jgoullet Skill: SEO Collector — Automated technical data collection
All responses and logs are produced in English by default. Switch to the user's language if they explicitly request it.
Overview
This skill automatically crawls a website and produces a structured site-data.json file, ready to be consumed by the seo-geo-audit skill. It replaces manual information gathering (Step 0 of the audit).
Position in the pipeline
[seo-shared-context] → client-profile.md
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ SEO COLLECTOR (this) │
└─────────────────────────┘
↓
site-data.json
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ SEO-GEO AUDIT │
└─────────────────────────┘
Step 0: Prerequisites
Required inputs
- Site URL (required)
client-profile.md(optional — if available, load it for mode, competitors, CMS info)
Optional MCP integrations
Ahrefs MCP (recommended — replaces estimates with real data)
Ahrefs MCP is available on Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise plans (from $29/month Starter). It provides real backlink data, domain rating, organic keywords, and competitor identification — all data that the collector would otherwise estimate.
If Ahrefs MCP is connected, the collector will use it to pull:
| Ahrefs endpoint | What it provides | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
domain-rating |
Real DR score (0-100) + Ahrefs Rank | Estimated authority |
backlinks-stats |
Total backlinks, referring domains, dofollow/nofollow | "Estimated from web search" |
broken-backlinks |
Broken inbound links list | Not available without Ahrefs |
organic-keywords |
Keywords the site ranks for + positions + volumes | Manual keyword search |
organic-competitors |
Top organic competitors identified by Ahrefs | "Identify via web_search" |
top-pages |
Pages driving the most organic traffic | Sample crawl guesswork |
batch-url-analysis |
SEO metrics for multiple URLs at once | One-by-one page crawl |
brand-radar |
Brand mentions across AI agents (ChatGPT, Perplexity...) | Manual GEO visibility test |
How to connect: The user provides their Ahrefs account via MCP. No API key pasting needed — MCP handles authentication.
If Ahrefs MCP is NOT connected: All metrics are estimated from observable signals via web_search and web_fetch. Clearly flag this in the output: "source": "estimated" vs "source": "ahrefs_mcp".
GA4 MCP (optional)
If connected (github.com/googleanalytics/google-analytics-mcp), pull real organic traffic, bounce rates, conversions.
GSC MCP (optional)
If connected (github.com/ahonn/mcp-server-gsc), pull real rankings, impressions, AI Overviews data, URL inspection.
Context window budget — text_content_token_limit
⚠️ CRITICAL — Apply token limits to ALL
web_fetchcalls.A full audit generates 25-40 web calls. Without limits,
web_fetchreturns entire pages (10-15K tokens each), consuming 100-175K tokens and risking context overflow before the report is generated.Always pass
text_content_token_limittoweb_fetch. The SEO-relevant content (title, meta, H1, schema, headers) is concentrated in the<head>and early<body>— the rest is navigation, footer, ads, and noise.
| Fetch target | text_content_token_limit |
Why this limit |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage (HTML) | 4000 | <head> + H1/H2 + first content block — enough for title, meta, schema, OG tags, CMS markers |
| robots.txt | 1000 | Always short — full AI bot rules fit easily |
| sitemap.xml | 3000 | URL count + sample URLs + lastmod — don't need every URL |
| Secondary/inner pages | 3000 | Same extraction as homepage, lighter |
| Competitor pages | 3000 | Only need title, meta, H1, schema presence |
| PageSpeed / external data | (use web_search, no fetch needed) |
Search snippets are pre-truncated |
Example:
web_fetch: [URL] → text_content_token_limit: 4000
web_fetch: [URL]/robots.txt → text_content_token_limit: 1000
Estimated savings: ~100K tokens per audit (from ~175K down to ~75K).
Base verification
Before starting, test that the site is accessible:
web_fetch: [URL] (text_content_token_limit: 4000)
If error (timeout, 5xx, maintenance) → note and stop. If redirect → follow and note the final URL.
Step 1: Homepage metadata collection
Use web_fetch on the main URL (with text_content_token_limit: 4000) and extract:
1.1 Essential HTML tags
Extract and structure: <title>, meta description, H1 (count), H2 list, canonical URL, lang attribute, hreflang tags, viewport meta, Open Graph tags, Twitter Card.
1.2 CMS detection
Look for markers in the HTML source: WordPress (wp-content/), Shopify (cdn.shopify.com), Webflow (webflow.com), Wix (wix.com), Next.js (__NEXT_DATA__), and others.
