marketing-seo-complete

SEO Technical and Marketing - Operational Skill

This skill contains actionable, production-ready systems for traditional search engine optimization:

Technical SEO auditing (Core Web Vitals, crawlability, structured data, mobile optimization)
SEO marketing strategy (keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, brand building)
Operational workflows (cross-team collaboration, stakeholder alignment, SEO OKRs)
Total Search Optimization (Google, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, forums, social SEO)

Structure: Technical fundamentals first -> Marketing strategy -> Operational execution -> Total Search Optimization.

For AI search optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews, GEO): Use marketing-ai-search-optimization instead.

SEO vs GEO (Overlap Map)

Use this to avoid duplicating work across traditional SEO and AI answer engines.

Use marketing-seo-complete when

You need crawl/indexation fixes, internal linking, sitemaps, canonicals, CWV/performance, structured data eligibility
You want search demand capture (keywords), SERP strategy, link building, local/international SEO
You need predictable technical and content operations that improve discoverability across search surfaces

Use marketing-ai-search-optimization when

You care specifically about assistant visibility, citations, and “answer extraction” behavior (ChatGPT/Perplexity/Gemini/AIO)
You are building entity pages, comparison pages, integration pages, and proof blocks optimized for quoting/citation
You are measuring with a query bank and "share of model" rather than rankings

Note: For engineers building AEO monitoring platforms (API pipelines, citation databases, dashboards), see project-aeo-monitoring-tools — that's an engineering skill, not an SEO practitioner skill.

Use both when

You want compounding discoverability (SEO) and compounding citation capture (GEO) with the same pages
You are shipping high-intent pages (pricing, security, alternatives, integrations) and need both indexation + answer-ready structure

2026 Operating Assumptions (Evergreen)

Prioritize usefulness and intent satisfaction; technical SEO cannot compensate for weak content.
E-E-A-T matters most when claims can impact money, health, safety, or major decisions; for all niches, show real experience and verifiable proof where possible.
Mobile-first is the default: performance, UX, and rendering on mobile are the primary gate.
Crawl/indexation wins come from discoverability (internal links, sitemaps) and removing low-value crawl traps.
Core Web Vitals are a weak signal but a strong tiebreaker; fix regressions and obvious failures.
Structured data is for eligibility and rich results, not a ranking boost; use it to improve extraction and display.
SERPs are multi-surface (web, video, local, forums, social); measure channel-by-channel, not only rankings.

Next.js Programmatic Reality (Build vs Discoverability)

Static build artifact count is a deployment metric, not your SEO URL inventory.
Discoverable/indexable scope comes from canonical URLs in sitemap plus internal linking and indexability signals.
If generateStaticParams() causes build artifact explosion or ENOSPC, reduce pre-render scope first, keep long-tail URLs discoverable via sitemap.
Use a hybrid model for high-cardinality sites: pre-render priority URLs, serve long-tail dynamically (SSR/ISR), keep canonical/hreflang/sitemap/internal links aligned.

Primary sources live in data/sources.json . For time-sensitive changes (core updates, reporting changes), use official sources first (Google Search Central / Search Status Dashboard); if your environment supports web search, refresh against current updates before giving definitive advice.

Key Thresholds (2026)

Metric Target Impact

LCP < 2.5s Mobile-first indexing threshold

INP < 200ms Replaced FID; user engagement signal

CLS < 0.1 Layout stability; ranking factor

TTFB < 600ms Crawl rate: slow servers often reduce pages crawled/day

Mobile score

90 Required for competitive rankings

When NOT to Use

AI platform content optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini visibility, citation strategy) -> Use marketing-ai-search-optimization
AI monitoring platform engineering (building API pipelines, citation databases, dashboards) -> Use project-aeo-monitoring-tools
Paid search campaigns (Google Ads, Bing Ads) -> Use marketing-paid-advertising
Social media strategy (non-SEO focused) -> Use marketing-social-media
Content creation process (writing, editing, publishing) -> Use marketing-content-strategy
Email marketing -> Use marketing-email-automation

Quick Reference

Task Resource/Template Location When to Use

Auditing

Full Technical Audit 10-Point Checklist assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md

Comprehensive site-wide audit

Quick Audit Abbreviated Checklist assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md

Fast issue identification

Priority Matrix Impact vs Effort assets/priority/impact-effort-matrix.md

Prioritize audit findings

Core Web Vitals

CWV Deep Dive CWV Guide references/core-web-vitals-guide.md

LCP, INP, CLS optimization

CWV Report Report Template assets/cwv/core-web-vitals-report.md

Document CWV findings

Crawlability

Indexation Issues Crawlability Guide references/crawlability-indexing.md

Robots.txt, sitemaps, GSC issues

Indexation Acceleration Fast Indexing Guide references/crawlability-indexing.md#indexation-acceleration

