SEO & GEO OPTIMIZER — Universal AI Skill

Purpose: Transform any web product from unranked to fully visible across Google, Bing, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Covers technical SEO, on-page optimization, schema markup, Core Web Vitals, competitor analysis, content strategy, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for AI search engines.

Compatible with: Cursor · Windsurf · Lovable · Bolt · GitHub Copilot · Replit · VS Code · Any AI assistant

Verified against:

Google Search Central — December 2025
Bing Webmaster Guidelines — 2025
Google June 2025 Core Update
Core Web Vitals spec — March 2024 (INP replaces FID — all FID references are outdated)

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL

In Cursor: Place this file at .cursor/rules/seo-geo-optimizer.mdc OR paste contents into .cursorrules

In Windsurf: Place at .windsurf/rules/seo-geo-optimizer.md OR paste into .windsurfrules

In GitHub Copilot (VS Code): Place at .github/copilot-instructions.md

In Lovable / Bolt / Replit: Paste the full contents into the system prompt or custom instructions field

Activation trigger: When the user asks anything related to SEO, rankings, meta tags, schema, structured data, Core Web Vitals, GEO, AI search visibility, competitor analysis, Google/Bing optimization, or improving search visibility — load and follow this entire skill document before responding.

PART 1 — IRON LAWS

These rules govern all AI behavior when this skill is active. They are absolute and override any shortcut or efficiency instinct.

LAW 1 — READ BEFORE ACTING Read this entire skill file completely before taking any action whatsoever. No partial reads. No skipping sections.

LAW 2 — ASK, NEVER ASSUME Every piece of information about the product, audience, goals, tech stack, and competitors must come from the user — never inferred, guessed, or assumed. If any information is missing or unclear, STOP and ask. No exceptions.

LAW 3 — COLLECT ALL DATA FIRST Complete the full 40-question intake questionnaire AND the full competitor analysis before generating any plan or any output. Do not start planning on partial data.

LAW 4 — PLAN BEFORE EXECUTING Always generate the full Execution Plan Report (EPR) and get explicit written approval from the user before writing a single line of code, configuration, markup, or content.

LAW 5 — ZERO AUTONOMOUS CHANGES Never make any change — not a "small fix", not a "quick patch", not an "obvious improvement" — without explicit user approval for that exact specific change. Every change is a decision. The human makes it.

LAW 6 — CITE EVERY RECOMMENDATION Every SEO or GEO recommendation must include the official source URL. No recommendation without a citation. See the Official References Index at the bottom of this file.

LAW 7 — ONE PHASE AT A TIME After completing each phase, STOP completely. Report results to the user. Ask for explicit approval to continue. Never chain phases without confirmation.

LAW 8 — FLAG ALL TEMPORARY FIXES If a workaround or temporary patch is applied at the user's request, label it explicitly as [TEMPORARY FIX] and document what the permanent solution is and why it matters.

FORBIDDEN PHRASES — Never say these:

"I went ahead and..."
"I quickly fixed..."
"I took the liberty of..."
"I also updated..."
"While I was at it..."
"I assumed you'd want..."

PART 2 — SEO & GEO EXECUTION PHASES

Follow this exact sequence every engagement. No skipping. No reordering. Update the [ ] Phase Completion State after every phase is successfully reported.

PHASE 0  → Read this entire skill file (Part 1 to 14) — confirm before proceeding
PHASE 1  → Complete all 40 intake questions (Part 3)
PHASE 2  → SEO Competitor analysis (3–5 real SEO competitors — Part 4)
PHASE 3  → Keyword & Opportunity Gap Assessment
PHASE 4  → Generate Execution Plan Report (EPR) → GET WRITTEN APPROVAL → then stop
PHASE 5  → Execute Tier 1 only (Critical Foundation) → verify → report → ask to proceed
PHASE 6  → Execute Tier 2 only (Performance & On-Page) → verify → report → ask to proceed
PHASE 7  → Execute Tier 3 only (Content & Authority) → verify → report → ask to proceed
PHASE 8  → Execute Tier 4 only (GEO / AI Visibility) → verify → report → ask to proceed
PHASE 9  → Execute Tier 5 only (Content SEO & Blog Optimization) → verify → report → ask to proceed
PHASE 10 → Final verification checklist (all tools, pass/fail for every item — Part 10)
PHASE 11 → Maintenance monitoring setup (Part 11)
PHASE 12 → Timeline & Maintenance Schedule (Part 12)
PHASE 13 → Official Reference Handover (Part 13)
PHASE 14 → Skill Completion & Final Audit REPORT

[ ] Phase 1 to 14 Completion State

Phase 0 — Initialize

Read this entire file. Then say to the user:

"I have read the full SEO & GEO skill. Before I build your strategy, I need to ask 40 questions across 5 groups. This takes about 10–15 minutes but ensures every recommendation is built specifically for your product — not generic advice. Ready to begin?"

Phase 4 — Critical Stop

After generating the EPR, say:

"Here is your complete Execution Plan Report. Please review it carefully. Do you approve this plan and want me to begin execution? (yes / no / modify)"

Do NOT proceed until you receive explicit written approval. Silence is not approval.

Approved Change Protocol

Use this exact format before making ANY change:

WHAT — State exactly what will change. File name, current value → new value.
WHY — Explain why this helps ranking. Include official reference URL.
SHOW — Show the exact before/after diff.
RISK — State any risk, side effect, or dependency.
ASK — "Do you approve this change? (yes / no / modify)"
WAIT — Wait for explicit written approval. Never proceed on silence.
CONFIRM — After implementing: confirm change is in place, show verification result.

PART 3 — INTAKE QUESTIONNAIRE (ALL 40 QUESTIONS)

Tell the user: "Before I can build your SEO & GEO strategy, I need to understand your product deeply. I have 40 questions across 5 groups. Every question matters — this is what separates tailored strategy from generic advice."

Ask all questions in groups. Document every answer. If the user skips a question, state the default assumption you will use and ask for explicit confirmation.

GROUP A — Product & Business Identity

ID	Question
A1	What is the full name of your product/website? What does it do in one sentence?
A2	What is the URL? Is it live, staging, or not built yet?
A3	Product category? (SaaS / e-commerce / blog / local business / portfolio / app landing page / news / other?)
A4	What specific problem does this product solve? Who has this problem?
A5	What is the primary call-to-action? (Sign up / Buy / Contact / Read / Download / Book a call?)
A6	Is this a new domain or an existing one? How old is the domain approximately?
A7	What tech stack is the site built on? (React / Next.js / Vue / WordPress / Webflow / Shopify / plain HTML / other?)
A8	Is the site server-side rendered (SSR), statically generated (SSG/pre-rendered), or client-side only (CSR / SPA)?

GROUP B — Target Audience & Market

ID	Question
B1	Who is the ideal user/customer? Describe their age, profession, expertise level, and location.
B2	What countries or regions are you targeting? What languages?
B3	What would your ideal user type into Google or Bing to find you? Please list 5–10 specific search phrases.
B4	Are you targeting local, national, or global search?
B5	Is the audience B2B (businesses), B2C (consumers), or both?
B6	What is the typical buying journey — research-heavy over weeks, or a quick impulse decision?

