/seo

name: seo
description: "Use this skill when the user needs to plan SEO content, do keyword research, build a content calendar, map search intent to page types, or create an internal linking strategy. Also use when the user says 'how do I rank higher,' 'what should I write about for SEO,' 'SEO plan,' 'what keywords should I target,' or 'how to get organic traffic.' This is the strategy and planning skill — for writing content see seo-content, for technical implementation see technical-seo, for auditing see seo-audit."

SEO Strategy & Planning

SEO is a long game that compounds. This skill helps you plan a content strategy that drives organic signups — deciding what to build, in what order, targeting which keywords.

This skill answers **what to write and where**. For the other SEO concerns:

• **seo-content** — How to write it (content briefs, humanized writing, SERP feature targeting)
• **technical-seo** — How to implement it in code (meta tags, schema, CWV, crawlability, GEO)
• **seo-audit** — How to assess what exists (scan a codebase, produce an action plan)

Workflow

SEO Strategy Setup:
- [ ] Research keywords for your niche (see Keyword Intent Mapping below)
- [ ] Map keywords to page types (feature, comparison, blog, etc.)
- [ ] Build content architecture (site structure + URL patterns)
- [ ] Prioritize: bottom-funnel pages first, then mid, then top
- [ ] Create internal linking plan
- [ ] Set up tracking (Google Search Console)
- [ ] Build content calendar (2-5 pieces/month)

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Core Principles

• SEO is not gaming Google — it's structuring content so it's findable and useful.
• Content quality and relevance determine rankings. Technical SEO is table stakes.
• Target intent, not just keywords. "Best CRM" and "CRM pricing" have completely different searchers.
• One page per intent. Cannibalizing your own rankings is the most common SaaS SEO mistake.
• Internal linking is your most underused lever.

Don't Do Yet

• **Don't obsess over technical SEO** before you have content. Schema markup on an empty blog is pointless.
• **Don't buy backlinks.** Google penalizes this. Earn them with good content.
• **Don't write 50 blog posts at once.** Start with 5 high-intent pages, measure, iterate.
• **Don't hire an SEO agency** before doing keyword research yourself. You understand your customers better than they do.

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SEO Timeline: Set Realistic Expectations

| Timeframe | What to Expect | |-----------|---------------| | Month 1-2 | Pages indexed, minimal traffic. Focus on building content. | | Month 3-4 | Long-tail keywords start ranking (page 2-3). | | Month 5-6 | Some pages reach page 1 for low-competition terms. | | Month 6-12 | Compound growth as domain authority builds. |

**Reality check:** SEO takes 3-6 months to show results. If you need signups this week, use paid ads or outreach. SEO is the engine you build now so you're not paying for every click forever.

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Content Architecture for SaaS

Build your site structure around search intent, not your org chart.

High-Priority Pages (Build First)

| Page Type | URL Pattern | Search Intent | |-----------|------------|---------------| | Homepage | `/` | Branded searches, direct traffic | | Feature pages | `/features/[feature]` | "How to [solve problem]" | | Pricing page | `/pricing` | "[Product] pricing", "[category] pricing" | | Comparison pages | `/compare/[competitor]` | "[Product] vs [Competitor]" | | Use case pages | `/for/[audience]` | "[Category] for [role/industry]" |

Content Pages (Build Over Time)

| Page Type | URL Pattern | Search Intent | |-----------|------------|---------------| | How-to guides | `/blog/how-to-[action]` | Tutorials that drive signups | | Listicles | `/blog/best-[category]` | "Best [category] tools" — feature your product | | Guides | `/blog/[topic]-guide` | Comprehensive mid-funnel content | | Templates | `/templates/[use-case]` | "[Use case] template" — free value | | Glossary | `/glossary/[term]` | "What is [term]?" — top-of-funnel |

**Tell AI:**

Create a content architecture for our SaaS product [name]:
- Product solves [problem] for [audience]
- Main features: [list features]
- Top 3 competitors: [list competitors]
Generate a sitemap with URL patterns for: homepage, feature pages, comparison pages,
use case pages, and initial blog post ideas. Prioritize by search intent value.

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Keyword Intent Mapping

Every keyword has an intent. Match your page type to the intent:

| Intent | Example Searches | Best Page Type | |--------|-----------------|----------------| | **Informational** | "what is [concept]", "how to [action]" | Blog post, glossary entry | | **Navigational** | "[your brand] login", "[your brand] pricing" | Ensure YOUR pages rank #1 | | **Commercial** | "best [category] tools", "[tool A] vs [tool B]" | Comparison page, listicle | | **Transactional** | "[category] pricing", "buy [product]" | Pricing page, signup page |

Keyword Research by Tool

**Claude Code** (has web access via Ahrefs MCP or web search):

Do keyword research for our product [name] in the [category] space:
- Find 20 keywords our ICP would search for
- Classify each by intent (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional)
- Estimate competition level (low, medium, high)
- Recommend which page type to create for each keyword
- Prioritize: low competition + high intent first

**Lovable / Replit / Cursor** (no web access — bring your own data): 1. Do keyword research first using a free tool: Google Search Console (what you already rank for), Google autocomplete (type your topic and note suggestions), or AnswerThePublic 2. Then paste results into your AI tool:

Here are my keyword research results: [paste keywords + volumes]
Classify each by intent, recommend a page type for each, and prioritize by
low competition + high intent.

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Internal Linking Strategy

Internal links are free and high-impact. Use them intentionally.

Rules

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