seo-and-aeo-strategy

SEO & AEO Strategy

Workspace Context

Read bootstrap context before asking questions: strategy/brand.md for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; about/me.md for personal voice; content/ideas.md and content/calendar.md for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md, and route durable learnings back to strategy/brand.md, about/me.md, or content/ideas.md.

Operating Contract

This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.

Traditional SEO gets pages ranked. AI search optimization (AEO/GEO) gets content cited. This skill covers both.

SEO  → Rank in traditional search results (blue links)
AEO  → Appear in featured snippets, AI Overviews, voice answers
GEO  → Get cited in generative AI responses (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity)

2025 reality: AI Overviews appear in ~47% of Google searches. 58% of queries end without a click. Optimize for citation, not just ranking.

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Initial Assessment

Use the Workspace Context above first. Only ask for what is missing.

Before auditing, understand:

1. Site context — Type (SaaS, e-commerce, blog), primary SEO goal, priority keywords/topics
2. Current state — Known issues, organic traffic level, recent changes or migrations
3. AI visibility — Does the brand appear in AI-generated answers today? Checked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews?
4. Scope — Full site vs. specific pages? Technical + on-page + AI, or one focus area?

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Technical SEO

Crawlability

Check	What to Verify
robots.txt	No unintentional blocks, sitemap referenced, AI crawlers allowed
XML Sitemap	Exists, submitted to Search Console, canonical URLs only, < 50K URLs
Site architecture	Important pages within 3 clicks, logical hierarchy, no orphan pages
Crawl budget	Parameterized URLs controlled, faceted nav handled, no session IDs in URLs

Indexation

• site:domain.com check vs. Search Console coverage report
• Verify no noindex on important pages
• Check canonical tags (self-referencing on unique pages, HTTP→HTTPS, www consistency)
• Identify redirect chains/loops, soft 404s, duplicate content

Core Web Vitals & Speed

Metric	Target	Tool
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)	< 2.5s	PageSpeed Insights
INP (Interaction to Next Paint)	< 200ms	Chrome DevTools
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)	< 0.1	WebPageTest
TTFB (Time to First Byte)	< 800ms	Search Console

Mobile & Security

• Responsive design (not separate m. site), viewport configured, adequate tap targets (48px min)
• HTTPS across entire site, valid SSL, no mixed content, HSTS header

URL Structure

• Lowercase, hyphen-separated, < 75 characters
• Include target keywords naturally, avoid unnecessary parameters

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On-Page SEO

Title Tags

• 50–60 characters, primary keyword near beginning
• Unique per page, brand name at end (unless homepage)
• Compelling and click-worthy

Meta Descriptions

• 150–160 characters, include primary keyword
• Clear value proposition with call-to-action, unique per page

Heading Structure

• Single <h1> per page containing primary keyword
• Logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3), no skipped levels
• Descriptive headings (not generic), include keywords naturally

Image SEO

• Descriptive filenames with keywords, alt text on all images
• Compressed, modern formats (WebP/AVIF), lazy load below-fold
• Responsive images with width/height attributes

Internal Linking

• Descriptive anchor text with keywords (not "click here")
• Important pages well-linked, no broken internal links
• Breadcrumb navigation for hierarchy

Content Quality (E-E-A-T)

Signal	Implementation
Experience	First-hand accounts, case studies, original data
Expertise	Author credentials visible, accurate detailed information
Authoritativeness	Cited by others, industry credentials, recognized in space
Trustworthiness	Transparent sourcing, contact info, privacy policy, HTTPS

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AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)

How AI Search Platforms Select Sources

Platform	Source Selection	Key Factor
Google AI Overviews	Strong correlation with traditional rankings	Top 5 organic positions favored
ChatGPT	Wider range, not just top-ranked	Branded domain authority, recency
Perplexity	Always cites with links	Authoritative, recent, well-structured
Gemini	Google index + Knowledge Graph	E-E-A-T signals, structured data
Copilot	Bing index	Microsoft ecosystem (LinkedIn, GitHub)
Claude	Brave Search	Factual density, structural clarity

For detailed platform-specific ranking factors, see references/platform-ranking-factors.md and references/platform-algorithms.md.

