary

@spy research uncovered major SEO opportunity:

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total search volume | 31,000+/month |
| Zero-KD keywords | 10+ keywords (profile, ios, dark mode) |
| AI competitors | **ZERO** |
| Direct user validation | r/ClaudeAI quote about MCP for placeholders |

**Strategic approach:** "Trojan Horse" — capture placeholder traffic, convert to full generation users.

**Source:** `/banatie-content/research/keywords/placeholder-niche-deep-dive-2026-01-02.md`

---

## Research Key Findings

### Top Keywords by Priority

| Keyword | Volume | KD | Status |
|---------|--------|-----|--------|
| placeholder image | 14,800 | 18 | → Landing page |
| image placeholder dark | 4,400 | 2 | ✅ Covered in guide |
| app placeholder image | 1,900 | 2 | ✅ Covered in guide |
| profile placeholder image | 720 | 0 | ✅ Covered in guide |
| placeholder image url | 390 | 21 | ✅ Covered in Live URLs docs |

### Zero-KD Opportunities (all covered in guide)

- profile placeholder image — 720 vol, KD 0
- ios placeholder image — 590 vol, KD 0
- loading image placeholder — 170 vol, KD 0
- image placeholder dark — 4,400 vol, KD 2
- app placeholder image — 1,900 vol, KD 2

### Direct User Validation

From r/ClaudeAI:
> "right now my instructions are to just do placeholder image in various sizes... I am wondering if there is an mcp that can create or fetch these images for Claude instead."

---

## Execution Status

### Track A: Landing Page `/placeholder-images` ⏳ TODO

**Goal:** Capture 14,800+ monthly searches for core placeholder keywords

**Target Keywords:**
- placeholder image (14,800)
- image placeholder (14,800)
- ai placeholder images
- placeholder image generator
- placeholder image url

**Page Structure:**
```
1. HERO
   ├── H1: "AI Placeholder Images"
   ├── Subhead: "Generate contextual placeholders instantly"
   └── CTA: "Try It Free"

2. HOW IT WORKS (3 steps)

3. SIZE GRID (interactive)
   ├── Avatar (200×200)
   ├── Thumbnail (300×200)
   ├── Card (400×300)
   └── Hero (1200×630)

4. COMPARISON TABLE
   | placehold.co | Gray boxes |
   | picsum.photos | Random stock |
   | Banatie | AI-generated, contextual |

5. PRODUCTION BRIDGE
   └── "Same images work in production"

6. FOOTER CTA
```

**File to create:**
- `apps/landing/src/app/(landings)/placeholder-images/page.tsx`

---

### Track B: Docs Updates ✅ COMPLETE

| Task | Status | Location |
|------|--------|----------|
| Live URLs — placeholder section | ✅ Done | `/docs/live-urls/` |
| Guides section created | ✅ Done | `/docs/guides/` |
| Placeholder Images guide | ✅ Done | `/docs/guides/placeholder-images/` |

**Guide covers:**
- Quick Start with Live URLs
- Templates (general, photorealistic, illustration, etc.)
- Dark mode and color control
- Common use cases (avatars, heroes, products, testimonials)
- File-based workflow (API download)

---

### Track C: Homepage Quick Wins ✅ COMPLETE

| Task | Status |
|------|--------|
| Keywords in metadata | ✅ Added placeholder-related keywords |
| PromptUrlsSection subtitle | ✅ Updated to mention placeholders |

---

## Success Metrics

### Completed ✅
- [x] Placeholder guide live at `/docs/guides/placeholder-images/`
- [x] Live URLs docs enhanced with placeholder examples
- [x] Homepage keywords updated
- [x] All pages in sitemap

### Week 1 Targets
- [ ] `/placeholder-images` landing live and indexed
- [ ] GSC submission for new pages

### Month 1 Targets
- [ ] GSC shows impressions for placeholder keywords
- [ ] First organic clicks from placeholder searches

### Month 3 Targets
- [ ] Top 20 for "placeholder image" (14,800 vol)
- [ ] Top 10 for "image placeholder dark" (4,400 vol, KD 2)

---

## Next Steps

1. **Create landing page** `/placeholder-images`
   - Use research findings for structure
   - Include interactive size grid
   - Show comparison with competitors

2. **Submit to GSC** after deployment

3. **Monitor rankings** for target keywords

---

## Keyword Cannibalization Prevention

**Decision Date:** January 6, 2026

Guide and Landing target the same keyword cluster but different search intents. This prevents cannibalization.

### Intent Separation

| Aspect | Guide (`/docs/guides/placeholder-images/`) | Landing (`/placeholder-images`) |
|--------|---------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| **Intent** | Informational — "how to use" | Transactional — "I want a service" |
| **Title focus** | "How to Generate...", "Guide", "Examples" | "Generator", "API", "Service" |
| **H1** | "AI Placeholder Images" | "AI Placeholder Image Generator" |
| **Content** | How-to, code examples, prompt tips | Features, comparison table, pricing, CTA |
| **Target queries** | "how to generate placeholder images", "placeholder tutorial" | "placeholder image generator", "placeholder api service" |

### Current Implementation

**Guide (DONE):**
- Title: `AI Placeholder Image Generator — Light & Dark Mode | Banatie`
- Focus: Tutorial content, code snippets, LivePreview examples
- Sections: Light/Dark Mode, Prompt Tips, Examples by use case
- URL: `/docs/guides/placeholder-images/`

**Landing (TODO):**
- Title: Should include "Generator" or "Service" + transactional framing
- Focus: Product benefits, comparison with competitors, conversion
- Sections: Hero → How It Works → Size Grid → Comparison → CTA
- URL: `/placeholder-images`

### Shared Keywords — Allowed

Both pages can mention:
- "placeholder images"
- "image placeholder dark"
- "ai placeholder"

Google will rank the appropriate page based on query intent.

### Keywords to Differentiate

| Guide should rank for | Landing should rank for |
|-----------------------|------------------------|
| how to create placeholder | placeholder image generator |
| placeholder image tutorial | ai placeholder service |
| placeholder images examples | placeholder image api |
| dark mode placeholder guide | generate placeholder images online |

---

## Reference Documents

- Research: `/banatie-content/research/keywords/placeholder-niche-deep-dive-2026-01-02.md`
- Guide revision task: `/banatie-service/inbox/task-placeholder-guide-revision.md` (if created)
- Docs SEO analysis: `/banatie-content/research/keywords/docs-seo-analysis-2026-01-02.md`

---

**Document Owner:** @men  
**Last Updated:** January 6, 2026  
**Next Review:** After landing page deployment  
**Status:** Track B+C complete, Track A in progress