New/large sites, internal linking, E-E-A-T

Performance

Site Speed Speed Guide references/site-speed-optimization.md

TTFB, render-blocking, images

Technical Setup

Mobile Optimization Mobile Guide references/mobile-seo-guide.md

Responsive, viewport, mobile-first

Structured Data Schema Guide references/structured-data-guide.md

JSON-LD, rich snippets

Schema Report Validation Template assets/schema/schema-validation-report.md

Document schema findings

Security/HTTPS Security Guide references/security-https-guide.md

HTTPS, HSTS, headers

Architecture

Internal Linking Link Strategy references/internal-linking-strategy.md

Link equity, orphan pages

Duplicate Content Canonical Guide references/duplicate-content-handling.md

Canonicals, pagination

International SEO Hreflang Guide references/internationalization-hreflang.md

Multi-language/region sites

Link Building

Link Acquisition Link Building Guide references/link-building-strategy.md

Backlinks, digital PR, HARO

Local SEO

Google Business Profile Local SEO Guide references/local-seo-guide.md

GBP, citations, reviews, local pack

10-Point Audit Framework

Every technical SEO audit follows this systematic checklist:

Area Key Metrics Weight

1 Crawlability robots.txt status, sitemap coverage, crawl budget High

2 Core Web Vitals LCP <2.5s, INP <200ms, CLS <0.1 High

3 Site Speed TTFB <800ms, FCP <1.8s, Speed Index High

4 Mobile Mobile-friendly score, viewport, touch targets High

5 Security HTTPS, mixed content, HSTS, headers Medium

6 Structured Data Schema validity, rich snippet eligibility Medium

7 On-Page Meta tags, heading hierarchy, keyword signals Medium

8 Architecture Internal links, URL structure, canonicals High

9 Duplicate Content Canonical implementation, pagination Medium

10 Internationalization Hreflang (if applicable), geo-targeting Low

Scoring: Rate each area 0-10, calculate weighted average for overall Technical Health Score.

Decision Trees

Audit Type Selection

Full site audit needed -> Use assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md Quick issue check -> Use assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md CWV-only deep dive -> Use assets/cwv/core-web-vitals-report.md Schema validation only -> Use assets/schema/schema-validation-report.md

Core Web Vitals Failing

LCP >2.5s -> Preload LCP element, optimize images, add CDN -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md INP >200ms -> Reduce JavaScript, optimize event handlers -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md CLS >0.1 -> Add dimensions to images/ads, avoid layout shifts -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md

Indexation Issues

Pages not indexed -> Check robots.txt blocking -> Verify sitemap inclusion -> Check canonical tags -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md Crawl budget problems -> Remove low-value pages from crawl -> Fix redirect chains -> Optimize pagination -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md New/large site needs fast indexation -> Internal linking (#1 accelerator) -> Manual GSC submission (10-20 priority pages) -> Real content updates (not fake lastmod) -> Brand mentions > backlinks (early stage) -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md#indexation-acceleration

Build fails from route explosion (ENOSPC / artifact limits) -> Reduce generateStaticParams scope to priority URLs -> Keep long-tail canonical URLs in sitemap -> Strengthen internal linking to top dynamic pages -> Validate indexation in GSC Coverage + URL Inspection

Mobile Issues

Mobile-unfriendly -> Check viewport meta tag -> Verify responsive CSS -> Test touch target sizes -> See references/mobile-seo-guide.md

Link Building Issues

Need more backlinks -> Create linkable assets (research, tools) -> Set up HARO/Featured.com -> Broken link building outreach -> See references/link-building-strategy.md Low domain authority -> Focus on DA 50+ targets -> Digital PR campaigns -> Competitor backlink analysis -> See references/link-building-strategy.md

Local SEO Issues

Not showing in local pack -> Optimize Google Business Profile -> Build local citations (NAP consistency) -> Generate more reviews -> See references/local-seo-guide.md GBP not verified -> Complete verification process -> Ensure NAP matches website -> See references/local-seo-guide.md

Security Issues

Mixed content warnings -> Update all HTTP resources to HTTPS -> See references/security-https-guide.md SSL/TLS issues -> Run SSL Labs test -> See references/security-https-guide.md

GSC Issue Triage (Strict Output)

Use this format when diagnosing Google Search Console indexation and canonicalization statuses.

If missing context blocks a safe recommendation, ask only the minimum clarifying questions (example: "Should these URLs be indexed?").