Step 2: Robots.txt & Sitemap
2.1 Robots.txt
Fetch and parse robots.txt (with text_content_token_limit: 1000). For each AI bot (Googlebot, GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, anthropic-ai, Bingbot), determine if explicitly blocked, allowed, or inheriting from User-agent: *.
2.2 Sitemap XML
Fetch sitemap.xml (with text_content_token_limit: 3000). Extract: existence, URL, type (index or urlset), total URL count, sample URLs, last modified date.
Step 3: Core Web Vitals
Search for PageSpeed Insights data via web_search. Structure results for LCP, CLS, INP, FCP, TTFB — both mobile and desktop. Note data source and freshness.
If data is not found, estimate based on HTML analysis (page weight, script count, image optimization).
Step 4: HTTPS & Security headers
Analyze HTTP headers via web_fetch (with text_content_token_limit: 2000): HTTPS status, HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, mixed content detection.
Step 5: Schema markup detection
⚠️ CRITICAL LIMITATION:
web_fetchcannot detect JavaScript-injected JSON-LD. Flag uncertainty if CMS is detected but no schema found in static HTML.
Search for <script type="application/ld+json">, itemscope/itemtype (Microdata), and typeof/property (RDFa) in the HTML.
Step 5.5: Analytics & tracking audit
Analyze the HTML source from the homepage (and sample pages in Step 6) to detect which analytics and tracking tools are installed, and whether basic conversion tracking appears to be configured.
5.5.1 Analytics tool detection
Search the HTML for these markers:
| Tool | Detection pattern | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | gtag.js, G-XXXXXXX, googletagmanager.com/gtag |
Modern analytics — good |
| Google Tag Manager (GTM) | googletagmanager.com/gtm.js, GTM-XXXXXXX |
Tag container — enables event tracking without code changes |
| Universal Analytics (UA) | analytics.js, UA-XXXXXXX |
Legacy — deprecated July 2024, should be migrated to GA4 |
| Facebook/Meta Pixel | fbq(, connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js |
Ad tracking — indicates paid social activity |
| Hotjar / Clarity | hotjar.com, clarity.ms |
Heatmaps / session recording — indicates UX focus |
| Segment | analytics.segment.com, cdn.segment.com |
CDP — indicates mature tracking stack |
| Mixpanel | mixpanel.com/track, cdn.mxpnl.com |
Product analytics — indicates event-level tracking |
| Matomo / Piwik | matomo.js, piwik.js |
Privacy-first analytics |
| Pinterest Tag | pintrk(, s.pinimg.com |
Pinterest ad tracking |
| TikTok Pixel | ttq.load, analytics.tiktok.com |
TikTok ad tracking |
| LinkedIn Insight | snap.licdn.com/li.lms-analytics |
LinkedIn B2B tracking |
5.5.2 Conversion tracking signals
Look for indicators that conversion events are configured:
| Signal | What to look for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced ecommerce | purchase, add_to_cart, begin_checkout in gtag calls or dataLayer pushes |
✅/❌ |
| Form tracking | Event listeners on <form> submit, or GTM form trigger patterns |
✅/❌ |
| Scroll tracking | scroll event in gtag or GTM |
✅/❌ |
| Click tracking | click events on CTAs, outbound links |
✅/❌ |
| dataLayer present | window.dataLayer initialized |
✅/❌ |
| Consent management | Cookie banner / CMP detected (Cookiebot, OneTrust, Axeptio, Didomi) | ✅/❌ |
5.5.3 UTM parameter handling
Check if the site preserves UTM parameters:
- Are UTMs visible in internal links (leak) or stripped properly?