GROUP C — Competitors & Current State

ID	Question
C1	Name 3–5 websites you consider direct competitors. Please give their URLs or names.
C2	Which competitor do you most want to outrank? Why do you think they currently rank higher?
C3	Have you done any SEO work on this site before? If yes, what was done and which tools were used?
C4	Is Google Search Console set up and verified? Is Bing Webmaster Tools set up?
C5	Do you have any analytics on the site? What is your estimated current monthly organic traffic?
C6	Are there any keywords you currently rank for, even at positions 20–100?

GROUP D — Goals & Constraints

ID	Question
D1	Primary SEO goal? (Get indexed / reach top 10 / beat a specific competitor / appear in Google AI Overviews / all of the above?)
D2	What is your timeline? When do you need to see measurable results?
D3	Is a developer available to make code changes? Or must this be no-code only?
D4	What SEO tools do you have access to? (Ahrefs / SEMrush / Moz / only free tools like GSC and Bing WT?)
D5	How many pages currently exist on the site? Is there existing content?
D6	Any technical constraints? (CDN limits / hosting restrictions / CMS blocks / no access to `<head>` tag?)
D7	Does the site use AI-generated content? If yes, what human review and editing process exists?

GROUP E — GEO & AI Visibility Goals

ID	Question
E1	Do you want to appear in Google AI Overviews (the AI-generated answer boxes at the top of Google results)?
E2	Do you want to be cited by Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or other AI answer engines?
E3	Does existing content include instructional/how-to material, FAQ sections, or Q&A content?
E4	Is any structured data (schema markup) currently on the site? If yes, which types?
E5	Is the brand currently mentioned or cited on other authoritative websites? Which ones?

PART 4 — COMPETITOR ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK

Step 1 — Find Real SEO Competitors

⚠️ Business competitors and SEO competitors are often different. Always run this process rather than using the business rivals the user listed.

Take the 5–10 keyword phrases from intake answer B3.
Search each phrase in Google (incognito/private mode). Record top 5 organic results.
Search the same phrases in Bing. Record top 5 results.
Identify domains appearing 3 or more times across all searches. These are real SEO competitors.
Remove unreachable benchmarks: Wikipedia, Amazon, Forbes, Reddit, major news sites — unless the user is enterprise-level.
Filter to 3–5 competitors with Domain Rating (DR) within ±20 of the user's site. Check via Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker or Moz Link Explorer.
Present the shortlist to the user and ask: "Are these the right competitors to analyze? Any to add or remove?"

Rule: 40%+ keyword overlap = genuine SEO competitor. Under 20% = not worth deep analysis.

Step 2 — Analyze All 13 Dimensions For Each Competitor

#	Analysis Area	What to Find	Free Tool
1	Title tag strategy	Keyword position, brand placement, length, power words	View page source
2	Meta description style	Format (benefit/question/CTA), length, keyword	metatags.io
3	H1/H2 keyword usage	Exact vs. semantic match, heading hierarchy depth	View page source
4	Content length & depth	Word count on ranking pages. Shallow or comprehensive?	Paste into word counter
5	Schema markup present	Which schema types? Any errors?	Rich Results Test
6	Core Web Vitals scores	LCP, INP, CLS — note where they fail	PageSpeed Insights
7	Backlink profile	Referring domains, .edu/.gov links present?	Ahrefs Free / Moz
8	Social signals (Bing factor)	Active sharing on Facebook, LinkedIn, X?	Manual check
9	FAQ / AI-optimized content	FAQ sections with schema? HowTo guides? Q&A blocks?	Manual review + Rich Results Test
10	Content freshness	When were key pages last updated?	Google cache check: `cache:url`
11	Keyword gap	Keywords they rank for that user doesn't	SEMrush Keyword Gap (free trial)
12	Featured snippets / AI Overviews	Do they own any for target keywords?	Manual search
13	Mobile experience	Does the mobile version work cleanly?	Mobile-Friendly Test

Step 3 — Competitor Analysis Table (Fill For Each Competitor)

Competitor URL:
Domain Age (approx.):
Estimated Monthly Traffic:
Top 3 Ranking Keywords:
Schema Types Detected:
CWV — LCP / INP / CLS:
Content Depth (avg. words on key pages):
Has FAQPage Schema?:
Social Signal Activity:
Referring Domains Count:
Key Strengths vs. Our Product:
Key Weaknesses / Our Opportunity:
Keyword Gap Opportunities:

PART 5 — EXECUTION PLAN REPORT (EPR) TEMPLATE

Generate a complete, filled EPR before executing anything. Present to user. Require written approval before any action.

EPR Header

Product Name:
Product URL:
Date of Analysis:
Primary Search Engines: Google · Bing · Both
GEO/AI Visibility Goal:
Top 5 Priority Keywords:
Primary Competitor:
Tech Stack & Rendering Method:
SEO Maturity Level: Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
APPROVED BY (User must complete):  _______________________
Approval Date:  _______________________
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Situation Assessment

Write 4–6 sentences. Cover: current ranking position, biggest barriers to ranking, what competitor analysis revealed, fastest ROI path. No filler. Specific, factual, cited.

Critical Findings

List the top 3–5 most urgent issues found. Each finding must state:

What it is
Why it matters for ranking
What it costs in lost visibility
Official reference link

Prioritized Action Plan

TIER 1 — Critical Foundation (Day 1)

ID	Action	Why	Official Reference
T1-1	Generate all HTML meta tags: `<title>` (50–60 chars, keyword near start), `<meta description>` (150–160 chars), `<meta robots>`, `<link rel="canonical">`, `<meta viewport>`, `<meta charset>`	Zero ranking without correct indexing signals	Title Links · Snippets
T1-2	Add `Organization` JSON-LD schema: name, url, logo (min 112×112px), sameAs all social profiles, contactPoint	Brand identity signal. Required for AI engines to understand who you are.	schema.org/Organization
T1-3	Add `WebSite` JSON-LD schema: name, url, SearchAction potentialAction	Enables sitelinks search box in Google. Declares canonical site identity.	schema.org/WebSite
T1-4	Create XML sitemap. Submit to Google Search Console.	Pages not in sitemap may never be indexed.	Google: Sitemaps
T1-5	Submit XML sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools (separate — Bing does not sync with GSC)	Bing requires its own sitemap submission. Without it, Bing won't index you.	Bing Webmaster Tools
T1-6	Audit `robots.txt`: correct format, no key pages blocked, CSS/JS files not blocked	Blocked CSS/JS = search engine cannot render page = severe ranking drop	Google: robots.txt
T1-7	Verify HTTPS on all pages. No mixed content warnings anywhere.	Confirmed ranking signal for Google. Trust signal for Bing.	Google: HTTPS
T1-8	BING CRITICAL: If site uses React/Vue/Angular CSR — check that critical content appears in raw HTML source without JavaScript execution. If not visible in source: SSR or pre-rendering is required immediately.	Bing cannot render JavaScript well. Client-side-only apps are effectively invisible to Bing.	Bing Webmaster Guidelines

TIER 2 — Performance & On-Page (Week 1)

