Astro Blog - Phase 4: Technical

Priority Legend:

• ⭐ ALWAYS - Every article, non-negotiable
• 💡 OPTIONAL - Enhancement when relevant

Technical Implementation

⭐ Frontmatter (Every Article)

---
title: "Solar Panel Cost UK 2026: Complete Guide"  # 50-60 chars
description: "Solar panels cost £5,000-£8,000 in the UK. Compare prices, savings, and grants for 2026. Get accurate quotes in 60 seconds."  # 150-160 chars
pubDate: 2026-01-15
intent: commercial  # informational | commercial | comparison | transactional
topic: solar-panels  # For pillar-cluster linking
primaryCTA: quote-calculator  # GTM tracking
category: solar-energy
author: team  # Use named author for YMYL content
entities: [solar panels, installation cost, energy savings, government grants, ROI, inverter, monocrystalline, payback period]  # 5-10 items
pillar: false  # true = 2500+ words + 8-12 internal links
experienceVerified: false  # true ONLY after human verifies ExperienceBlock data
---

Meta description formula: [Answer] + [Benefit] + [Proof] + [CTA] Example: "Solar panels cost £5,000-£8,000 in the UK (2026). Save £600/year on energy bills. Compare quotes from MCS-certified installers. Get accurate pricing in 60 seconds."

⭐ Structured Data (@graph Schema)

Required schema markup for every article:

Article schema (always required):

{
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Solar Panel Cost UK 2026: Complete Guide",
  "description": "...",
  "datePublished": "2026-01-15",
  "dateModified": "2026-01-15",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "...", "sameAs": "https://linkedin.com/in/..." }
}

FAQ schema (REQUIRED for commercial/comparison):

• 3-5 questions (standard) or 5-8 questions (pillar)
• Use actual PAA questions from Google
• Each answer 40-60 words

HowTo schema (REQUIRED for process/guide articles):

• 3-10 steps
• Each step has name + text
• Include time estimates if applicable

Author Person schema:

{
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "John Smith",
  "jobTitle": "Solar Energy Consultant",
  "sameAs": "https://linkedin.com/in/johnsmith",
  "image": "/authors/john-smith.jpg"
}

VideoObject schema (if video present):

• Include chapter timestamps (min 3)
• Format: "0:00 Introduction, 2:15 Cost Breakdown, 5:40 Savings Calculator"

⭐ Technical Quality (Every Article)

• TypeScript strict - No any types, explicit return types on functions
• Component hydration - NEVER use client:load. ONLY client:visible (on scroll) or client:idle (after page interactive)
• Performance budgets - <100KB JavaScript, <50KB CSS, ≥90 mobile Lighthouse score, ≥95 desktop Lighthouse score
• Image optimization - Hero: loading="eager" + fetchpriority="high". All others: loading="lazy". Descriptive alt text on ALL images
• ARIA labels - Complex components (calculators, tabs, accordions) need role and aria-label attributes

⭐ E-E-A-T Signals (Every Article)

• Author credentials - Verifiable via LinkedIn + industry profile. For YMYL (health, finance), use named expert author
• Experience content - ExperienceBlock data must be real (verified case studies) OR marked as placeholder. NO fabricated data
• Trust badges - Display certifications, Which? Trusted Trader, trade body memberships near bio and CTAs

💡 llms.txt Update (Optional)

Add entry to /public/llms.txt:

# Solar Panel Cost UK 2026
Solar panels cost £5,000-£8,000 in the UK (2026). 4kW system saves £600/year. Compare monocrystalline vs polycrystalline. Government grants available.
> /blog/solar-panel-cost-uk-2026

Keep under 100 tokens per entry.

Output Required

Provide:

1. Complete frontmatter - All required fields filled
2. Schema markup - Article + FAQ/HowTo + Author + Video (if applicable)
3. Performance optimization - Proper hydration, image loading, ARIA labels

Next Step

After completing technical setup, use astro-blog-validate skill for Phase 5.