seo

# SEO Strategy & Planning

SEO is a long game that compounds. This skill helps you plan a content strategy that drives organic signups — deciding what to build, in what order, targeting which keywords.

This skill answers **what to write and where**. For the other SEO concerns:
- **seo-content** — How to write it (content briefs, humanized writing, SERP feature targeting)
- **technical-seo** — How to implement it in code (meta tags, schema, CWV, crawlability, GEO)
- **seo-audit** — How to assess what exists (scan a codebase, produce an action plan)

## Workflow

```
SEO Strategy Setup:
- [ ] Research keywords for your niche (see Keyword Intent Mapping below)
- [ ] Map keywords to page types (feature, comparison, blog, etc.)
- [ ] Build content architecture (site structure + URL patterns)
- [ ] Prioritize: bottom-funnel pages first, then mid, then top
- [ ] Create internal linking plan
- [ ] Set up tracking (Google Search Console)
- [ ] Build content calendar (2-5 pieces/month)
```

---

## Core Principles

- SEO is not gaming Google — it's structuring content so it's findable and useful.
- Content quality and relevance determine rankings. Technical SEO is table stakes.
- Target intent, not just keywords. "Best CRM" and "CRM pricing" have completely different searchers.
- One page per intent. Cannibalizing your own rankings is the most common SaaS SEO mistake.
- Internal linking is your most underused lever.

### Don't Do Yet

- **Don't obsess over technical SEO** before you have content. Schema markup on an empty blog is pointless.
- **Don't buy backlinks.** Google penalizes this. Earn them with good content.
- **Don't write 50 blog posts at once.** Start with 5 high-intent pages, measure, iterate.
- **Don't hire an SEO agency** before doing keyword research yourself. You understand your customers better than they do.

---

## SEO Timeline: Set Realistic Expectations

| Timeframe | What to Expect |
|-----------|---------------|
| Month 1-2 | Pages indexed, minimal traffic. Focus on building content. |
| Month 3-4 | Long-tail keywords start ranking (page 2-3). |
| Month 5-6 | Some pages reach page 1 for low-competition terms. |
| Month 6-12 | Compound growth as domain authority builds. |

**Reality check:** SEO takes 3-6 months to show results. If you need signups this week, use paid ads or outreach. SEO is the engine you build now so you're not paying for every click forever.

---

## Content Architecture for SaaS

Build your site structure around search intent, not your org chart.

### High-Priority Pages (Build First)

| Page Type | URL Pattern | Search Intent |
|-----------|------------|---------------|
| Homepage | `/` | Branded searches, direct traffic |
| Feature pages | `/features/[feature]` | "How to [solve problem]" |
| Pricing page | `/pricing` | "[Product] pricing", "[category] pricing" |
| Comparison pages | `/compare/[competitor]` | "[Product] vs [Competitor]" |
| Use case pages | `/for/[audience]` | "[Category] for [role/industry]" |

### Content Pages (Build Over Time)

| Page Type | URL Pattern | Search Intent |
|-----------|------------|---------------|
| How-to guides | `/blog/how-to-[action]` | Tutorials that drive signups |
| Listicles | `/blog/best-[category]` | "Best [category] tools" — feature your product |
| Guides | `/blog/[topic]-guide` | Comprehensive mid-funnel content |
| Templates | `/templates/[use-case]` | "[Use case] template" — free value |
| Glossary | `/glossary/[term]` | "What is [term]?" — top-of-funnel |

**Tell AI:**
```
Create a content architecture for our SaaS product [name]:
- Product solves [problem] for [audience]
- Main features: [list features]
- Top 3 competitors: [list competitors]
Generate a sitemap with URL patterns for: homepage, feature pages, comparison pages,
use case pages, and initial blog post ideas. Prioritize by search intent value.
```

---

## Keyword Intent Mapping

Every keyword has an intent. Match your page type to the intent:

| Intent | Example Searches | Best Page Type |
|--------|-----------------|----------------|
| **Informational** | "what is [concept]", "how to [action]" | Blog post, glossary entry |
| **Navigational** | "[your brand] login", "[your brand] pricing" | Ensure YOUR pages rank #1 |
| **Commercial** | "best [category] tools", "[tool A] vs [tool B]" | Comparison page, listicle |
| **Transactional** | "[category] pricing", "buy [product]" | Pricing page, signup page |

