# Geo Technical

> Technical SEO audit with GEO-specific checks — crawlability, indexability, security, performance, SSR, and AI crawler access

- Skill: `hermeticormus/geo-technical` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add hermeticormus/geo-technical`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/hermeticormus/geo-technical/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: hermeticormus (https://skillmd.com/u/hermeticormus)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/hermeticormus/geo-technical

---


# GEO Technical SEO Audit

## Purpose

Foundation audit for both traditional search and AI citation. Most critical GEO gates: **server-side rendering** (AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript) and **AI crawler access** (sites often inadvertently block AI bots in robots.txt). 8 categories, 100 points.

## How to Use This Skill

1. Collect target URL (homepage + 2-3 key inner pages)
2. Fetch each page using curl/WebFetch — get raw HTML + HTTP headers
3. Run through each of the 8 audit categories below
4. Score using the rubric
5. Generate GEO-TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md (template at end)

Sub-check details, fix lists, framework-specific SSR solutions, and the IndexNow protocol explainer are in **`checks.md`** alongside this file. Reference it as needed.

---

## Category 1: Crawlability (15 pts)

Sub-checks (detail in checks.md §1):
- **1.1 robots.txt validity** — syntactic correctness, sitemap reference
- **1.2 AI crawler access (CRITICAL)** — see table below
- **1.3 XML sitemaps** — valid XML, `<lastmod>` accurate, sample-verify 200s
- **1.4 Crawl depth** — important pages within 3 clicks of homepage
- **1.5 Noindex management** — no erroneous `noindex` on indexable pages

### AI Crawlers — User-Agent Reference

| Crawler | User-Agent | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| GPTBot | GPTBot | ChatGPT / OpenAI |
| Google-Extended | Google-Extended | Gemini / Google AI training |
| Googlebot | Googlebot | Google Search + AI Overviews |
| Bingbot | bingbot | Bing Copilot + ChatGPT (via Bing) |
| PerplexityBot | PerplexityBot | Perplexity AI |
| ClaudeBot | ClaudeBot | Anthropic Claude |
| Amazonbot | Amazonbot | Alexa / Amazon AI |
| CCBot | CCBot | Common Crawl (many AI models) |
| FacebookBot | FacebookExternalHit | Meta AI |
| Bytespider | Bytespider | TikTok / ByteDance AI |
| Applebot-Extended | Applebot-Extended | Apple Intelligence |

### Scoring

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| robots.txt valid and complete | 3 |
| AI crawlers allowed | 5 |
| XML sitemap present and valid | 3 |
| Crawl depth within 3 clicks | 2 |
| No erroneous noindex directives | 2 |

---

## Category 2: Indexability (12 pts)

Sub-checks (detail in checks.md §2):
- **2.1 Canonical tags** — self-referencing, no conflicts, no chains
- **2.2 Duplicate content** — www/non-www, HTTP/HTTPS, trailing slash, params
- **2.3 Pagination** — `rel="next/prev"` or canonical-to-first
- **2.4 Hreflang** — reciprocal, x-default, valid ISO codes
- **2.5 Index bloat** — indexed pages vs valuable content pages

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| Canonical tags correct on all pages | 3 |
| No duplicate content issues | 3 |
| Pagination handled correctly | 2 |
| Hreflang correct (if applicable) | 2 |
| No index bloat | 2 |

---

## Category 3: Security (10 pts)

Required HTTP response headers (detail + values in checks.md §3): `Strict-Transport-Security`, `Content-Security-Policy`, `X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff`, `X-Frame-Options: DENY` or `SAMEORIGIN`, `Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin` (or stricter), `Permissions-Policy`.

HTTPS: enforced, HTTP→HTTPS 301, no mixed content, valid unexpired cert.

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| HTTPS enforced with valid cert | 4 |
| HSTS header present | 2 |
| X-Content-Type-Options | 1 |
| X-Frame-Options | 1 |
| Referrer-Policy | 1 |
| Content-Security-Policy | 1 |

---

## Category 4: URL Structure (8 pts)

Sub-checks (detail in checks.md §4):
- **4.1 Clean URLs** — human-readable, lowercase, hyphens, no session IDs
- **4.2 Logical hierarchy** — `/category/subcategory/page`, consistent
- **4.3 Redirect chains** — max 1 hop, all 301, no loops
- **4.4 Parameter handling** — canonical/Disallow, GSC + Bing WMT configured

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| Clean, readable URLs | 2 |
| Logical hierarchy | 2 |
| No redirect chains (max 1 hop) | 2 |
| Parameter handling configured | 2 |

---

## Category 5: Mobile Optimization (10 pts)

**Critical**: As of July 2024, Google crawls ALL sites exclusively with mobile Googlebot. No desktop crawling.

Sub-checks (detail in checks.md §5):
- **5.1 Responsive design** — `<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">`, no horizontal scroll
- **5.2 Tap targets** — minimum 48x48 CSS px, 8px spacing
- **5.3 Font sizes** — base ≥ 16px, WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1 normal, 3:1 large)
- **5.4 Mobile content parity** — all desktop content visible on mobile

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| Viewport meta tag correct | 3 |
| Responsive layout (no horizontal scroll) | 3 |
| Tap targets appropriately sized | 2 |
| Font sizes legible | 2 |

---

## Category 6: Core Web Vitals (15 pts)

Field data (75th percentile) is the ranking signal. Lab data is for debugging.

| Metric | Good | Needs Improvement | Poor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **LCP** (Largest Contentful Paint) | < 2.5s | 2.5s - 4.0s | > 4.0s | Time until largest visible element renders |
| **INP** (Interaction to Next Paint) | < 200ms | 200ms - 500ms | > 500ms | Replaced FID March 2024. Measures ALL interactions |
| **CLS** (Cumulative Layout Shift) | < 0.1 | 0.1 - 0.25 | > 0.25 | Unexpected layout movements |

Without CrUX data, estimate from page characteristics; common fixes for each metric in checks.md §6.