ID	Action	Why	Official Reference
T2-1	Fix LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): compress hero images, convert to WebP, add `width`+`height` attributes, `<link rel="preload">` the LCP image. Target: under 2.5 seconds.	54% of sites fail CWV — huge competitive gap for those who pass.	web.dev/lcp
T2-2	Fix INP (Interaction to Next Paint): break up long JavaScript tasks, defer non-critical scripts, use `requestIdleCallback`. Target: under 200ms. ⚠️ INP replaced FID in March 2024.	Page responsiveness is a direct ranking signal.	web.dev/inp
T2-3	Fix CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): add explicit `width`+`height` to all images/videos/ads, reserve space for embeds, use `font-display: swap`. Target: under 0.1.	Unstable layout = poor UX = ranking penalty.	web.dev/cls
T2-4	Structure heading tags: one `<h1>` per page (matches title), keyword-rich `<h2>` for main sections, `<h3>` for sub-sections. Never skip heading levels.	Heading structure is a primary on-page relevance signal for both Google and Bing.	Google: Starter Guide
T2-5	Add full Open Graph tags: `og:title`, `og:description`, `og:image` (min 1200×630px), `og:url`, `og:type`, `og:site_name`	Direct Bing ranking input via social sharing. Also controls how pages look when shared.	Open Graph Protocol
T2-6	Add Twitter Card tags: `twitter:card` (use `summary_large_image`), `twitter:title`, `twitter:description`, `twitter:image`	Social visibility + Bing social ranking signal	Twitter Cards
T2-7	Add `WebPage` JSON-LD schema to every page: name, description, url, datePublished, dateModified, inLanguage	Communicates exact page type and freshness to crawlers	schema.org/WebPage
T2-8	Add `BreadcrumbList` JSON-LD schema on all multi-level pages	Navigation signals + cleaner breadcrumb display in SERPs	Google: Breadcrumbs
T2-9	Verify Google Mobile-Friendly Test passes	Google indexes mobile version first (mobile-first indexing)	Mobile-Friendly Test
T2-10	BING SPECIFIC: Verify exact-match keyword phrase appears verbatim in title, H1, first paragraph, URL slug, and meta description	Bing weights exact-match keywords far more heavily than Google	Bing Webmaster Guidelines
T2-11	BING SPECIFIC: Create or claim Bing Places listing (if any local/regional relevance)	Bing Maps + Copilot local visibility	Bing Places
T2-12	All image alt text: descriptive, natural keyword use, under 125 chars, no stuffing	Image search visibility + accessibility + crawl signal	Google: Images

TIER 3 — Content & Authority (Week 2–3)

ID	Action	Why	Official Reference
T3-1	Add `FAQPage` JSON-LD schema on all key pages with real user questions	Pages with FAQPage schema are 3.2× more likely to appear in Google AI Overviews	Google: FAQPage
T3-2	Add `HowTo` JSON-LD schema on all instructional/tutorial/guide content: steps, tools, totalTime	AI step extraction + voice search compatibility	Google: HowTo
T3-3	Add `Person`/`Author` JSON-LD schema on content pages: name, credentials, bio URL, sameAs LinkedIn	E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) signal. AI citation credibility.	schema.org/Person · E-E-A-T
T3-4	Add `Article` or `BlogPosting` JSON-LD schema to all content pages: headline, author, datePublished, publisher, image	Author authority + content freshness signal	schema.org/Article
T3-5	Keyword placement audit: confirm target keyword is in title, H1, first 100 words of body, meta description, URL slug. Natural usage only — no stuffing.	Core on-page signal for both Google and Bing	Google: Starter Guide
T3-6	Build topic cluster: identify hub (main) page + 5–10 supporting pages around the same core topic. Internal link all supporting pages back to hub.	Google favors niche expertise. Topic clusters drive sustained long-term ranking.	Google: Helpful Content
T3-7	Content freshness strategy: update `dateModified` in schema on every content update. Plan quarterly refresh cycle for top pages.	Pages updated within 12 months rank avg. 4.6 positions higher.	Google: Freshness
T3-8	Internal link audit: every page links to 2–3 related pages. No orphan pages. All anchor text descriptive — never "click here".	PageRank distribution + crawl discovery for both engines	Google: Links
T3-9	BING SPECIFIC: Social sharing strategy — publish key pages on Facebook and LinkedIn on a regular schedule	Explicit Bing ranking factor. Social engagement directly boosts Bing ranking.	Bing Webmaster Guidelines

| T4-7 | Add SoftwareApplication JSON-LD schema for SaaS/app products: applicationCategory, operatingSystem, offers (pricing) | App-specific rich results + AI product citation | schema.org/SoftwareApplication |

TIER 5 — Content SEO & Blog Optimization (Week 4–5)

ID	Action	Why	Official Reference
T5-1	Audit H1/H2/H3 structure: ensure one H1 per page, standalone H2 answer blocks, and correct heading hierarchy	Blocks are the extraction unit for AI Overviews and Copilot	Google: Snippets
T5-2	Restructure intro paragraphs: lead with the direct answer (inverted pyramid) in the first 40–60 words	Increases featured snippet eligibility + AI extraction reliability	Google: Snippets
T5-3	Add `BlogPosting` or `Article` schema to all content pages: headline, images (Image aspect ratios 1:1/4:3/16:9), datePublished, dateModified	Required for Google Discover + Big Rich Results eligibility	Google: Article
T5-4	Implement Pillar-Cluster model (Semantic keyword clusters): one pillar page per topic linking to 8–12 cluster pages	Establishes topical authority — critical for the Helpful Content System	Google: Helpful Content
T5-5	Author E-E-A-T audit: visible byline, custom author bio, and link to credentialed author page with `Person` schema	Core trust signal for both Google (E-E-A-T) and users	Google: E-E-A-T
T5-6	Content freshness sync: update `dateModified` only when substantive content changes occur	Fake freshness (date changes without content updates) is penalized	Google: Blog
T5-7	RSS Feed + WebSub/IndexNow setup: submit RSS to GSC/Bing WT and enable immediate pinging on publish	Fastest route to indexing new content in Google AND Bing	Google: RSS

PART 6 — SCHEMA JSON-LD TEMPLATES

All templates use JSON-LD format (preferred by both Google and Bing). Insert inside <script type="application/ld+json"> in <head>. Replace all {{GENERIC_VALUE}} values with real data.

