--- name: seo-strategy description: Develop and execute search engine optimization strategies including technical SEO, on-page optimization, content SEO, link building, local SEO, and SEO analytics. Use when auditing SEO performance, optimizing website content, building link strategies, conducting keyword research, or improving search rankings. Triggers on phrases like "SEO", "search engine optimization", "keyword research", "link building", "technical SEO", "on-page SEO", "search ranking", "organic traffic", "site audit". --- # SEO Strategy & Optimization Drive organic traffic and visibility through comprehensive search engine optimization. ## Workflow ### 1. SEO Strategy & Keyword Research 1. **SEO goal setting and planning**: - Organic traffic targets by segment and channel - Keyword ranking targets (head terms, long-tail, branded) - Revenue attribution targets from organic search - SEO role within overall marketing mix - Budget and resource allocation 2. **Keyword research and prioritization**: - Seed keyword identification (product, service, industry terms) - Keyword expansion (related terms, questions, variations) - Search volume and difficulty assessment - Intent categorization (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional) - Keyword mapping to page architecture 3. **Competitive SEO analysis**: - Competitor keyword ranking analysis - Competitor backlink profile analysis - Content gap identification - SERP feature opportunity analysis (featured snippets, people also ask) - Market share of voice (SOV) measurement ### 2. Technical SEO 1. **Site crawlability and indexing**: - Robots.txt and sitemap configuration - Crawl budget optimization - Index coverage monitoring (Google Search Console) - Canonical URL management - Duplicate content identification and resolution 2. **Site performance optimization**: - Core Web Vitals optimization (LCP, FID, CLS) - Page load speed optimization (images, caching, CDN, minification) - Mobile-friendliness and responsive design - Server response time optimization - JavaScript rendering optimization 3. **Site architecture and structure**: - URL structure optimization - Internal linking strategy - Breadcrumb and navigation structure - Faceted navigation and parameter handling - Schema markup and structured data implementation ### 3. On-Page SEO & Content Optimization 1. **Page-level optimization**: - Title tag optimization (keyword inclusion, length, uniqueness) - Meta description optimization (CTR-focused, keyword-inclusive) - Header tag hierarchy (H1, H2, H3) - Content optimization (keyword density, readability, depth) - Image optimization (alt text, file size, lazy loading) 2. **Content SEO strategy**: - Topic cluster development (pillar pages + supporting content) - Content brief creation with SEO requirements - Content optimization for search intent - Content refresh and update strategy - User-generated content SEO leverage 3. **Conversion optimization integration**: - Landing page optimization for SEO traffic - Call-to-action placement and optimization - Form optimization for lead capture - A/B testing for SEO landing pages - Multi-touch attribution for SEO conversions ### 4. Link Building & Authority Development 1. **Backlink strategy and planning**: - Link profile audit and gap analysis - Target link profile definition (quantity, quality, diversity) - Link building tactic selection (content-led, outreach, PR, technical) - Disavow file management (toxic link identification) - Link velocity and natural growth planning 2. **Link acquisition execution**: - Digital PR and earned media outreach - Guest posting and content partnerships - Resource page link building - Broken link building - Competitive link gap exploitation 3. **Internal link optimization**: - Internal link audit and opportunity identification - Strategic internal linking for authority distribution - Breadcrumb and navigation optimization - Related content linking - Orphan page identification and resolution ### 5. SEO Analytics & Continuous Improvement 1. **Performance monitoring**: - Organic traffic tracking and segmentation - Keyword ranking tracking (daily/weekly) - SERP feature presence tracking - Click-through rate analysis by position - Conversion and revenue attribution 2. **Reporting and insights**: - Monthly SEO performance report - Quarterly SEO strategy review - Annual SEO assessment and planning - Executive SEO dashboard - ROI measurement and reporting 3. **Algorithm change management**: - Industry alert monitoring (Google Search Central, SEO news) - Impact assessment for algorithm updates - Rapid response protocol for ranking drops - Recovery plan execution - Best practice compliance verification ## Templates & Frameworks ### SEO Audit Checklist ``` COMPREHENSIVE SEO AUDIT CHECKLIST ================================== TECHNICAL SEO: [ ] Site crawlability (robots.txt, sitemap.xml valid) [ ] Index coverage (no critical errors in GSC) [ ] Page speed (Core Web Vitals all green) [ ] Mobile-friendliness (Google Mobile-Friendly Test passes) [ ] HTTPS implementation (secure, no mixed content) [ ] Structured data/Schema markup (valid, no errors) [ ] Canonical URLs (properly set, no conflicts) [ ] 404 errors (minimal, redirected where appropriate) [ ] Redirect chains (minimal, <2 hops) [ ] DNS and server configuration (optimized) ON-PAGE SEO: [ ] Title tags (unique, <60 chars, keyword-optimized) [ ] Meta descriptions (unique, <160 chars, CTR-optimized) [ ] Header tags (proper hierarchy, single H1 per page) [ ] URL structure (clean, keyword-rich, consistent) [ ] Image alt text (descriptive, keyword-relevant where appropriate) [ ] Internal linking (sufficient, strategic, no broken links) [ ] Content quality (comprehensive, original, well-structured) [ ] Keyword