--- name: seo-strategy description: "SEO implementation strategy for building pages that rank -- covering content strategy, programmatic SEO at scale, marketplace-specific SEO, and AI search optimization." license: MIT compatibility: "Markdown, Git, agent-skill runtimes" allowed-tools: Read Grep Bash metadata: metadata: "{\"schema_version\":6,\"version\":\"1.0.0\",\"type\":\"capability\",\"category\":\"quality\",\"domain\":\"quality/display\",\"scope\":\"portable\",\"owner\":\"skill-graph-maintainer\",\"freshness\":\"2026-03-28\",\"drift_check\":\"{\\\\\\\"last_verified\\\\\\\":\\\\\\\"2026-03-28\\\\\\\"}\",\"eval_artifacts\":\"planned\",\"eval_state\":\"unverified\",\"routing_eval\":\"absent\",\"stability\":\"experimental\",\"keywords\":\"[\\\\\\\"seo strategy\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"programmatic seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"content strategy\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"comparison page\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"alternative page\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"schema markup\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"structured data\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"ai seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"marketplace seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"etsy seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"amazon seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"shopify seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"product page seo\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"e-e-a-t\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"topical authority\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"blog cluster\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"ai overview\\\\\\\"]\",\"triggers\":\"[\\\\\\\"seo-strategy-skill\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"seo-skill\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"programmatic-seo-skill\\\\\\\"]\",\"relations\":\"{\\\\\\\"related\\\\\\\":[\\\\\\\"keywords\\\\\\\"]}\",\"portability\":\"{\\\\\\\"readiness\\\\\\\":\\\\\\\"scripted\\\\\\\",\\\\\\\"targets\\\\\\\":[\\\\\\\"skill-md\\\\\\\"]}\",\"lifecycle\":\"{\\\\\\\"stale_after_days\\\\\\\":90,\\\\\\\"review_cadence\\\\\\\":\\\\\\\"quarterly\\\\\\\"}\",\"skill_graph_source_repo\":\"https://github.com/jacob-balslev/skill-graph\",\"skill_graph_protocol\":\"Skill Metadata Protocol v5\",\"skill_graph_project\":\"Skill Graph\",\"skill_graph_canonical_skill\":\"skills/seo-strategy/SKILL.md\"}" skill_graph_source_repo: "https://github.com/jacob-balslev/skill-graph" skill_graph_protocol: Skill Metadata Protocol v4 skill_graph_project: Skill Graph skill_graph_canonical_skill: skills/seo-strategy/SKILL.md --- # SEO Strategy Skill ## 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 | File | Purpose | |---|---| | `skills/seo-strategy/references/marketplace-seo-differences.md` | See for detailed algorithm breakdowns. | ## Philosophy 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: - Diagnosing existing SEO problems (use **seo-audit**) - Keyword research and clustering (use **keywords**) - Page hierarchy and navigation design (use **site-architecture**) - Conversion rate optimization (use **page-cro**) --- ## 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 | Pattern | URL Structure | Example | Data Source | |---------|-------------|---------|-------------| | **Comparison** | `/compare/[a]-vs-[b]` | `/compare/printify-vs-printful` | Product database | | **Location** | `/[service]-in-[city]` | `/pod-suppliers-in-london` | City database | | **Integration** | `/integrations/[platform]` | `/integrations/shopify` | Integration catalog | | **Alternative** | `/alternatives/[competitor]` | `/alternatives/printful` | Competitor list | | **Template/Tool** | `/tools/[calculator-type]` | `/tools/profit-margin-calculator` | Tool catalog | ### 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 | Factor | Shopify (Google) | Etsy | Amazon | |--------|-----------------|------|--------| | **Primary algorithm** | Google organic | Etsy search (proprietary) | A9 / COSMO | | **Ranking signal #1** | Backlinks + content quality | Recency + conversion rate | Sales velocity + conversion | | **Title optimization** | 50-60 chars, keyword at start | 140 chars, front-load keywords | 80 chars optimal, keyword-rich | | **Content depth** | Critical (500+ words ideal) | Less important (tags matter more) | Bullet points + A+ content | | **Reviews impact** | Indirect (trust signal) | Direct ranking factor | Direct ranking factor | | **Freshness** | Moderate (evergreen can rank) | High (recent listings boosted) | Moderate (sales velocity matters more) | | **External links** | Critical | Helpful (drives external traffic signal) | Not applicable | --- ## 4. Schema Markup Implementation ### Which Schema for Which Page | Page Type | Schema Types | Priority | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Product page | `Product`, `AggregateRating`, `Offer`, `BreadcrumbList` | Critical | | Collection page | `CollectionPage`, `BreadcrumbList`, `ItemList` | High | | FAQ page | `FAQPage`, `Question`, `Answer` | High (enables rich results) | | How-to guide | `HowTo`, `Step`, `BreadcrumbList` | Medium | | SaaS pricing | `SoftwareApplication`, `Offer`, `AggregateRating` | High | | Blog post | `Article`, `Person` (author), `BreadcrumbList` | Medium | | Local business | `LocalBusiness`, `PostalAddress`, `GeoCoordinates` | Critical for local | ### JSON-LD Implementation Pattern Always use JSON-LD (not Microdata or RDFa). Place in `` or at end of ``. ```html ``` **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 | Signal | Why It Gets Cited | |--------|------------------| | Specific data points | "Printify charges $12.50 per standard tee" — concrete, verifiable | | Step-by-step instructions | Procedural knowledge that AI can relay as guidance | | Comparison tables | Structured data AI can extract and present | | Expert attribution | Named author with credentials increases citation likelihood | | Recency | AI prefers recently-updated pages for rapidly-changing topics | --- ## 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 | Instead of this skill | Use | Why | |---|---|---| | Diagnosing existing SEO problems or traffic drops | `seo-audit` | seo-audit diagnoses; seo-strategy builds | | Keyword research and clustering | `keywords` | keywords owns research methodology | | Page hierarchy and navigation design | `site-architecture` | site-architecture owns IA structure | | Conversion rate optimization | `page-cro` | page-cro owns conversion, not ranking | --- *Version 1.1.0 — 2026-03-28. Added Philosophy, Verification, Do NOT Use When.*