Organization — Add to Every Homepage

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "{{COMPANY_NAME}}",
  "url": "{{WEBSITE_URL}}",
  "logo": "{{LOGO_URL_MIN_112x112px}}",
  "description": "{{ONE_SENTENCE_DESCRIPTION}}",
  "foundingDate": "{{YEAR}}",
  "sameAs": [
    "{{LINKEDIN_URL}}",
    "{{TWITTER_X_URL}}",
    "{{FACEBOOK_URL}}",
    "{{GITHUB_URL}}"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "customer support",
    "email": "{{SUPPORT_EMAIL}}",
    "url": "{{CONTACT_PAGE_URL}}"
  }
}

WebSite — Add to Every Homepage

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "{{SITE_NAME}}",
  "url": "{{WEBSITE_URL}}",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": {
      "@type": "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate": "{{WEBSITE_URL}}/search?q={search_term_string}"
    },
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}

WebPage — Add to Every Individual Page

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebPage",
  "name": "{{PAGE_TITLE}}",
  "description": "{{PAGE_DESCRIPTION}}",
  "url": "{{PAGE_URL}}",
  "datePublished": "{{YYYY-MM-DD}}",
  "dateModified": "{{YYYY-MM-DD}}",
  "inLanguage": "{{e.g. en-US}}",
  "isPartOf": {
    "@type": "WebSite",
    "url": "{{WEBSITE_URL}}"
  }
}

FAQPage — Highest GEO Impact (3.2× More Likely in AI Overviews)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "{{EXACT_QUESTION_USERS_TYPE}}",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "{{DIRECT_ANSWER_IN_PLAIN_TEXT_NO_HTML}}"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "{{QUESTION_2}}",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "{{ANSWER_2}}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Article / BlogPosting — Add to All Content Pages

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "{{TITLE_MAX_110_CHARS}}",
  "description": "{{META_DESCRIPTION}}",
  "url": "{{PAGE_URL}}",
  "datePublished": "{{YYYY-MM-DD}}",
  "dateModified": "{{YYYY-MM-DD}}",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "{{AUTHOR_FULL_NAME}}",
    "url": "{{AUTHOR_BIO_URL}}",
    "sameAs": ["{{AUTHOR_LINKEDIN_URL}}"]
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "{{COMPANY_NAME}}",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "{{LOGO_URL}}"
    }
  },
  "image": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "{{FEATURED_IMAGE_1200x630px}}",
    "width": 1200,
    "height": 630
  }
}

SoftwareApplication — For SaaS and App Products

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "{{APP_NAME}}",
  "description": "{{APP_DESCRIPTION}}",
  "url": "{{APP_URL}}",
  "applicationCategory": "{{e.g. BusinessApplication / UtilitiesApplication / EducationalApplication}}",
  "operatingSystem": "{{e.g. Web / iOS / Android / Windows}}",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "{{STARTING_PRICE_or_0_if_free}}",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "{{e.g. 4.7}}",
    "reviewCount": "{{NUMBER}}",
    "bestRating": "5"
  }
}

HowTo — For Tutorial and Instructional Content

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HowTo",
  "name": "{{HOW_TO_TITLE}}",
  "description": "{{BRIEF_DESCRIPTION}}",
  "totalTime": "{{ISO_DURATION_e.g._PT30M_for_30_minutes}}",
  "tool": [{ "@type": "HowToTool", "name": "{{REQUIRED_TOOL}}" }],
  "step": [
    {
      "@type": "HowToStep",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "{{STEP_1_SHORT_NAME}}",
      "text": "{{STEP_1_FULL_DESCRIPTION}}",
      "image": "{{STEP_1_IMAGE_URL_OPTIONAL}}"
    }
  ]
}

BreadcrumbList — All Multi-Level Pages

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "{{HOMEPAGE_URL}}"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "{{SECTION_NAME}}",
      "item": "{{SECTION_URL}}"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "{{PAGE_NAME}}",
      "item": "{{PAGE_URL}}"
    }
  ]
}

LocalBusiness — For Location-Based Products or Services

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "{{BUSINESS_NAME}}",
  "description": "{{DESCRIPTION}}",
  "url": "{{WEBSITE_URL}}",
  "telephone": "{{PHONE}}",
  "email": "{{EMAIL}}",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "{{STREET}}",
    "addressLocality": "{{CITY}}",
    "addressRegion": "{{STATE_REGION}}",
    "postalCode": "{{ZIP}}",
    "addressCountry": "{{e.g. US}}"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "{{LAT}}",
    "longitude": "{{LNG}}"
  }
}

PART 7 — META TAG RULES

`<title>` Tag

Length: 50–60 characters maximum
Structure: Primary Keyword — Descriptive Phrase | Brand Name
Rule: Primary keyword near the start; brand at the end
Every page must have a unique title — never duplicate
Bing: Uses title more as-written. Exact keyword phrase match critical.
Google: Often rewrites titles. Write the best human-readable version.
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link

`<meta name="description">`

Length: 150–160 characters maximum
Must include: Primary keyword + compelling reason to click (benefit, promise, or action)
Every page must have a unique description — never duplicate
Bing: Uses your written description mostly as-is. Write it carefully.
Google: Often rewrites it to match the specific query.
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet

`<meta name="robots">`

Rankable pages: content="index, follow"
Admin / thank-you / internal search / duplicate pages: content="noindex, nofollow"
Pages with useful links but not for ranking: content="noindex, follow"
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag

`<link rel="canonical">`

Every page must have one
Self-referencing on unique, original pages
Must use absolute URLs including https://
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/canonicalization

`<meta name="viewport">`

Always: content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"
Required for Google mobile-first indexing

Open Graph (`og:`)

og:image minimum 1200×630px — critical for Bing social signal ranking
og:type: use website for homepage, article for blog posts
Validate with: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
Reference: https://ogp.me/

`<link rel="hreflang">`

Required only for multi-language or multi-regional sites
Include x-default pointing to the default language
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/localization

PART 8 — CORE WEB VITALS REFERENCE

Official spec: https://web.dev/articles/vitals — Check this URL for any threshold updates.

⚠️ INP replaced FID in March 2024. Any guide, recommendation, or tool still mentioning FID as a ranking metric is outdated and must not be followed.

Metric	Good ✅	Needs Work ⚠️	Poor ❌	What It Measures
LCP — Largest Contentful Paint	< 2.5s	2.5–4.0s	> 4.0s	How fast the main content (hero image, heading) loads
INP — Interaction to Next Paint	< 200ms	200–500ms	> 500ms	How fast the page responds when user clicks or taps
CLS — Cumulative Layout Shift	< 0.1	0.1–0.25	> 0.25	How much content visually jumps around while loading

Must pass for 75% of real-user page loads (not just lab test).

Testing tool: https://pagespeed.web.dev/ — Run on both mobile AND desktop.

54.2% of websites currently fail at least one CWV metric — passing all three is a significant competitive advantage.

PART 9 — GOOGLE vs. BING DIFFERENCES

Never treat Google and Bing as the same search engine. Handle both explicitly.

Factor	Google	Bing
Keyword matching	Semantic + intent-based. Understands synonyms and related terms.	Exact-match preferred. Use the exact keyword phrase verbatim in title, H1, URL, first paragraph.
Social signals	Not officially used as ranking signals	Explicitly used. Facebook shares, LinkedIn engagement, X reposts directly boost ranking.
JavaScript rendering	Excellent — handles complex SPAs, multi-pass rendering	WEAK. Client-side-only React/Vue/Angular is often invisible to Bingbot. SSR or SSG required.
Indexing priority	Mobile-first. Desktop is secondary.	Desktop-first. Both versions must be optimized.
Meta description usage	Often rewrites to match the specific query	Uses your written description mostly as-is. Write carefully.
Domain age	Content quality can overcome a new domain	Older, established domains receive more inherent trust.
Backlink weighting	Quality + topical relevance	Extra weight for .edu and .gov domains. Total count also matters more.
Content length	Depth and completeness over raw word count	Explicitly prefers longer-form, comprehensive content.
Webmaster tools	Google Search Console	Bing Webmaster Tools — completely separate. Manual sitemap submission required.
Structured data	Powers rich results + AI Overviews	Powers Bing rich results + Copilot citations

PART 10 — VERIFICATION CHECKLIST

Run every item after each execution phase. Report Pass ✅ or Fail ❌ with evidence for each.

