SEO Mastery

Search engine optimization strategies and tactics for sustainable organic growth.

Language & Quality Standards

CRITICAL: Respond in the same language the user is using. If Vietnamese, respond in Vietnamese. If Spanish, respond in Spanish.

Standards: Token efficiency, sacrifice grammar for concision, list unresolved questions at end.

When to Use This Skill

Apply SEO expertise when:

Optimizing content for search rankings
Conducting keyword research
Performing technical SEO audits
Building link acquisition strategies
Analyzing search performance
Creating content strategies for organic growth

Core Concepts

Search Intent Types

| Intent | User Goal | Content Type | Examples | |--------|-----------|--------------|----------| | Informational | Learn something | How-to, guides, definitions | "how to write email copy" | | Navigational | Find specific site | Brand pages | "HubSpot login" | | Commercial | Research before buying | Comparisons, reviews | "best email marketing tools" | | Transactional | Complete purchase | Product pages, pricing | "buy mailchimp subscription" |

Keyword Research Framework

Keyword Metrics to Evaluate: | Metric | What It Means | Good Range | |--------|--------------|------------| | Search Volume | Monthly searches | 100-10,000 for most | | Keyword Difficulty | Competition level | 0-30 for new sites | | CPC | Commercial intent | Higher = more valuable | | SERP Features | What's on page 1 | Fewer = easier |

Keyword Types:

Head Terms: 1-2 words, high volume, very competitive
Body Terms: 2-3 words, medium volume, competitive
Long-tail: 4+ words, low volume, less competitive

On-Page SEO Elements

Title Tag (50-60 characters):

Primary keyword near front
Compelling and click-worthy
Unique per page
Include brand (if room)

Meta Description (150-160 characters):

Include primary keyword naturally
Call-to-action
Unique value proposition
Match search intent

Header Structure:

H1: Main Page Title (one per page, contains keyword)
  H2: Major Section (keyword variations)
    H3: Subsection (semantic terms)
      H4: Supporting detail

Content Optimization Checklist:

[ ] Keyword in first 100 words
[ ] Natural keyword density (1-2%)
[ ] Semantic variations throughout
[ ] Internal links to related content (3-5 per post)
[ ] External links to authoritative sources (1-2)
[ ] Image alt text with keywords
[ ] Short, descriptive URLs

Technical SEO Essentials

Core Web Vitals: | Metric | Target | What It Measures | |--------|--------|------------------| | LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | <2.5s | Loading performance | | FID (First Input Delay) | <100ms | Interactivity | | CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | <0.1 | Visual stability |

Crawlability Checklist:

[ ] XML sitemap submitted
[ ] Clean robots.txt
[ ] No broken links (4xx errors)
[ ] Proper redirects (301 for permanent)
[ ] Mobile-friendly design
[ ] HTTPS enabled

Indexability Checklist:

[ ] Canonical tags on duplicate pages
[ ] No accidental noindex
[ ] Hreflang for international
[ ] Proper pagination handling

Link Building Strategies

| Strategy | Effort | Impact | Best For | |----------|--------|--------|----------| | Guest Posting | High | Medium | New sites, authority | | Broken Link Building | Medium | Medium | Quick wins | | Resource Pages | Medium | Medium | Comprehensive content | | Digital PR | High | High | Brand + links | | Original Research | Very High | Very High | Thought leadership | | HARO | Low | Variable | Easy opportunities |

Content Clusters

Pillar-Cluster Model:

Pillar Page (comprehensive, 3000+ words)
├── Cluster 1 (specific subtopic, links to pillar)
├── Cluster 2 (specific subtopic, links to pillar)
├── Cluster 3 (specific subtopic, links to pillar)
└── Cluster N (specific subtopic, links to pillar)

Benefits:

Establishes topical authority
Improves internal linking
Captures long-tail variations
Better user navigation

Best Practices

Keyword Research Excellence

Intent Match: Align content with search intent
Realistic Targets: Start with achievable difficulty
Cluster Thinking: Group related keywords
Commercial Balance: Mix informational and transactional

Content Excellence

10x Content: Be definitively better than page 1
Comprehensive Coverage: Answer all related questions
Updated Regularly: Refresh for freshness signals
Multimedia Rich: Images, videos, interactive elements

Technical Excellence

Speed Priority: Fast sites rank better
Mobile-First: Google indexes mobile version
Clean Architecture: Logical URL and site structure
Structured Data: Schema markup for rich snippets

Agent Integration

| Agent | How They Use This Skill | |-------|------------------------| | attraction-specialist | Full SEO strategy and execution | | copywriter | SEO-optimized content creation | | researcher | Competitor SEO analysis | | docs-manager | SEO documentation and audits |

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Wrong | Do This Instead | |--------------|----------------|-----------------| | Keyword stuffing | Hurts rankings, UX | Natural density | | Buying links | Penalty risk | Earn links | | Duplicate content | Cannibalization | Canonical or consolidate | | Ignoring search intent | Poor engagement signals | Match intent exactly | | Chasing only volume | Ignores conversion | Balance volume + intent |

Related Commands

/seo/keywords - Keyword research
/seo/audit - Comprehensive SEO audit
/seo/competitor - Competitor SEO analysis
/seo/optimize - Content optimization
/checklist/seo-weekly - Weekly SEO maintenance

References

references/keyword-research.md - Keyword research methodology
references/on-page-seo.md - On-page optimization checklist
references/technical-seo.md - Technical SEO requirements
references/link-building.md - Link acquisition strategies
references/local-seo.md - Local search optimization
references/seo-audit-checklist.md - Comprehensive audit framework