seo-strategy

What this skill does

# Strategies: SEO

Guides SEO strategy: workflow order, prioritization, Product-Led SEO, and when to use which skills. Use this skill when planning SEO from scratch, auditing an existing site, or deciding what to do next.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Strategic Context: Why SEO

| Value | Rationale |
|-------|------------|
| **Traffic control** | ~68% of initial web traffic from search; search aggregates most user intent |
| **Growth channel** | ~87% of consumers prefer Google when discovering new categories; 43% of conversions from organic (vs ~11% social) |
| **Cost efficiency** | SEO user LTV 3–5× paid ads; rank #1 CTR ~27.6% vs #10 ~2.4% |
| **Long-term asset** | Quality SEO assets yield 3–5 years of traffic; Core Web Vitals correlate with conversion (e.g., +8% per 0.1s faster) |

**SEO = Google optimization**: Google holds ~91% global search share; B2B buyers use search as research starting point. Optimize for Google first; see **localization-strategy** for non-Google markets.

**Reference**: [Alignify – SEO Core Value and Challenges in AI Search Era](https://alignify.co/zh/insights/reasons-you-need-seo)

## When to Invest in SEO

| Stage | Recommendation |
|-------|----------------|
| **Cold start** | Use email, ads, or influencers for first users; SEO takes time (sandbox, 6+ months) |
| **Post-PMF** | SEO scales; combine with paid for faster feedback; see **pmf-strategy**, **paid-ads-strategy** |
| **Team** | Many SMBs use contractors; SEO spans content, links, tech, UX—full-time team when scaling |

**Principle**: Don't do SEO for SEO's sake; don't fight Google rules; prioritize real user experience.

## AI Search Era & Channel Integration

| Challenge | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| **Zero-click, AI Overviews** | ~30% clicks go to Google-owned properties; AI Overviews ~12–15% SERP share; TOFU (what/why/how) CTR declining |
| **Algorithm volatility** | 5000+ updates/year; traffic swings common; focus on helpful content, E-E-A-T |
| **Response** | Elevate SEO to **search experience optimization**—user-centric, not rank-centric; see **generative-engine-optimization** for AI visibility |

**Channel integration**: SEO + ads (validate keywords, retarget); SEO + influencers (backlinks, mentions); SEO + social (UGC, embeddable content). Plugins/apps: functional links back to site.

## Workflow Order

**Fix foundation before optimizing pages.** Execute in this order:

| Phase | Focus | Skills |
|-------|-------|--------|
| **1. Technical** | Crawlability, indexing, sitemap | robots-txt, xml-sitemap, canonical-tag, indexing, indexnow, site-crawlability |
| **2. On-Page** | Metadata, structure, schema | title-tag, meta-description, page-metadata, schema-markup, internal-links, url-structure, heading-structure |
| **3. Content** | Keywords, clusters, optimization | keyword-research, content-strategy, content-optimization |
| **4. Off-Page** | Backlinks, authority | link-building, backlink-analysis |

Technical issues block indexing and crawl; on-page issues limit how well content ranks; content and off-page build authority over time.

## Product-Led SEO

SEO leverages content you already have—brand, features, scenarios, input, output, prompt, processes, knowledge—published in a structured way. Even without SEO, you'd showcase product features; SEO makes that content benefit you in traffic.

**Principle**: Do SEO around product/users, not around industry/search engines.

### Products Suited for SEO

| Type | Suited because |
|------|----------------|
| **Tool** | Users have clear use cases and needs |
| **Content** | Users have clear information needs |
| **E-commerce** | Users have clear purchase needs |
| **Service** | Users have clear service needs |

**Agent/Copilot products**: Pure native Agent hard to grow via SEO; users rarely search "agent." Release related features first (e.g., CRM, sales bot for sales agent) to build traffic, then funnel to Agent product. See **keyword-research** for product positioning test.

## SEO Audit Approach

| Scenario | Order | Focus |
|----------|-------|-------|
| **New site** | domain-selection → website-structure → Technical → On-Page → Content | Choose domain first (if needed); plan pages; build foundation; add content |
| **Existing site** | Technical audit → On-Page audit → Content gap → Off-Page | Fix crawl/index first; then metadata, schema; then content gaps; then links |
| **Low traffic** | keyword-research → content-strategy → content-optimization | Often content or intent mismatch |
| **Not indexing** | indexing, robots-txt, site-crawlability | Technical blockers |

## SEO Roadmap Priorities

| Priority | Meaning | Examples |
|----------|---------|----------|
| **P0** | Blocker—fix first | Crawlability, indexing, robots blocking |
| **P1** | Core—do soon | Title, meta, schema, sitemap, internal links |
| **P2** | Important—not urgent | Open Graph, Twitter Cards, IndexNow |
| **P3** | Nice to have | Rich results, sitelinks optimization |

## Paid–Organic Alignment

SEO and PPC share the same SERP—ads, AI overviews, videos, organic links. Without alignment, you risk duplication, cannibalization, and wasted spend. **Shared keyword data**: Use **keyword-research** for both; **google-ads** for Search targeting. PPC conversion data can prioritize SEO keywords; organic rank 4+ may reduce need for PPC on those terms.

**Reference**: [Backlinko – SEO and PPC: 8 Smart Ways to Align](https://backlinko.com/seo-and-ppc)

## Alternative SEO Strategies

| Strategy | When | Skill |
|----------|------|-------|
| **Programmatic SEO** | Scale pages with template + data | programmatic-seo |
| **Parasite SEO** | Leverage high-authority platforms | parasite-seo |
| **GEO** | AI search visibility, citations | generative-engine-optimization |
| **Localization** | Multi-language, international | localization-strategy |
| **Multi-domain brand SEO** | Multiple domains; brand query control | multi-domain-brand-seo |

## Output Format

- **Workflow phase** (where you are; what's next)
- **Priority list** (P0–P3 tasks)
- **Skill mapping** (which skill for each task)
- **Recommendation** (start with X; then Y)

**Task tracking**: Use templates/project-task-tracker.md to track task status; references this workflow.

## Related Skills

- **domain-selection**: Initial domain choice (Brand/PMD/EMD, TLD); do before website-structure for new sites
- **website-structure**: Plan which pages to build; do before or alongside Technical phase
- **keyword-research**: Discovery; informs content-strategy, content-optimization, and google-ads
- **google-ads, paid-ads-strategy**: Paid–organic synergy; cold start; PPC data for SEO priority
- **pmf-strategy**: Validate PMF before scaling SEO; cold start uses other channels
- **content-strategy**: Topic clusters, pillar pages; content planning
- **programmatic-seo**: Template-based scale; alternative to manual content
- **parasite-seo**: High-authority platforms; alternative to owned-site SEO
- **generative-engine-optimization**: AI search visibility; complements traditional SEO
- **localization-strategy**: Multi-language SEO
- **domain-architecture**: Domain structure (subfolder/subdomain/independent); do before or with website-structure when multiple products
- **rebranding-strategy**: Domain change, 301 redirects; use when rebranding
- **multi-domain-brand-seo**: Brand search control when Hub and Spoke domains coexist