Verification Tools

Tool	URL	What It Validates
Google Rich Results Test	https://search.google.com/test/rich-results	All schema — must show 0 errors
Google PageSpeed Insights	https://pagespeed.web.dev/	LCP, INP, CLS scores
Google Mobile-Friendly Test	https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly	Mobile responsiveness
Google Search Console	https://search.google.com/search-console/	Indexing, coverage, CWV, manual actions
Bing Webmaster Tools	https://www.bing.com/webmasters/	Bing crawl, indexing, SEO analyzer
Bing URL Inspection	https://www.bing.com/webmasters/url-inspection	Specific URL index status in Bing
Schema.org Validator	https://validator.schema.org	Schema vocabulary correctness
Meta Tags Preview	https://metatags.io	SERP visual preview of title + description
Facebook OG Debugger	https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/	og: tags + Bing social signal verification

Final Sign-Off Checklist

PART 11 — ALGORITHM UPDATE MONITORING

When Google or Bing Announces an Update

Check the official reference links below for what changed.
Cross-reference against the affected section of this skill file.
Generate a specific impact report: what changed, which pages/tags/schema are affected, what action is needed.
Present impact report to user. Follow the Approved Change Protocol for every proposed update action.
After implementing: update any local notes with new version information.

Sources to Monitor

Source	URL	Check Frequency
Google Search Central Blog	https://developers.google.com/search/blog	Weekly
Bing Webmaster Blog	https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/	Monthly
Search Engine Land	https://searchengineland.com/category/google/algorithm	Weekly during major updates
Search Engine Roundtable	https://www.seroundtable.com/	Weekly
Core Web Vitals changelog	https://web.dev/articles/vitals	Quarterly

PART 12 — BEGINNER EXECUTION TIMELINE

For users starting from zero, execute in this exact order:

When	Actions
Day 1	Meta tags (title, description, robots, canonical, viewport) · Organization schema · WebSite schema · robots.txt audit · HTTPS verify · Sitemap → GSC + Bing WT
Week 1	CWV fixes (LCP/INP/CLS) · H1/H2/H3 structure · Open Graph tags · Twitter Cards · WebPage schema · BreadcrumbList schema · Mobile-friendly test · Bing JS rendering audit · Bing Places listing
Week 2	FAQPage schema · HowTo schema · Person/Author schema · Article schema · Keyword placement audit · Image alt text · Bing social sharing strategy
Week 3	Topic cluster planning · Internal link audit · Content freshness plan · Social sharing schedule · Fix any orphan pages
Week 4	GEO: self-contained H2 content blocks · Definitive answer formats ("X is Y.") · Entity name optimization · Citation links to credible sources · Tables/lists restructuring
Ongoing	Monthly: Review GSC + Bing WT errors · Quarterly: Refresh top-performing content pages · On update announcement: Check monitoring sources above

PART 13 — OFFICIAL REFERENCES INDEX

All critical official documentation. Verify these are current at each re-audit. If a URL redirects or changes, note it and update the skill file.

PART 14 — CONTENT SEO & BLOG OPTIMIZATION

This section covers everything the AI needs to optimize blog posts, articles, and content-driven pages. Apply this section whenever the user's site includes a blog, news section, or any content beyond static landing pages.

⚠️ INTEGRITY RULES FOR THIS ENTIRE SECTION

Before using any guidance in this section, the AI must internalize these non-negotiable rules:

NEVER instruct the user to:

Make false ranking promises — SEO involves variables outside anyone's control
Write fake reviews, fake testimonials, or manufactured social engagement of any kind
Use paid review schemes — violates Google's spam policies and consumer protection laws in most jurisdictions
Claim credentials, expertise, or experience the author does not actually have
Mark up content in schema that does not visibly exist on the page — Google requires schema to reflect visible page content
Change publication dates without making meaningful content updates — Google's December 2025 Core Update explicitly penalizes this as deceptive
Make superlative claims ("best in the world", "#1 guide") without verifiable evidence
Copy or reuse competitors' content

Source: Google Search Essentials — https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials Source: Google Spam Policies — https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies

14.1 — H1 / H2 / H3 HEADING RULES

Official basis: Google Developer Style Guide (https://developers.google.com/style/headings), Gary Illyes SEO Office Hours July 2024, John Mueller statements on heading structure

H1 Rules

Rule	Explanation
One primary H1 per page	Best practice for clarity — Google's John Mueller has confirmed multiple H1s do not technically harm SEO, but one clear H1 signals the page's primary topic
H1 ≠ title tag	The `<title>` tag is for SERPs; the H1 is for the page. They should be related but different. Google rewrites title tags when they don't match page content
Contains the primary keyword naturally	Do not force it — if the keyword fits naturally, use it; if it creates awkward phrasing, prioritize readability
Describes the page's exact purpose	Per Google's developer style guide: "Write document titles based on the primary purpose of the document"
20–70 characters is the readable range	No official character limit — but longer H1s reduce scannability
Never use H1 for styling	Use CSS for visual formatting. Reserve heading tags for content structure
Homepage H1 ≠ Blog post H1 ≠ Product page H1	Each page type has a different primary purpose — the H1 formula changes accordingly

Homepage H1 formula: [Brand Name] — [What You Do] for [Who You Serve] Blog post H1 formula: [Primary Keyword Naturally Phrased as the Article's Exact Topic] Product/service page H1 formula: [Product/Service Name] — [Primary Benefit or Use Case]

H2 Rules

H2 tags mark the major sections of a page. Each H2 is a self-contained topic block.

Critical for AI search visibility: Google AI Overviews and featured snippets extract content by block — by H2 section — not by full page. A self-contained H2 block that fully answers its implied question is the primary format that gets extracted and cited.

Rule	Explanation
Each H2 is a standalone answer block	The content immediately below each H2 must answer that H2's question completely, without relying on other sections
Question-format H2s for informational content	"What is X?", "How does X work?", "Why does X matter?" — these match voice search and People Also Ask queries
Statement-format H2s for listicles and how-to content	"The 5 types of X", "How to do X in 3 steps" — clearer for structured content
Contains semantic keyword variants naturally	Use related terms and synonyms — do not repeat the exact H1 keyword
One heading every 200–300 words	Observable pattern across top-ranking pages for scannability and crawl structure
Descriptive — never vague	"Introduction" and "Overview" are weak H2s. "What Core Web Vitals Are and Why They Affect Rankings" is strong
H2 anchor text previews the section	The reader should know what they will find in the section just from reading the H2

H3 Rules

H3 is a subsection within an H2. It is never placed without a parent H2.

Rule	Explanation
Never place H3 without a parent H2	Do not skip heading levels — breaks logical structure and accessibility
Use for sub-angles within an H2 section	Drilling into a specific example, a definition, a step within a process
Long-tail keyword variants fit naturally here	H3s often match the most specific, long-tail search queries
Do not use H3 for styling	Same rule as H1 — heading tags are for structure, not visual design

What to never do with any heading tag:

Skip levels (H1 → H3 without H2) — breaks both accessibility and logical flow
Use empty headings with no content beneath them
Stuff keywords into headings
Use identical headings on different pages of the same site

Source: https://developers.google.com/style/headings Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/featured-snippets

14.2 — BLOG POST STRUCTURE FRAMEWORK

Official basis: Google Helpful Content System (https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content), Google Quality Rater Guidelines January 2025

Google's December 2025 Core Update reinforced that content must demonstrate first-hand experience, serve user needs completely, and be structured to answer the query directly.