For each issue:

Issue:
Severity: Critical / Moderate / Informational
What Google Is Detecting:
Why This Happens:
Is This Against Google Rules? (Yes/No + Explanation):
Safe Fix (Step-by-Step):
Expected SEO Benefit:
What NOT to Do (Important):

Navigation

Core Resources

references/core-web-vitals-guide.md - LCP, INP, CLS thresholds and optimization
references/crawlability-indexing.md - Robots.txt, sitemaps, GSC, indexation
references/site-speed-optimization.md - TTFB, render-blocking, image optimization
references/mobile-seo-guide.md - Mobile-first indexing, responsive design
references/structured-data-guide.md - Schema.org, JSON-LD, rich snippets
references/security-https-guide.md - HTTPS, HSTS, security headers
references/internal-linking-strategy.md - Link architecture, orphan pages
references/duplicate-content-handling.md - Canonicals, pagination, parameters
references/internationalization-hreflang.md - Hreflang, geo-targeting

Marketing & Operations

references/seo-marketing-strategy.md - Keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, brand building
references/seo-operational-workflows.md - Cross-team collaboration, OKRs, stakeholder communication
references/total-search-optimization.md - YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, AI platforms
references/content-decay-refresh.md - Content audit methodology, decay detection, refresh vs rewrite decisions
references/ai-seo-tools.md - AI-powered SEO tool landscape, human-in-the-loop workflows

E-Commerce & Scale

references/ecommerce-seo.md - Product pages, category strategy, shopping schema, inventory handling
references/programmatic-seo.md - Template-based page generation, quality controls, indexation management

Link Building & Local SEO

references/link-building-strategy.md - Backlink acquisition, digital PR, HARO, broken link building
references/local-seo-guide.md - Google Business Profile, citations, reviews, local pack ranking

Templates

Audits

assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md - Complete 10-point audit checklist
assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md - Fast abbreviated audit

Core Web Vitals

assets/cwv/core-web-vitals-report.md - CWV-specific audit report

Structured Data

assets/schema/schema-validation-report.md - Schema audit report

Prioritization

assets/priority/impact-effort-matrix.md - Issue prioritization matrix

Trend Awareness Protocol

IMPORTANT: When users ask recommendation questions about SEO, refresh against current updates before giving definitive guidance. If your environment supports web search, use it. If not, rely on official sources in data/sources.json and ask the minimum clarifying question about timeframe/market (example: "Is this for the US market, and do you care about changes in the last 30/90 days?").

Trigger Conditions

"What's the best approach for [Core Web Vitals/site speed/crawlability]?"
"What should I focus on for SEO in 2026?"
"What's the latest Google algorithm update?"
"Current best practices for [structured data/mobile SEO/indexation]?"
"Is [SEO technique] still relevant in 2026?"
"How has Google Search changed recently?"
"What Core Web Vitals thresholds should I target?"

Required Searches

Search: site:developers.google.com search updates
Search: Google Search Status Dashboard
Search: Core Web Vitals thresholds INP
Search: Search Console new features

What to Report

After searching, provide:

Current landscape: What SEO factors matter most NOW (not 6 months ago)
Emerging trends: New ranking signals or Google features
Deprecated/declining: Techniques that no longer work or hurt rankings
Recommendation: Based on fresh data and recent algorithm updates

Example Topics (verify with fresh search)

Core Web Vitals updates (INP replacing FID, thresholds)
Google algorithm updates (helpful content, spam updates)
Structured data new types and requirements
Mobile-first indexing changes
AI Overviews impact on traditional search
New Search Console features

SEO Marketing Strategy (January 2026)

Keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, and brand building.

Key areas covered:

Keyword research framework (seed discovery, expansion, intent classification, prioritization)
Content planning by intent (informational, commercial, transactional, navigational)
Competitive analysis workflow (monthly audits, intelligence signals)
Brand building tactics (brand and entity signals often correlate with durable performance; validate with current updates)
E-E-A-T content strategy (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)

See full guide: references/seo-marketing-strategy.md

SEO Operational Workflows (2026)

Cross-team collaboration, OKRs, and stakeholder communication.

Key areas covered:

SEO as strategic quarterback (not isolated channel)
Cross-team collaboration framework (Product, Engineering, Content, Paid, PR, Social)
Pre-launch and post-deployment checklists
SEO OKRs aligned to revenue (not vanity metrics)
Stakeholder-specific reporting and communication

See full guide: references/seo-operational-workflows.md

Total Search Optimization (2026)

Multi-platform visibility beyond Google.

