SEO Strategy Skill

Concept of the skill

SEO implementation strategy for building pages that rank -- covering content strategy, programmatic SEO at scale, marketplace-specific SEO, and AI search optimization.

Domain Context

What is this skill? SEO implementation strategy for building pages that rank -- covering content strategy, programmatic SEO at scale, marketplace-specific SEO, and AI search optimization.

Key Files

Philosophy of the skill

Auditing finds problems; this skill builds solutions. The distinction matters because agents conflate the two and either run a diagnostic when they should be building pages, or build pages without a strategy. SEO strategy is proactive — choosing the right page types, content structures, and schema markup before traffic data exists. The marketplace-specific sections exist because applying Google SEO assumptions to Etsy or Amazon actively hurts rankings: Etsy rewards recency and conversion rate, Amazon rewards sales velocity, and neither cares about backlinks. Without this skill, agents default to generic "add keywords" advice that misses the structural decisions (programmatic templates, hub-and-spoke linking, schema choice) that create ranking power at scale.

Coverage

E-commerce SEO (product page optimization, collection page strategy, cross-selling internal links), SaaS SEO (comparison/alternative pages, feature pages, documentation SEO, blog cluster strategy), marketplace SEO algorithm differences (Shopify Google organic, Etsy recency and Category Relevance Score, Amazon A9/COSMO), programmatic SEO template patterns (comparison pages, integration pages, location pages), schema markup implementation (Product, FAQ, HowTo, BreadcrumbList, SoftwareApplication), and AI search optimization (AEO, GEO, LLMO for AI Overviews and chatbot citations).

seo-audit finds problems. This skill builds solutions.

When to Use This Skill

Load this skill when:

• Building new pages optimized for organic search
• Planning content strategy for organic growth (blog clusters, comparison pages)
• Implementing programmatic SEO at scale (100+ templated pages)
• Optimizing product listings for marketplace search algorithms
• Adding schema markup (JSON-LD structured data)
• Adapting content for AI search (AI Overviews, chatbot citations)

Do NOT use for:

• Keyword research and clustering (use keywords)
• Page hierarchy, navigation, or findability structure (use information-architecture)
• Monitoring source feeds for trend discovery (use content-monitor)
• Conversion-focused headline, CTA, or in-page copy wording (use microcopy)
• Product or marketplace research before SEO decisions (use user-research)

1. Content Strategy by Site Type

Decision Tree

What type of site?
├── E-commerce (Shopify/Etsy/Amazon)
│   ├── Collection pages → target generic keywords (higher volume)
│   ├── Product pages → target specific long-tail keywords
│   └── Blog → build topical authority, link to collections
├── SaaS
│   ├── Comparison pages → "[product] vs [competitor]" at scale
│   ├── Alternative pages → "[competitor] alternatives"
│   ├── Feature pages → one page per feature, deep content
│   ├── Integration pages → "[product] + [integration]" at scale
│   └── Blog → educational content linking to product pages
└── Content/Blog
    ├── Pillar pages → comprehensive guides on core topics
    ├── Cluster pages → specific subtopics linking to pillar
    └── FAQ pages → question-based content for featured snippets

E-Commerce SEO Strategy

Collection pages rank higher than product pages. Prioritize collection page optimization:

• Unique H1 with primary keyword
• 200+ words of original descriptive content above and below the product grid
• Internal links to related collections
• Breadcrumb navigation with schema markup

Product pages target specific long-tail:

• Title: [Brand] [Product Name] [Key Attribute] | [Store Name]
• Original description (never manufacturer copy)
• All image alt tags descriptive and keyword-relevant
• Related products section for internal linking
• Product schema markup with price, availability, reviews

SaaS SEO Strategy

Comparison and alternative pages are highest-ROI for SaaS:

• Template: [Your Product] vs [Competitor]: [Honest Comparison]
• Structure: feature table, pricing comparison, use case recommendations
• Honest tone — acknowledge where competitors excel (builds E-E-A-T trust)
• CTA at the end, not the beginning

2. Programmatic SEO

When to Use Programmatic SEO

Use when you can generate 100+ unique pages from structured data with genuine value per page. Each page must pass the "would a human find this useful?" test.

Template Architecture

Data Source (DB/Spreadsheet/API)
    ↓
Template Engine (Next.js dynamic routes)
    ↓
Unique Page = Template + Dynamic Data + Unique Content Blocks
    ↓
Internal Linking (category → subcategory → page → related pages)
    ↓
XML Sitemap (auto-generated, all pages included)

Programmatic SEO Patterns

Thin Content Guardrails

Every programmatic page MUST have:

1. Unique title and H1 (not just variable swapped)
2. At least one paragraph of unique descriptive content
3. Unique data points (stats, features, pricing) not found on other pages
4. Internal links to related pages in the same programmatic set
5. No duplicate meta descriptions across pages

Red flags that trigger Google thin content penalties:

• 95%+ identical content across pages (only city name swapped)
• No unique data — just template with variable substitution
• Boilerplate FAQ repeated across all pages
• Missing internal linking between related pages

3. Marketplace SEO Differences

See references/marketplace-seo-differences.md for detailed algorithm breakdowns.

Quick Comparison

4. Schema Markup Implementation

Which Schema for Which Page

JSON-LD Implementation Pattern

Always use JSON-LD (not Microdata or RDFa). Place in <head> or at end of <body>.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Product Name",
  "description": "...",
  "image": "https://...",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "29.99",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  }
}
</script>

Detection limitation: web_fetch and curl cannot detect JS-injected schema. Use Google Rich Results Test or browser DevTools to verify. See seo-audit skill for details.

5. AI Search Optimization

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Optimize for AI Overviews (Google), ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude citations.

Key patterns:

1. Concise answer paragraphs: Start sections with a direct, 2-3 sentence answer before elaborating
2. Entity clarity: Use proper nouns, define terms, be specific (not "the tool" but "Printify's production API")
3. Structured data: Tables, lists, and clear headings that AI can parse
4. Citation-worthy statements: Include specific numbers, dates, and verifiable facts
5. FAQ format: Question-answer pairs that directly match search queries

What AI Search Engines Cite

Related Skills

• seo-audit — Diagnose existing SEO problems (this skill builds, seo-audit audits)
• keywords — Research and choose the right keywords before building pages
• site-architecture — Plan page hierarchy and URL structure
• page-cro — Optimize pages for conversion (not just ranking)
• copywriting — Write the content that goes on SEO-optimized pages

Verification

After applying this skill, verify:

• [ ] Content strategy matches the correct site type (e-commerce, SaaS, content/blog)
• [ ] Programmatic SEO pages pass the thin content guardrails (unique title, unique content, unique data)
• [ ] Marketplace SEO uses platform-specific factors (not Google SEO assumptions)
• [ ] Schema markup uses JSON-LD format with correct @type for the page type
• [ ] AI search optimization includes concise answer paragraphs and entity clarity
• [ ] Internal linking follows hub-and-spoke pattern where applicable

Do NOT Use When

Version 1.1.0 — 2026-03-28. Added Philosophy, Verification, Do NOT Use When.