SEO Technical and Marketing - Operational Skill

This skill contains actionable, production-ready systems for traditional search engine optimization:

• Technical SEO auditing (Core Web Vitals, crawlability, structured data, mobile optimization)
• SEO marketing strategy (keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, brand building)
• Operational workflows (cross-team collaboration, stakeholder alignment, SEO OKRs)
• Total Search Optimization (Google, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, forums, social SEO)

Structure: Technical fundamentals first -> Marketing strategy -> Operational execution -> Total Search Optimization.

For AI search optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews, GEO): Use marketing-ai-search-optimization instead.

2026 Operating Assumptions (Evergreen)

• Prioritize usefulness and intent satisfaction; technical SEO cannot compensate for weak content.
• E-E-A-T matters most when claims can impact money, health, safety, or major decisions; for all niches, show real experience and verifiable proof where possible.
• Mobile-first is the default: performance, UX, and rendering on mobile are the primary gate.
• Crawl/indexation wins come from discoverability (internal links, sitemaps) and removing low-value crawl traps.
• Core Web Vitals are a weak signal but a strong tiebreaker; fix regressions and obvious failures.
• Structured data is for eligibility and rich results, not a ranking boost; use it to improve extraction and display.
• SERPs are multi-surface (web, video, local, forums, social); measure channel-by-channel, not only rankings.

Primary sources live in data/sources.json. For time-sensitive changes (core updates, reporting changes), use official sources first (Google Search Central / Search Status Dashboard); if your environment supports web search, refresh against current updates before giving definitive advice.

Key Thresholds (2026)

When NOT to Use

• Pure AI platform optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini visibility) -> Use marketing-ai-search-optimization
• Paid search campaigns (Google Ads, Bing Ads) -> Use marketing-paid-advertising
• Social media strategy (non-SEO focused) -> Use marketing-social-media
• Content creation process (writing, editing, publishing) -> Use marketing-content-strategy
• Email marketing -> Use marketing-email-automation

Quick Reference

10-Point Audit Framework

Every technical SEO audit follows this systematic checklist:

Scoring: Rate each area 0-10, calculate weighted average for overall Technical Health Score.

Decision Trees

### Audit Type Selection
Full site audit needed
  -> Use assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md
Quick issue check
  -> Use assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md
CWV-only deep dive
  -> Use assets/cwv/core-web-vitals-report.md
Schema validation only
  -> Use assets/schema/schema-validation-report.md

### Core Web Vitals Failing
LCP >2.5s
  -> Preload LCP element, optimize images, add CDN
  -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md
INP >200ms
  -> Reduce JavaScript, optimize event handlers
  -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md
CLS >0.1
  -> Add dimensions to images/ads, avoid layout shifts
  -> See references/core-web-vitals-guide.md

### Indexation Issues
Pages not indexed
  -> Check robots.txt blocking
  -> Verify sitemap inclusion
  -> Check canonical tags
  -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md
Crawl budget problems
  -> Remove low-value pages from crawl
  -> Fix redirect chains
  -> Optimize pagination
  -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md
New/large site needs fast indexation
  -> Internal linking (#1 accelerator)
  -> Manual GSC submission (10-20 priority pages)
  -> Real content updates (not fake lastmod)
  -> Brand mentions > backlinks (early stage)
  -> See references/crawlability-indexing.md#indexation-acceleration

### Mobile Issues
Mobile-unfriendly
  -> Check viewport meta tag
  -> Verify responsive CSS
  -> Test touch target sizes
  -> See references/mobile-seo-guide.md

### Link Building Issues
Need more backlinks
  -> Create linkable assets (research, tools)
  -> Set up HARO/Featured.com
  -> Broken link building outreach
  -> See references/link-building-strategy.md
Low domain authority
  -> Focus on DA 50+ targets
  -> Digital PR campaigns
  -> Competitor backlink analysis
  -> See references/link-building-strategy.md

### Local SEO Issues
Not showing in local pack
  -> Optimize Google Business Profile
  -> Build local citations (NAP consistency)
  -> Generate more reviews
  -> See references/local-seo-guide.md
GBP not verified
  -> Complete verification process
  -> Ensure NAP matches website
  -> See references/local-seo-guide.md

### Security Issues
Mixed content warnings
  -> Update all HTTP resources to HTTPS
  -> See references/security-https-guide.md
SSL/TLS issues
  -> Run SSL Labs test
  -> See references/security-https-guide.md

GSC Issue Triage (Strict Output)

Use this format when diagnosing Google Search Console indexation and canonicalization statuses.