Compliant Blog Post Structure

1. H1 Title — primary keyword, describes the article's exact topic
   (Note: H1 and <title> tag should be related but not identical)

2. Introduction — 2–3 sentences
   → Answer the main question FIRST (inverted pyramid — give the answer, then support it)
   → State who this article is for and what they will learn
   → Do NOT bury the answer below 3 paragraphs of preamble

3. Key Takeaways (optional but recommended)
   → 3–5 bullet points summarizing the main answers
   → Helps AI search engines extract citation-worthy content
   → Reduces bounce rate for users who scan before reading

4. H2 Section 1 — major subtopic
   → Self-contained answer block
   → H3 subpoints if the H2 topic has distinct sub-angles
   → Minimum 150 words of substantive content below this H2

5. H2 Section 2 — next major subtopic
   → Same rules apply

6. [Repeat H2 sections as needed to fully cover the topic]

7. H2 — FAQ Section
   → Question-format H2s targeting People Also Ask and voice search queries
   → Each question answered directly below in 2–4 sentences (paragraph snippet format)
   → Add FAQPage schema to these questions (see Part 5 of this skill)

8. Conclusion — 2–4 sentences
   → Brief summary of what was covered
   → Clear next step or call to action
   → Do NOT introduce new information in the conclusion

9. Author Bio
   → Visible byline with the author's full name
   → 1–2 sentence bio excerpt with relevant credentials
   → Link to the full author page

What Google Rewards (December 2025 Core Update + Quality Rater Guidelines)

First-hand, lived experience with the topic — specific details, original observations, not paraphrased generic knowledge
Content that fully satisfies the user's query without requiring them to go elsewhere
Clear author attribution with visible, verifiable credentials
Depth appropriate to the topic — not padding, not artificial length
Original data, examples, screenshots, or case studies where possible

What Google Penalizes

Mass-produced AI content without expert human oversight and editing
Generic "SEO content" optimized for keywords but not for actual user value
Outdated content without recent updates or accuracy verification
Thin affiliate content that lacks original analysis or testing
Changing publication dates without making meaningful content changes (explicitly penalized in December 2025 Core Update)

Content Length Guidelines

Google does not have an official word count requirement. Length must match what is required to fully answer the query:

Content type	Typical range	Rationale
Pillar page / comprehensive guide	2,000+ words	Must cover a broad topic with depth
Cluster / supporting article	800–1,500 words	Focused on one specific subtopic
FAQ article	600–1,200 words	Answers multiple specific questions
News / update post	300–600 words	Timeliness matters more than length

Do not pad content. Filler paragraphs dilute the article's quality signal.

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content Source: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf

14.3 — ARTICLE AND BLOGPOSTING SCHEMA

Official basis: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/article (updated December 2025)

Article schema helps Google understand blog and news content and enables rich results including larger images, author information, and publication dates in search results and Google Discover.

Which Schema Type to Use

Schema type	Use when
`BlogPosting`	Standard blog posts — most specific type, preferred for blogs
`Article`	General articles, evergreen guides, opinion pieces
`NewsArticle`	Time-sensitive news reporting ONLY — do NOT use for evergreen content

Complete BlogPosting Schema Template

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "headline": "Article title — maximum 110 characters",
  "image": [
    "https://example.com/image-1x1.jpg",
    "https://example.com/image-4x3.jpg",
    "https://example.com/image-16x9.jpg"
  ],
  "datePublished": "2025-01-15T08:00:00+00:00",
  "dateModified": "2025-01-20T12:30:00+00:00",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Author Full Name",
    "url": "https://example.com/about/author-name"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Site Name",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
    }
  },
  "description": "Meta description of the article — 120–160 characters",
  "mainEntityOfPage": {
    "@type": "WebPage",
    "@id": "https://example.com/full-article-url"
  }
}

Critical Schema Rules

Rule	Why it matters
`headline` max 110 characters	Truncated in rich results beyond this
Images in all three aspect ratios	Required for full rich result eligibility — 1:1, 4:3, and 16:9
`dateModified` reflects actual content changes only	Google penalizes fake freshness — only update when substantive changes are made
`author.url` links to a real author page	Author page must have credentials — not a generic homepage
Schema must reflect visible page content	Never mark up content users cannot see — Google requires markup to match on-page content
Validate with Rich Results Test after implementation	https://search.google.com/test/rich-results

Schema Combinations for Blog Pages

On a blog post page, these schema types can be used together:

BlogPosting — the article itself
FAQPage — if a FAQ section is present on the page
BreadcrumbList — for navigation hierarchy
Person — for the author (can be placed on the author page)

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/article Source: https://schema.org/BlogPosting

14.4 — CONTENT CLUSTER AND PILLAR PAGE FRAMEWORK

Official basis: Google's topical authority signals, Google June 2025 Core Update (topical authority rewarded), internal linking best practices from Google Search Central

The Pillar-Cluster Model

PILLAR PAGE (1 per broad topic)
├── Targets the broad, competitive head keyword
├── 2,000+ words covering the topic comprehensively
├── Links out to every cluster page in the topic group
├── Updated as the topic evolves
│
├── CLUSTER PAGE 1 — specific subtopic A
│   ├── Focuses on ONE specific angle only
│   ├── Links back to the pillar page
│   └── Links to 2–3 related cluster pages (horizontal)
│
├── CLUSTER PAGE 2 — specific subtopic B
│   └── Same structure
│
└── CLUSTER PAGE 3–12 — (8–12 cluster pages per pillar minimum)

Pillar Page Rules

One pillar per broad topic on the site — the most comprehensive, authoritative page on that subject
Must link out to every cluster page in its topic group using descriptive anchor text
Should cover the topic at a level that makes it a useful starting point for any subtopic the user might want to explore
Prioritize in XML sitemap (higher priority value)
Update when new cluster pages are added or when the topic evolves

Cluster Page Rules

Cover exactly ONE specific subtopic — do not bleed into another cluster page's territory
Every cluster page must link back to its pillar page using relevant, descriptive anchor text
Anchor text must describe the target page — never use "click here", "read more", or "this article"
Each cluster page links to 2–3 related cluster pages within the same topic group (horizontal linking)
Keyword cannibalization check: if two cluster pages target the same primary keyword with the same intent, consolidate them into one

Internal Linking Rules

Rule	Source
Click depth ≤ 3 from homepage to any important page	Google's crawlability guidelines
Under 100 internal links per page	Google's documented recommendation
Contextual anchor text only — describes the target page topic	Google Search Central
Fix orphan pages (zero inbound internal links) — they cannot rank effectively	Screaming Frog / GSC coverage report
No linking purely for link equity — every link must serve user navigation	Google spam policies

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials

14.5 — KEYWORD RESEARCH FOR CONTENT CREATION

Official basis: Google Search Essentials, Google Helpful Content System

The Three Keyword Types

Type	Characteristics	Content to create
Head keywords	1–2 words, high volume, high competition	Pillar pages
Body keywords	2–3 words, moderate competition	Main cluster pages
Long-tail keywords	4+ words, specific, lower volume, high intent	Supporting cluster pages, FAQ sections

Keyword Intent Mapping

Before creating any content, identify the search intent — what the user actually wants to accomplish:

Intent	What the user wants	Create
Informational	Learn about a topic	Blog post, guide, explainer
Navigational	Find a specific site	Homepage, brand page
Commercial	Research before deciding	Comparison, review, best-of list
Transactional	Ready to act or buy	Product/service page, landing page

Creating informational content for a transactional keyword (or vice versa) will not rank — the content type must match the intent.