Platforms covered:

YouTube SEO (video optimization, ranking factors)
Reddit SEO (forum results increasingly appear for "best", "vs", and review-intent queries)
Social SEO (LinkedIn B2B, TikTok B2C, X/Twitter)
AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) - for optimization, use marketing-ai-search-optimization ; for monitoring infrastructure, use project-aeo-monitoring-tools
Unified content distribution strategy

See full guide: references/total-search-optimization.md

Related Skills

Marketing & SEO

../marketing-ai-search-optimization/SKILL.md - Search visibility beyond classic SERPs (complements technical SEO)
../marketing-social-media/SKILL.md - Social media marketing and content distribution
../project-aeo-monitoring-tools/SKILL.md - AEO monitoring infrastructure (engineering skill)
../startup-growth-playbooks/SKILL.md - Programmatic SEO case studies (Zapier, Kinsta)

Technical Implementation

../software-frontend/SKILL.md - Frontend performance optimization, SSR
../software-backend/SKILL.md - Server-side optimization, API performance
../software-security-appsec/SKILL.md - Security hardening, HTTPS implementation

Quality & Performance

../qa-observability/SKILL.md - Performance monitoring, observability
../ops-devops-platform/SKILL.md - CDN setup, infrastructure optimization

Key Differentiators

Audit Output Format:

Critical Issues - Fix immediately (high impact)
Important Optimizations - Fix soon (medium impact)
Recommended Enhancements - Nice to have

Each finding includes:

What's wrong and why it matters
Step-by-step fix instructions
Expected outcome
Validation method

External Resources

See data/sources.json for primary sources across:

Google Search Central, web.dev, and Chrome developer docs (CWV, Lighthouse, CrUX)
Bing Webmaster Guidelines and diagnostic tooling
Crawl/index/render fundamentals (robots, sitemaps, canonicals, JS SEO)
Structured data eligibility and validation tooling
SEO marketing strategy (Backlinko, Search Engine Journal, Sitebulb, Content Whale)
Cross-team collaboration and operational workflows
Total Search Optimization (YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn)
Optional automation references (Search Console API, CrUX API, Lighthouse CI)

Getting Started

Quick audit (15 minutes):

Run PageSpeed Insights on key pages
Check robots.txt and sitemap.xml accessibility
Validate structured data with Rich Results Test
Review GSC Coverage report for indexation issues
Use assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md

Full audit (2-4 hours):

Use assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md
Work through all 10 audit areas systematically
Score each area 0-10
Prioritize findings with assets/priority/impact-effort-matrix.md
Document fixes with validation steps

Ongoing monitoring:

Set up GSC alerts for indexation issues
Monitor Core Web Vitals in CrUX
Schedule quarterly audits
Track improvements against baseline

SEO Testing & Monitoring

See: references/seo-testing-monitoring-and-collaboration.md

Success Criteria

A successful technical SEO audit delivers a prioritized list of issues with clear fix instructions and validation methods that measurably improve search visibility and Core Web Vitals scores.

SEO Business Metrics

Metric Formula Benchmark

SEO ROI (Organic Revenue - SEO Cost) / SEO Cost * 100

300%

Organic CAC Total SEO Cost / Organic Conversions B2B: <$100, B2C: <$30

Pipeline Influence Organic-Sourced Pipeline / Total Pipeline

30%

See full guide: references/seo-business-metrics.md - Attribution models, OKRs, stakeholder reporting

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern (AVOID) Better Practice (DO)

Audit without action Assign owners, set deadlines

Fix everything at once Batch by priority, deploy incrementally

Ignore mobile Test mobile-first (often the majority of traffic)

Trust lab data only Use CrUX (field data) as truth

One-time audit Continuous monitoring, quarterly deep audits

Chase vanity metrics (rankings) Track revenue, conversions, pipeline

Chase static build page count as an SEO KPI Track discoverable canonical URLs, indexation in GSC, and organic outcomes

Optimize pages in isolation Build topical authority clusters

Ignore AI Overviews Optimize for citation in AI results — see marketing-ai-search-optimization for content optimization and project-aeo-monitoring-tools for monitoring infrastructure

International Markets

This skill uses Google-centric defaults. For international SEO:

Need See Skill

Non-Google search (Baidu, Yandex, Naver) marketing-geo-localization

Hreflang and multi-region strategy marketing-geo-localization

Regional SERP features marketing-geo-localization

CJK/RTL language optimization marketing-geo-localization

If you're using a router-based setup, mention country/region/search engine explicitly so the router can bring in marketing-geo-localization when needed.

SEO Mistakes (High Risk)

See: references/seo-mistakes-high-risk.md