If missing context blocks a safe recommendation, ask only the minimum clarifying questions (example: "Should these URLs be indexed?").

For each issue:

• Issue:
• Severity: Critical / Moderate / Informational
• What Google Is Detecting:
• Why This Happens:
• Is This Against Google Rules? (Yes/No + Explanation):
• Safe Fix (Step-by-Step):
• Expected SEO Benefit:
• What NOT to Do (Important):

Navigation

Core Resources

• references/core-web-vitals-guide.md - LCP, INP, CLS thresholds and optimization
• references/crawlability-indexing.md - Robots.txt, sitemaps, GSC, indexation
• references/site-speed-optimization.md - TTFB, render-blocking, image optimization
• references/mobile-seo-guide.md - Mobile-first indexing, responsive design
• references/structured-data-guide.md - Schema.org, JSON-LD, rich snippets
• references/security-https-guide.md - HTTPS, HSTS, security headers
• references/internal-linking-strategy.md - Link architecture, orphan pages
• references/duplicate-content-handling.md - Canonicals, pagination, parameters
• references/internationalization-hreflang.md - Hreflang, geo-targeting

Marketing & Operations

• references/seo-marketing-strategy.md - Keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, brand building
• references/seo-operational-workflows.md - Cross-team collaboration, OKRs, stakeholder communication
• references/total-search-optimization.md - YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, AI platforms

Link Building & Local SEO

• references/link-building-strategy.md - Backlink acquisition, digital PR, HARO, broken link building
• references/local-seo-guide.md - Google Business Profile, citations, reviews, local pack ranking

Templates

Audits

• assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md - Complete 10-point audit checklist
• assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md - Fast abbreviated audit

Core Web Vitals

• assets/cwv/core-web-vitals-report.md - CWV-specific audit report

Structured Data

• assets/schema/schema-validation-report.md - Schema audit report

Prioritization

• assets/priority/impact-effort-matrix.md - Issue prioritization matrix

Trend Awareness Protocol

IMPORTANT: When users ask recommendation questions about SEO, refresh against current updates before giving definitive guidance. If your environment supports web search, use it. If not, rely on official sources in data/sources.json and ask the minimum clarifying question about timeframe/market (example: "Is this for the US market, and do you care about changes in the last 30/90 days?").

Trigger Conditions

• "What's the best approach for Core Web Vitals/site speed/crawlability?"
• "What should I focus on for SEO in 2026?"
• "What's the latest Google algorithm update?"
• "Current best practices for structured data/mobile SEO/indexation?"
• "Is SEO technique still relevant in 2026?"
• "How has Google Search changed recently?"
• "What Core Web Vitals thresholds should I target?"

Required Searches

1. Search: site:developers.google.com search updates
2. Search: Google Search Status Dashboard
3. Search: Core Web Vitals thresholds INP
4. Search: Search Console new features

What to Report

After searching, provide:

• Current landscape: What SEO factors matter most NOW (not 6 months ago)
• Emerging trends: New ranking signals or Google features
• Deprecated/declining: Techniques that no longer work or hurt rankings
• Recommendation: Based on fresh data and recent algorithm updates

Example Topics (verify with fresh search)

• Core Web Vitals updates (INP replacing FID, thresholds)
• Google algorithm updates (helpful content, spam updates)
• Structured data new types and requirements
• Mobile-first indexing changes
• AI Overviews impact on traditional search
• New Search Console features

SEO Marketing Strategy (January 2026)

Keyword research, content planning, competitive analysis, and brand building.

Key areas covered:

• Keyword research framework (seed discovery, expansion, intent classification, prioritization)
• Content planning by intent (informational, commercial, transactional, navigational)
• Competitive analysis workflow (monthly audits, intelligence signals)
• Brand building tactics (brand and entity signals often correlate with durable performance; validate with current updates)
• E-E-A-T content strategy (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)

See full guide: references/seo-marketing-strategy.md

SEO Operational Workflows (2026)

Cross-team collaboration, OKRs, and stakeholder communication.

Key areas covered:

• SEO as strategic quarterback (not isolated channel)
• Cross-team collaboration framework (Product, Engineering, Content, Paid, PR, Social)
• Pre-launch and post-deployment checklists
• SEO OKRs aligned to revenue (not vanity metrics)
• Stakeholder-specific reporting and communication

See full guide: references/seo-operational-workflows.md

Total Search Optimization (2026)

Multi-platform visibility beyond Google.