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| LCP < 2.5s | 5 |
| INP < 200ms | 5 |
| CLS < 0.1 | 5 |

---

## Category 7: Server-Side Rendering (15 pts) — CRITICAL FOR GEO

AI crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, etc.) do **NOT execute JavaScript**. They fetch raw HTML. Client-rendered content = invisible to AI. Googlebot does execute JS but deprioritizes it (separate rendering queue, days/weeks delay).

### Detection Method
1. Fetch with curl (no JS): `curl -s [URL]`
2. Compare raw HTML to browser-rendered DOM
3. If key content (headings, paragraphs, product info, article text) is MISSING from curl output → client-side rendering

### What to Check in Raw HTML
Main content text, headings (H1/H2/H3), navigation, structured data (JSON-LD), meta tags (title/description/canonical/OG), internal links.

SSR solutions per framework + extended scoring detail in checks.md §7.

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| Main content in raw HTML | 8 |
| Meta tags + structured data in raw HTML | 4 |
| Internal links in raw HTML | 3 |

---

## Category 8: Page Speed & Server Performance (15 pts)

Sub-checks (detail in checks.md §8):
- **8.1 TTFB** — target **< 800ms** (ideal < 200ms). Measure: `curl -o /dev/null -s -w 'TTFB: %{time_starttransfer}s\n' [URL]`
- **8.2 Resource optimization** — total page weight **< 2MB** (critical pages < 1MB), gzip/brotli on, minified, unused CSS/JS
- **8.3 Image optimization** — WebP/AVIF, correctly sized, `loading="lazy"` below fold (NOT above), explicit width/height
- **8.4 Code splitting** — JS bundles < 200KB compressed (warning), < 500KB (critical), `async`/`defer` third-party, no render-blocking in `<head>`
- **8.5 Caching** — static assets `max-age=31536000` with content-hashed filenames; HTML short cache or `no-cache` with ETag/Last-Modified
- **8.6 CDN** — `CF-Ray` (Cloudflare), `X-Cache` (CloudFront), `X-Served-By` (Fastly)

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| TTFB < 800ms | 3 |
| Page weight < 2MB | 2 |
| Images optimized (format, size, lazy) | 3 |
| JS bundles reasonable (< 200KB compressed) | 2 |
| Compression enabled (gzip/brotli) | 2 |
| Cache headers on static resources | 2 |
| CDN in use | 1 |

---

## IndexNow Protocol

Bing/Yandex/Seznam/Naver instant-indexing protocol. Google does NOT support but monitors. **GEO relevance**: ChatGPT and Bing Copilot both use Bing's index — faster Bing indexing = faster AI visibility.

Check for `https://[domain]/.well-known/indexnow-key.txt` or CMS plugin. Full explainer in checks.md.

---

## Overall Scoring

| Category | Max Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Crawlability | 15 | Core foundation |
| Indexability | 12 | Core foundation |
| Security | 10 | Trust signal |
| URL Structure | 8 | Crawl efficiency |
| Mobile Optimization | 10 | Google requirement |
| Core Web Vitals | 15 | Ranking signal |
| Server-Side Rendering | 15 | GEO critical |
| Page Speed & Server | 15 | Performance |
| **Total** | **100** | |

Score interpretation bands in checks.md (90-100 Excellent, 70-89 Good, 50-69 Needs Work, 30-49 Poor, 0-29 Critical).

---

## Output Format

Generate **GEO-TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md** with:

```markdown
# GEO Technical SEO Audit — [Domain]
Date: [Date]

## Technical Score: XX/100

## Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Crawlability | XX/15 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Indexability | XX/12 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Security | XX/10 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| URL Structure | XX/8 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Mobile Optimization | XX/10 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Core Web Vitals | XX/15 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Server-Side Rendering | XX/15 | Pass/Warn/Fail |
| Page Speed & Server | XX/15 | Pass/Warn/Fail |

Status: Pass = 80%+ of category points, Warn = 50-79%, Fail = <50%

## AI Crawler Access
| Crawler | User-Agent | Status | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPTBot | GPTBot | Allowed/Blocked | [Action] |
| Googlebot | Googlebot | Allowed/Blocked | [Action] |
[Continue for all AI crawlers]

## Critical Issues (fix immediately)
[List with specific page URLs and what is wrong]

## Warnings (fix this month)
[List with details]

## Recommendations (optimize this quarter)
[List with details]

## Detailed Findings
[Per-category breakdown with evidence]
```