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#

ValueRationaleTraffic control~68% of initial web traffic from search; search aggregates most user intentGrowth channel~87% of consumers prefer Google when discovering new categories; 43% of conversions from organic (vs ~11% social)Cost efficiencySEO user LTV 3–5× paid ads; rank #1 CTR ~27.6% vs #10 ~2.4%Long-term assetQuality 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

When to Invest in SEO#

StageRecommendationCold startUse email, ads, or influencers for first users; SEO takes time (sandbox, 6+ months)Post-PMFSEO scales; combine with paid for faster feedback; see pmf-strategy, paid-ads-strategy****TeamMany 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#

ChallengeResponseZero-click, AI Overviews~30% clicks go to Google-owned properties; AI Overviews ~12–15% SERP share; TOFU (what/why/how) CTR decliningAlgorithm volatility5000+ updates/year; traffic swings common; focus on helpful content, E-E-A-TResponseElevate 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:

PhaseFocusSkills1. TechnicalCrawlability, indexing, sitemaprobots-txt, xml-sitemap, canonical-tag, indexing, indexnow, site-crawlability2. On-PageMetadata, structure, schematitle-tag, meta-description, page-metadata, schema-markup, internal-links, url-structure, heading-structure3. ContentKeywords, clusters, optimizationkeyword-research, content-strategy, content-optimization4. Off-PageBacklinks, authoritylink-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#

TypeSuited becauseToolUsers have clear use cases and needsContentUsers have clear information needsE-commerceUsers have clear purchase needsServiceUsers 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#

ScenarioOrderFocusNew sitedomain-selection → website-structure → Technical → On-Page → ContentChoose domain first (if needed); plan pages; build foundation; add contentExisting siteTechnical audit → On-Page audit → Content gap → Off-PageFix crawl/index first; then metadata, schema; then content gaps; then linksLow traffickeyword-research → content-strategy → content-optimizationOften content or intent mismatchNot indexingindexing, robots-txt, site-crawlabilityTechnical blockers

SEO Roadmap Priorities#

PriorityMeaningExamplesP0Blocker—fix firstCrawlability, indexing, robots blockingP1Core—do soonTitle, meta, schema, sitemap, internal linksP2Important—not urgentOpen Graph, Twitter Cards, IndexNowP3Nice to haveRich 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

Alternative SEO Strategies#

StrategyWhenSkillProgrammatic SEOScale pages with template + dataprogrammatic-seoParasite SEOLeverage high-authority platformsparasite-seoGEOAI search visibility, citationsgenerative-engine-optimizationLocalizationMulti-language, internationallocalization-strategyMulti-domain brand SEOMultiple domains; brand query controlmulti-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