Platforms covered:

• YouTube SEO (video optimization, ranking factors)
• Reddit SEO (forum results increasingly appear for "best", "vs", and review-intent queries)
• Social SEO (LinkedIn B2B, TikTok B2C, X/Twitter)
• AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) - for deep coverage, use marketing-ai-search-optimization
• Unified content distribution strategy

See full guide: references/total-search-optimization.md

Related Skills

Marketing & SEO

• ../marketing-ai-search-optimization/SKILL.md - Search visibility beyond classic SERPs (complements technical SEO)
• ../marketing-social-media/SKILL.md - Social media marketing and content distribution

Technical Implementation

• ../software-frontend/SKILL.md - Frontend performance optimization, SSR
• ../software-backend/SKILL.md - Server-side optimization, API performance
• ../software-security-appsec/SKILL.md - Security hardening, HTTPS implementation

Quality & Performance

• ../qa-observability/SKILL.md - Performance monitoring, observability
• ../ops-devops-platform/SKILL.md - CDN setup, infrastructure optimization

Key Differentiators

Audit Output Format:

• Critical Issues - Fix immediately (high impact)
• Important Optimizations - Fix soon (medium impact)
• Recommended Enhancements - Nice to have

Each finding includes:

• What's wrong and why it matters
• Step-by-step fix instructions
• Expected outcome
• Validation method

External Resources

See data/sources.json for primary sources across:

• Google Search Central, web.dev, and Chrome developer docs (CWV, Lighthouse, CrUX)
• Bing Webmaster Guidelines and diagnostic tooling
• Crawl/index/render fundamentals (robots, sitemaps, canonicals, JS SEO)
• Structured data eligibility and validation tooling
• SEO marketing strategy (Backlinko, Search Engine Journal, Sitebulb, Content Whale)
• Cross-team collaboration and operational workflows
• Total Search Optimization (YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn)
• Optional automation references (Search Console API, CrUX API, Lighthouse CI)

Getting Started

Quick audit (15 minutes):

1. Run PageSpeed Insights on key pages
2. Check robots.txt and sitemap.xml accessibility
3. Validate structured data with Rich Results Test
4. Review GSC Coverage report for indexation issues
5. Use assets/audits/quick-audit-checklist.md

Full audit (2-4 hours):

1. Use assets/audits/full-technical-audit.md
2. Work through all 10 audit areas systematically
3. Score each area 0-10
4. Prioritize findings with assets/priority/impact-effort-matrix.md
5. Document fixes with validation steps

Ongoing monitoring:

1. Set up GSC alerts for indexation issues
2. Monitor Core Web Vitals in CrUX
3. Schedule quarterly audits
4. Track improvements against baseline

SEO Testing & Monitoring

Do: Lighthouse CI in pipeline, GSC API monitoring, CrUX field data, baseline before optimization

Avoid: Testing on fast dev machines only, ignoring field data, multiple simultaneous changes

Success Criteria

A successful technical SEO audit delivers a prioritized list of issues with clear fix instructions and validation methods that measurably improve search visibility and Core Web Vitals scores.

SEO Business Metrics

See full guide: references/seo-business-metrics.md - Attribution models, OKRs, stakeholder reporting

Tools & Collaboration

Crawl tools: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Semrush, Ahrefs, ContentKing, Lumar

Cross-team: Product (early planning, redirects), Engineering (Lighthouse CI, CWV), Design (images, CLS)

Anti-Patterns

International Markets

This skill uses Google-centric defaults. For international SEO:

If you're using a router-based setup, mention country/region/search engine explicitly so the router can bring in marketing-geo-localization when needed.

SEO Mistakes (High Risk)

High risk (can cause ranking loss or manual actions): keyword stuffing, link spam/toxic backlink patterns, hidden text/cloaking, doorway pages, deceptive structured data, scaled low-value content

Common suppressors: weak E-E-A-T signals, poor internal linking, failing CWV, mobile-unfriendly UX, stale content, wrong canonicals

Technical crawl/index blockers: accidental noindex, redirect chains >2 hops, broken links, missing sitemap, blocking critical JS/CSS for rendering

Recovery: GSC Manual Actions -> Coverage report -> Traffic analysis -> Site audit -> Fix by severity -> Reconsideration (manual only) -> Expect weeks to months