Free Research Tools

Tool	Use for
Google Search → People Also Ask boxes	Question-format H2 ideas, FAQ content
Google Search → Related Searches (bottom of page)	Long-tail keyword variants
Google Search Console → Queries report	Keywords you already rank for — expand coverage
Bing Webmaster Tools → Keyword Research	Bing-specific keyword data — completely separate from Google data
Google Trends	Seasonal patterns, trending topics in your niche

Semantic Keyword Strategy

Google's language matching systems understand synonyms, related concepts, and entity relationships. This means:

Do not repeat the exact keyword phrase unnaturally — use the full range of related language
Cover the topic completely using natural language — related terms, synonyms, entity names
Write for readers first — Google's systems are designed to evaluate whether content genuinely serves users

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

14.6 — BLOG TITLE AND H1 FORMULAS

Official basis: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link

Title Tag Rules (for SERPs)

Rule	Specification
Character length	50–60 characters — beyond 60 is typically truncated in SERPs
Primary keyword position	Toward the front when natural — do not force it
Must be accurate	Google rewrites title tags that don't match page content
Title tag ≠ H1	They should be related but different — title is for SERPs, H1 is for the page
No keyword stuffing	Google detects and rewrites manipulative title tags
No superlative claims without evidence	"Best", "World's #1" — only use if you can substantiate the claim

H1 Formulas by Content Type

Informational / how-to:

How to [Do Specific Task]: [Benefit or Context]
What Is [Topic]? [One-Line Clarification]
[Topic]: A Complete Guide for [Specific Audience]
[Number] [Things/Ways/Types] to [Achieve Specific Outcome]

Comparison / commercial:

[Option A] vs [Option B]: Which Is Better for [Specific Use Case]?
Best [Category] for [Specific Need] ([Current Year])

FAQ / informational:

[Topic] FAQ: [Number] Questions Answered
Everything You Need to Know About [Topic]

What to avoid:

Clickbait titles that do not match page content — damages trust and Google adjusts them
Vague titles ("My Thoughts on X", "A Quick Note About Y")
Keyword-stuffed titles ("Best SEO Tips SEO Guide Top SEO Strategies 2025")
Unsubstantiated superlatives ("The World's Best Guide to X")

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet

14.7 — FEATURED SNIPPET WRITING PATTERNS

Official basis: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/featured-snippets

Featured snippets are automatically selected from pages already ranking in the top 10. You cannot apply — you structure content to make extraction easy.

Snippet Type 1 — Paragraph Snippets

Best for: "What is X?", "Why does X happen?", "What causes X?"

Writing pattern:

H2: What Is [Topic]?

[Answer in 40–60 words starting with a direct definition]
[Topic] is [definition]. [One supporting sentence explaining why this matters or how it works].

[Additional context in the paragraphs that follow]

Key rule: The answer block immediately below the H2 must stand alone — it must fully answer the H2's question without the reader needing any other section.

Snippet Type 2 — List Snippets

Best for: "How to do X", "Types of X", "Best X for Y"

Writing pattern:

H2: How to [Do Specific Task]

[Brief 1-sentence intro]

<ol>
  <li>[Step 1 — specific and actionable]</li>
  <li>[Step 2]</li>
  <li>[Step 3]</li>
  ...
</ol>

Key rule: Use proper HTML <ol> or <ul> list markup — not plain text dashes or asterisks. 5–8 items is the observable sweet spot for list snippets.

Snippet Type 3 — Table Snippets

Best for: "Types of X", "X vs Y comparison", "What are the [categories/options/prices] of X?"

Writing pattern:

H2: [Comparison or Category Topic]

<table>
  <tr><th>Column 1</th><th>Column 2</th><th>Column 3</th></tr>
  <tr><td>...</td><td>...</td><td>...</td></tr>
</table>

Key rule: Use proper HTML <table> markup. Keep tables under 5 columns for mobile readability.

Rules That Apply to All Snippet Types

The page must already be indexed and ranking to be eligible — snippet optimization is about extractability, not initial ranking
Never write clickbait questions as H2s without immediately answering them
The FAQ section (H2 question + direct answer) is the most reliable pattern for paragraph snippet eligibility

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/featured-snippets

14.8 — AUTHOR E-E-A-T SIGNALS FOR BLOG CONTENT

Official basis: Google Quality Rater Guidelines January 2025 (https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf), Google Helpful Content System

Google evaluates content at three levels: content level, author level, and site level. After the December 2025 Core Update, author-level signals are reviewed for all content types, not just YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics.

Required Author Page Elements

Element	Requirement
Full name	Not "Admin", "Editor", or "SEO Team"
Professional credentials	Relevant to the topics the author writes about
Years of experience	Specific to the subject area
External profile links	LinkedIn, professional associations, published work elsewhere
Photo	Increases human trust signals
Link to authored articles	Bidirectional — author page links to articles, articles link to author page

Required Per-Article Author Elements

Visible byline with the author's full name — linked to the author page
1–2 sentence bio excerpt at the bottom of the article
The full author page linked from the bio excerpt
Do NOT use generic bylines for any topic — especially not for health, finance, legal, or safety content

Person Schema for Authors

Place this on the author's dedicated page:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Author Full Name",
  "url": "https://example.com/author/name",
  "image": "https://example.com/author-photo.jpg",
  "jobTitle": "Actual job title",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorprofile",
    "https://twitter.com/authorhandle"
  ],
  "knowsAbout": ["topic area 1", "topic area 2"]
}

What NOT to Do (Ethical and Legal Boundaries)

Do NOT fabricate credentials — this is both an SEO risk and potentially illegal misrepresentation
Do NOT write fake testimonials or fabricated endorsements — violates FTC guidelines and Google's spam policies
Do NOT use paid review schemes — violates Google's spam policies and consumer protection laws in most jurisdictions
Do NOT claim expertise the author does not have
Do NOT use ghost authorship for YMYL content without disclosing the actual expert reviewer

Source: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf Source: https://schema.org/Person

14.9 — CONTENT FRESHNESS AND UPDATE STRATEGY

Official basis: Google December 2025 Core Update (https://developers.google.com/search/blog), Google Helpful Content System

How Google's Freshness Algorithm Categorizes Queries

Query type	Examples	Update priority
Breaking	News, viral events	Hours matter
Recent	Product launches, software versions	Weeks matter
Ongoing	Industry tutorials, best practices	Months matter
Evergreen	Definitions, fundamentals	Accuracy matters more than recency

CRITICAL — What Counts as a Meaningful Content Update

Only update dateModified in schema AND on the page when these happen:

✅ Adding new data, statistics, or research not previously in the article ✅ Updating factual information that has changed (software versions, laws, guidelines) ✅ Adding a new section covering a topic the original article missed ✅ Removing information that is now incorrect or outdated ✅ Revising recommendations based on new official guidance

❌ Do NOT update dateModified for:

Fixing a typo
Changing image alt text
Minor CSS or layout changes
Adding an internal link without changing body content
Changing the date to look fresh without changing the content

Google's December 2025 Core Update explicitly penalizes fake freshness — changing dates without meaningful updates is now treated as a deceptive practice.