The Three Pillars

1. Structure — Make content extractable

AI systems extract passages, not pages. Every key claim should work standalone.

• Lead every section with a direct answer (don't bury it)
• Keep key answer passages to 40–60 words (optimal for snippet extraction)
• Use H2/H3 headings that match how people phrase queries
• Tables beat prose for comparisons; numbered lists beat paragraphs for processes

Inverted pyramid pattern:

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│  DIRECT ANSWER (1-2 sentences)   │ ← AI extracts this first
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│  KEY FACTS & CONTEXT             │ ← Supporting bullets/data
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│  DETAILED EXPLANATION            │ ← Background, examples
└──────────────────────────────────┘

2. Authority — Make content citable

The Princeton GEO research (KDD 2024) ranked 9 optimization methods:

Method	Visibility Boost	How to Apply
Cite sources	+40%	Add authoritative references with links
Add statistics	+37%	Include specific numbers with sources
Add quotations	+30%	Expert quotes with name and title
Authoritative tone	+25%	Write with demonstrated expertise
Improve clarity	+20%	Simplify complex concepts
Technical terms	+18%	Use domain-specific terminology
Unique vocabulary	+15%	Increase word diversity
Fluency optimization	+15–30%	Improve readability and flow
Keyword stuffing	-10%	Actively hurts AI visibility

Best combination: Fluency + Statistics = maximum boost. Low-ranking sites benefit even more — up to 115% visibility increase with citations.

For detailed GEO research, see references/geo-research.md.

3. Presence — Be where AI looks

AI systems cite where you appear, not just your site:

• Wikipedia mentions (7.8% of all ChatGPT citations)
• Reddit discussions, YouTube content, Quora answers
• Review sites (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius for B2B SaaS)
• Industry publications and guest posts

Semantic Triples (Key AEO Technique)

Compact, unambiguous facts AI can't misread. Pattern: [Subject] [specific verb] [concrete object].

✅ "HubSpot CRM syncs contact and company data."
✅ "Lead Scoring assigns priority based on engagement."
❌ "The system helps with various tasks."
❌ "It can do many things for users."

AI Crawler Configuration

Ensure robots.txt allows AI crawlers:

User-agent: GPTBot          # OpenAI
Allow: /
User-agent: ChatGPT-User    # ChatGPT browsing
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot   # Perplexity
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot        # Anthropic
Allow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended  # Gemini/AI Overviews
Allow: /

See references/ai-crawlers.md for full configuration.

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Structured Data for Search & AI

Schema markup improves AI visibility by 30–40%. Priority types:

Content Type	Schema	Citation Impact
FAQs	FAQPage	2.5x inclusion
Articles/Blog	Article + Author	2.2x citations
Organization	Organization	2.8x citations
How-to content	HowTo	Step extraction
Products	Product	Pricing/features
Reviews	AggregateRating	Trust signals
Breadcrumbs	BreadcrumbList	Navigation context

For full JSON-LD templates, see references/schema-templates.md and references/schema-for-ai.md.

Validate at Google Rich Results Test and Schema.org Validator.

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Content Types That Get Cited Most

Content Type	AI Citation Share	Why AI Cites It
Comparison articles	~33%	Structured, balanced, high-intent
Definitive guides	~15%	Comprehensive, authoritative
Original research/data	~12%	Unique, citable statistics
Best-of/listicles	~10%	Clear structure, entity-rich
Product pages	~10%	Specific extractable details
How-to guides	~8%	Step-by-step structure

Underperformers: Generic blog posts without structure, thin product pages, gated content, undated content, PDF-only content.

For content templates and patterns, see references/content-patterns.md and references/content-templates.md.

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AEO Measurement

Track these four metrics monthly:

1. AI Visibility

Test priority queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews. Target: Appear in 60%+ of priority queries.