optimization (natural usage, no keyword stuffing) CONTENT SEO: [ ] Content freshness (regular updates, current information) [ ] Topic coverage (comprehensive, matches search intent) [ ] Content depth (sufficient length, expert-level) [ ] Multimedia integration (images, video, infographics) [ ] E-E-A-T signals (expertise, experience, authority, trustworthiness) [ ] User engagement signals (low bounce, good time on page) OFF-PAGE SEO: [ ] Backlink profile (quality, diversity, natural growth) [ ] Domain authority (trend, vs competitors) [ ] Brand mentions (monitoring, unlinked mention recovery) [ ] Local SEO (Google Business Profile, citations — if applicable) [ ] Social signals (content sharing, engagement) CRITICAL ISSUES FOUND: [List with severity: Critical/High/Medium/Low] [Priority remediation plan with timeline] ``` ### Keyword Research Framework ``` KEYWORD RESEARCH & PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK ============================================ KEYWORD SCORING MODEL: Priority Score = (Search Volume × 0.3) + (Intent Match × 0.3) + (Authority × 0.2) + (Business Value × 0.2) KEYWORD CATEGORIES: Head terms: High volume, high difficulty, broad intent (e.g., "CRM software") Mid-tail: Medium volume, medium difficulty, specific intent (e.g., "CRM for small business") Long-tail: Lower volume, lower difficulty, high conversion intent (e.g., "best CRM for real estate agents under $50/month") INTENT CLASSIFICATION: Informational: "how to", "what is", "guide", "tutorial" — blog content Commercial: "best", "review", "vs", "comparison" — comparison pages Transactional: "buy", "price", "deal", "subscription" — product/pricing pages Navigational: brand name, product name — landing pages KEYWORD MAPPING: Homepage: Brand terms, primary category terms Category pages: Mid-tail category keywords Product pages: Transactional product-specific keywords Blog posts: Informational long-tail keywords Landing pages: Campaign-specific and high-intent keywords CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES: Keywords ranking positions 4-10 (quick wins with optimization) Keywords ranking positions 11-20 (content creation opportunity) Competitor keywords we're not targeting (gap analysis) Rising search trends (Google Trends, GSC queries) Question-based keywords (featured snippet opportunity) MONTHLY KEYWORD TRACKING: Track top 500 keywords by priority score Monitor ranking position, search volume, and SERP features Report on gains, losses, and opportunities Adjust strategy based on performance data ``` ## Integration Points - SEO platforms (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Screaming Frog): Keyword research, site audit, ranking tracking - Google Search Console: Index coverage, search performance, technical issues - Google Analytics: Organic traffic analysis, conversion tracking - Content management systems: On-page optimization implementation - Page speed tools (PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, GTmetrix): Performance monitoring - Schema validators (Google Rich Results Test): Structured data validation - Link analysis tools (Majestic, Ahrefs Links): Backlink profile monitoring - Rank tracking tools (AccuRanker, SERPWatcher): Position monitoring ## Edge Cases - **Major algorithm update impact**: Impact assessment within 24 hours; affected page identification; compliance review; recovery plan execution; stakeholder communication - **E-commerce SEO at scale**: Product page template optimization; category page strategy; duplicate content management (variants); structured data for products; review schema - **Local SEO for multi-location**: Location page optimization; Google Business Profile management; local citation building; review management; local keyword targeting - **International SEO**: hreflang implementation; country-specific content; local search engine optimization; translation quality; regional domain strategy - **SEO-Content team alignment**: Shared keyword strategy; content brief SEO requirements; editorial calendar SEO integration; performance feedback loop ## Output ### SEO Performance Dashboard ``` SEO PERFORMANCE — April 2025 =============================== ORGANIC TRAFFIC: Total organic sessions: 187,400 (↑ 12% MoM) Total organic users: 142,800 Organic bounce rate: 34% (↓ 3% MoM ✓) Avg session duration: 3:42 (↑ 15 sec MoM) Pages per session: 3.8 KEYWORD RANKINGS: Total keywords tracked: 2,340 Keywords in top 3: 187 (↑ 12 from last month) Keywords in top 10: 842 (↑ 34 from last month) Keywords in top 20: 1,230 Avg position (top 100): 24.3 (↑ 2.1 positions) CONVERSION METRICS: Organic conversions: 4,820 (↑ 18% MoM) Organic conversion rate: 2.8% ✓ Organic leads: 2,340 Organic revenue (attributed): $342,000 Cost per acquisition (organic): $14.60 TECHNICAL HEALTH: Core Web Vitals: 94% pages passing ✓ Index coverage: 98.7% ✓ Crawl errors: 23 (↓ 15 from last month) Structured data: Valid on 96% pages ✓ Mobile usability: 99.2% pages passing ✓ BACKLINK PROFILE: Total referring domains: 4,820 (↑ 3.2% MoM) New backlinks (month): 87 Lost backlinks (month): 23 Domain authority: 62 (↑ 1 from last month) Toxic link ratio: 2.1% ✓ CONTENT PERFORMANCE: Top organic page: "[Guide]" — 23,400 sessions, 342 conversions New content published: 18 articles/landing pages Content refresh completed: 12 pages Avg ranking improvement (new content): +14 positions SERP FEATURES: Featured snippets: 23 (↑ 4) People Also Answer: 67 Image pack: 12 Local pack: 8 (if applicable) Knowledge panel: 3 ``` ## Trigger Phrases "SEO", "search engine optimization", "keyword research", "link building", "technical SEO", "on-page SEO", "search ranking", "organic traffic", "site audit", "Core Web Vitals", "schema markup", "backlink", "SERP", "content SEO", "local SEO"