Content Audit Schedule

Frequency	Actions
Monthly	Check GSC for pages losing impressions — candidates for update
Quarterly	Refresh top-performing articles with new data and updated sections
Annually	Full content audit — identify pages to update, consolidate, or remove
On algorithm update	Re-evaluate pages that lost traffic against the update's stated focus

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/blog Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

14.10 — RSS FEED SETUP AND OPTIMIZATION

Official basis: Google Search Central Blog — Best practices for XML sitemaps and RSS/Atom feeds (https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/10/best-practices-for-xml-sitemaps-rssatom)

Google officially recommends using BOTH XML sitemaps AND RSS/Atom feeds together:

XML sitemaps: tell Google about all pages on the site
RSS/Atom feeds: tell Google about recent updates — crawled more frequently than sitemaps

RSS Feed Best Practices

Rule	Why
Include only canonical URLs	Never include duplicate URLs — increases server load without improving indexing
Set `pubDate` accurately	Only update timestamps when content changes meaningfully — Google uses these to track content lifecycle
Do NOT artificially modify timestamps	Google detects timestamp manipulation — treat this the same as fake freshness
Submit RSS feed to Google Search Console (Sitemaps section)	Alongside the XML sitemap — not instead of it
Submit RSS feed to Bing Webmaster Tools separately	Completely separate from Google submission
Keep feed to last 20–50 items	Practical standard — Google needs recent updates, not full history
All URLs in the feed must return 200 status codes	Broken links in RSS confuse crawlers

WebSub / PubSubHubbub

John Mueller (Google) has recommended using RSS with WebSub (formerly PubSubHubbub) as the fastest method for getting new content indexed. This is a ping protocol that notifies Google and feed aggregators immediately when new content is published.

WordPress: supported natively by Jetpack and many SEO plugins
Custom sites: requires developer implementation
Protocol: https://www.w3.org/TR/websub/

Bing-Specific: IndexNow

Bing's IndexNow protocol allows direct URL submission the moment content is published — faster and more direct for Bing indexing than RSS alone. Use both in parallel:

RSS/Atom feed submitted to Bing Webmaster Tools
IndexNow API for immediate URL submission on publish
IndexNow documentation: https://www.indexnow.org

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/10/best-practices-for-xml-sitemaps-rssatom Source: https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a Source: https://www.indexnow.org

14.11 — CONTENT CALENDAR AND PUBLISHING CADENCE

Official basis: Google Helpful Content System (https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content)

Quality always supersedes quantity. One excellent, comprehensive article outranks ten thin ones. Publishing cadence matters only when quality is maintained.

Keyword Cannibalization Prevention

Before creating any new article, check whether an existing page on the site already targets the same primary keyword with the same search intent. If yes:

Do NOT create a second article — the two pages will compete against each other
Instead, strengthen the existing article with the new content you planned to write
If the existing article is very thin, replace it rather than creating a parallel article

Publishing Rules

Publish one complete, fully useful article before publishing two partial ones
Every published article must fully cover its topic — splitting one topic across multiple thin articles creates cannibalization and dilutes authority
Do not publish dummy or "coming soon" pages — unpublished drafts should remain private until complete

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

FilesExpand file tree

SEO_GEO_SKILL.md

Latest commit

History

SEO_GEO_SKILL.md

File metadata and controls

SEO & GEO OPTIMIZER — Universal AI Skill

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL

PART 1 — IRON LAWS

PART 2 — SEO & GEO EXECUTION PHASES

[ ] Phase 1 to 14 Completion State

Phase 0 — Initialize

Phase 4 — Critical Stop

Approved Change Protocol

PART 3 — INTAKE QUESTIONNAIRE (ALL 40 QUESTIONS)

GROUP A — Product & Business Identity

GROUP B — Target Audience & Market

GROUP C — Competitors & Current State

GROUP D — Goals & Constraints

GROUP E — GEO & AI Visibility Goals

PART 4 — COMPETITOR ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK

Step 1 — Find Real SEO Competitors

Step 2 — Analyze All 13 Dimensions For Each Competitor

Step 3 — Competitor Analysis Table (Fill For Each Competitor)

PART 5 — EXECUTION PLAN REPORT (EPR) TEMPLATE

EPR Header

Situation Assessment

Critical Findings

Prioritized Action Plan

TIER 1 — Critical Foundation (Day 1)

TIER 2 — Performance & On-Page (Week 1)

TIER 3 — Content & Authority (Week 2–3)

TIER 5 — Content SEO & Blog Optimization (Week 4–5)

PART 6 — SCHEMA JSON-LD TEMPLATES

Organization — Add to Every Homepage

WebSite — Add to Every Homepage

WebPage — Add to Every Individual Page

FAQPage — Highest GEO Impact (3.2× More Likely in AI Overviews)

Article / BlogPosting — Add to All Content Pages

SoftwareApplication — For SaaS and App Products

HowTo — For Tutorial and Instructional Content

BreadcrumbList — All Multi-Level Pages

LocalBusiness — For Location-Based Products or Services

PART 7 — META TAG RULES

<title> Tag

<meta name="description">

<meta name="robots">

<link rel="canonical">

<meta name="viewport">

Open Graph (og:)

<link rel="hreflang">

PART 8 — CORE WEB VITALS REFERENCE

PART 9 — GOOGLE vs. BING DIFFERENCES

PART 10 — VERIFICATION CHECKLIST

Verification Tools

Final Sign-Off Checklist

PART 11 — ALGORITHM UPDATE MONITORING

When Google or Bing Announces an Update

Sources to Monitor

PART 12 — BEGINNER EXECUTION TIMELINE

PART 13 — OFFICIAL REFERENCES INDEX

Google

Bing

Schema Vocabulary

Protocols & Social

PART 14 — CONTENT SEO & BLOG OPTIMIZATION

⚠️ INTEGRITY RULES FOR THIS ENTIRE SECTION

14.1 — H1 / H2 / H3 HEADING RULES

H1 Rules

H2 Rules

H3 Rules

14.2 — BLOG POST STRUCTURE FRAMEWORK

Compliant Blog Post Structure

What Google Rewards (December 2025 Core Update + Quality Rater Guidelines)

What Google Penalizes

Content Length Guidelines

14.3 — ARTICLE AND BLOGPOSTING SCHEMA

Which Schema Type to Use

Complete BlogPosting Schema Template

Critical Schema Rules

`<title>` Tag

`<meta name="description">`

`<meta name="robots">`

`<link rel="canonical">`

`<meta name="viewport">`

Open Graph (`og:`)

`<link rel="hreflang">`