2. AI Share of Voice

Share of Voice = (Your mentions / Total brand mentions) × 100. Target: Match or exceed traditional search market share.

3. AI Citations

How often YOUR WEBSITE is the source. Target: Cited in 30%+ of relevant queries.

4. Referral Demand

Traffic originating in AI but arriving later (brand search after AI mention). Track via post-purchase survey: "How did you first hear about us?"

Monitoring Tools

Tool	Coverage	Best For
Otterly AI	ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews	Share of AI voice
Peec AI	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude	Multi-platform monitoring
ZipTie	AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity	Brand mention + sentiment
HubSpot AEO Grader	AI visibility audit	Free audit

Interpreting Results

Visibility	Share of Voice	Diagnosis
↓ Down	↓ Down	Platform algorithm change (industry-wide)
↓ Down	→ Stable	Your content quality declined
→ Stable	↓ Down	Competitors improved
↑ Up	↑ Up	Your AEO strategy is working

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Audit Checklists

Critical (Fix Immediately)

• HTTPS enabled, valid SSL
• robots.txt allows crawling (including AI bots)
• No noindex on important pages
• Title tags present, unique, with primary keyword
• Single <h1> per page
• AI crawlers not blocked in robots.txt

High Priority

• Meta descriptions present and compelling
• XML sitemap submitted to Search Console
• Canonical URLs set correctly
• Mobile-responsive, Core Web Vitals passing
• FAQPage schema on FAQ/support pages
• Article schema with author on blog/guide pages
• "Last updated" date visible on content

Medium Priority

• Internal linking strategy implemented
• Image alt text on all images
• Descriptive URLs with keywords
• Breadcrumb navigation + schema
• Author bios with credentials
• Statistics cited with sources
• Content answers queries in first paragraph

Ongoing

• Fix crawl errors in Search Console
• Update sitemap when content changes
• Refresh content quarterly (competitive topics)
• Monitor AI visibility monthly (manual or tools)
• Check for broken links
• Track AI share of voice vs. competitors

For complete SEO checklist, see references/seo-checklist.md.

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Tools

Tool	Use
Google Search Console	Monitor indexing, fix issues, track queries
Google PageSpeed Insights	Performance + Core Web Vitals
Rich Results Test	Validate structured data
Lighthouse	Full SEO audit
Screaming Frog	Crawl analysis
Semrush / Ahrefs	AI Overview tracking, backlinks, content gaps

See references/tools-and-apis.md for API reference.

Scripts available in scripts/: SEO audit, keyword research, SERP analysis, backlink analysis, competitor gap analysis, autocomplete ideas. See script files for usage.

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References

• references/platform-ranking-factors.md — How each AI platform selects sources
• references/platform-algorithms.md — Detailed ranking factors per platform
• references/geo-research.md — Princeton GEO research (9 methods)
• references/content-patterns.md — AI-optimized content block templates
• references/content-templates.md — Page structure templates for AI
• references/schema-templates.md — JSON-LD schema templates
• references/schema-for-ai.md — Schema markup for AI visibility
• references/ai-crawlers.md — AI crawler robots.txt configuration
• references/seo-checklist.md — Complete SEO audit checklist
• references/aeo-geo-patterns.md — Content patterns for AI citation
• references/ai-writing-detection.md — AI writing patterns to avoid
• references/query-research.md — Query research methodology
• references/tools-and-apis.md — Tools and API reference
• references/google-docs-summary.md — Google documentation summary

Related Skills

• keyword-research-and-clustering — Keyword research, expansion, and topic clustering
• keyword-research-and-clustering — Keyword expansion and clustering before SEO page planning
• competitor-analysis — Comparison pages and competitor-backed search strategy
• content-strategy-and-planning — Turning SEO opportunities into an editorial roadmap
• content-strategy-and-planning — Planning what content to create
• data-and-funnel-analytics — Measuring SEO/AEO performance