### Keyword Research by Tool

**Claude Code** (has web access via Ahrefs MCP or web search):
```
Do keyword research for our product [name] in the [category] space:
- Find 20 keywords our ICP would search for
- Classify each by intent (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional)
- Estimate competition level (low, medium, high)
- Recommend which page type to create for each keyword
- Prioritize: low competition + high intent first
```

**Lovable / Replit / Cursor** (no web access — bring your own data):
1. Do keyword research first using a free tool: Google Search Console (what you already rank for), Google autocomplete (type your topic and note suggestions), or AnswerThePublic
2. Then paste results into your AI tool:
```
Here are my keyword research results: [paste keywords + volumes]
Classify each by intent, recommend a page type for each, and prioritize by
low competition + high intent.
```

---

## Internal Linking Strategy

Internal links are free and high-impact. Use them intentionally.

### Rules

- Every blog post links to at least 1 feature/product page
- Every feature page links to related features and relevant blog posts
- Use descriptive anchor text: "our workflow automation feature" not "click here"
- Create hub pages that link to all content in a topic cluster

### Topic Clusters

Group content around themes. Each cluster has:
1. **Pillar page** — Comprehensive overview (e.g., "Complete Guide to [Topic]")
2. **Cluster pages** — Specific subtopics (e.g., "How to [specific action]")
3. **Internal links** — Every cluster page links to the pillar. Pillar links to all clusters.

**Tell AI:**
```
Build an internal linking plan for our site:
- Audit existing pages and identify linking opportunities
- For each blog post, suggest 2-3 internal links to product/feature pages
- For each feature page, suggest 2-3 links to related blog posts
- Identify gaps: pages with zero internal links pointing to them
- Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here" or "learn more")
```

---

## Content Planning

### Prioritization Framework

Write content in this order:

1. **Bottom-of-funnel first:** Comparison pages, pricing page, feature pages — these convert
2. **Mid-funnel:** How-to guides, use case pages — these build authority
3. **Top-of-funnel:** Glossary, broad guides — these drive volume (but lower conversion)

### Content Calendar (Simple Version)

**Claude Code:**
```
Create a 3-month content calendar for our SaaS blog:
- Product: [name], solves [problem] for [audience]
- Goal: drive organic signups
- Mix: 2 bottom-funnel pieces, 2 mid-funnel pieces, 1 top-funnel piece per month
- For each piece: title, target keyword, intent, URL, and brief outline
- Use web search to validate keyword difficulty before finalizing
```

**Lovable / Replit / Cursor:**
Use the same prompt above but remove the last line (these tools can't search the web). Instead, validate keywords yourself in Google Search Console or a free tool like Ubersuggest first, then paste your validated keyword list into the prompt.

---

## Measuring SEO Results

| Metric | Tool | What It Tells You |
|--------|------|------------------|
| Organic traffic | Google Search Console (free) | How many people find you via search |
| Keyword rankings | Google Search Console | Which queries you appear for and position |
| Click-through rate | Google Search Console | Whether your titles/descriptions earn clicks |
| Organic signups | Your analytics tool | Whether SEO traffic actually converts |

**Tell AI:**
```
Set up SEO tracking:
- Connect Google Search Console to our site
- Add UTM parameters to track organic → signup conversion
- Create a monthly report: top 10 pages by organic traffic, top 10 keywords by impressions,
  click-through rate by page, and organic signup count
```

---

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Writing content with no keyword research | Research first. Every page should target a specific keyword + intent. |
| Targeting high-competition keywords first | Start with long-tail, low-competition keywords. Build authority before going after "CRM software". |
| No internal links | Link every page to related pages. It's free and high-impact. |
| Duplicate intent across pages | One page per search intent. Don't create 3 blog posts targeting the same keyword. |
| Expecting results in 2 weeks | SEO takes 3-6 months. Track progress monthly, not daily. |
| Ignoring existing content | Update and improve old content before writing new. A refreshed page ranks faster than a new one. |