- Does the site use consistent UTM naming? (search for
utm_source,utm_medium,utm_campaignpatterns)
5.5.4 Output structure
{
"analytics_tracking": {
"tools_detected": {
"ga4": { "present": true, "measurement_id": "G-XXXXXXX" },
"gtm": { "present": true, "container_id": "GTM-XXXXXXX" },
"ua_legacy": { "present": false },
"meta_pixel": { "present": true },
"hotjar_clarity": { "present": false, "tool": null },
"segment": { "present": false },
"mixpanel": { "present": false },
"other": []
},
"conversion_tracking": {
"ecommerce_events": false,
"form_tracking": false,
"scroll_tracking": false,
"click_tracking": false,
"datalayer_present": true,
"consent_management": { "present": true, "tool": "Axeptio" }
},
"utm_handling": {
"utm_params_detected_in_links": false,
"consistent_naming": "unknown"
},
"maturity_level": "basic|intermediate|advanced",
"issues": [
"No ecommerce conversion tracking detected",
"No heatmap/session recording tool installed"
],
"recommendations": [
"Set up GA4 ecommerce events (add_to_cart, purchase)",
"Install Hotjar or Clarity for UX insights"
]
}
}
Maturity levels:
- basic: GA4 or GTM present but no conversion events detected
- intermediate: GA4 + GTM + some conversion events + consent management
- advanced: Full event tracking + CDP (Segment) or product analytics (Mixpanel) + heatmaps + structured dataLayer
This data feeds directly into the auditor's Step 6: UX & Conversion section, replacing guesswork with detected tracking state.
Step 6: Sample pages crawl
Crawl 3-5 additional pages (from sitemap or navigation) (each with text_content_token_limit: 3000). For each, collect the same data as Step 1.
Step 7: Ahrefs MCP data (if connected)
This entire step is skipped if Ahrefs MCP is not connected. All data points are then marked as
"source": "estimated"in the output.
7.1 Domain authority & backlinks
Query Ahrefs MCP:
- Domain Rating:
domain-ratingendpoint → real DR score - Backlinks stats:
backlinks-stats→ total backlinks, referring domains, dofollow ratio - Broken backlinks:
broken-backlinks→ list of broken inbound links (for the Implementer to generate redirects)
{
"ahrefs": {
"source": "ahrefs_mcp",
"domain_rating": 45,
"ahrefs_rank": 123456,
"backlinks_total": 12500,
"referring_domains": 890,
"dofollow_ratio": 0.72,
"broken_backlinks": [
{ "url_from": "https://partner.com/old-link", "url_to": "https://example.com/404-page" }
]
}
}
7.2 Organic keywords & positions
Query Ahrefs MCP:
- Organic keywords:
organic-keywords→ top 50 keywords the site ranks for with positions and volumes - Top pages:
top-pages→ pages driving the most organic traffic
{
"ahrefs_keywords": {
"total_organic_keywords": 2340,
"top_keywords": [
{ "keyword": "linen curtains", "position": 3, "volume": 8100, "url": "/collections/lin" },
{ "keyword": "velvet cushions", "position": 7, "volume": 3200, "url": "/collections/coussins-velours" }
],
"top_pages": [
{ "url": "/collections/rideau", "organic_traffic": 4500, "keywords_count": 120 }
]
}
}
7.3 Competitors identification
Query Ahrefs MCP:
- Organic competitors:
organic-competitors→ sites competing for the same keywords
{
"ahrefs_competitors": [
{ "domain": "laredoute.fr", "common_keywords": 450, "competition_level": "high" },
{ "domain": "maison-monde.com", "common_keywords": 280, "competition_level": "medium" }
]
}
This replaces the manual "identify competitors via web_search" step. The auditor can use these directly.
7.4 Brand Radar — AI visibility (if available on user's plan)
Query Ahrefs MCP:
- Brand Radar:
brand-radar→ brand mentions across AI agents
{
"ahrefs_brand_radar": {
"source": "ahrefs_mcp",
"ai_mentions": {
"chatgpt": { "mentioned": true, "citation_count": 5 },
"perplexity": { "mentioned": true, "citation_count": 3 },
"google_ai_overview": { "mentioned": false },
"claude": { "mentioned": true, "citation_count": 1 }
},
"real_prompts_with_citations": [
{ "platform": "chatgpt", "prompt": "best linen curtains France", "cited": true }
]
}
}
This is a direct replacement for the manual GEO visibility test (Step 5.6 in the auditor). Real data instead of manual searches.
Step 8: Indexation & external presence
8.1 Google indexation
web_search: "site:[domain]" — estimate indexed page count.
8.2 Bing indexation
web_search: "[domain] bing indexed" — verify presence.
8.3 Brave Search indexation
web_search: "[domain] brave search" — verify presence (critical for Claude citations).
8.4 Local directories (Local mode)
Search for business on key directories (Yelp, TripAdvisor, Healthgrades, etc.).
Step 9: Assemble site-data.json
Assemble all collected data into a single structured JSON file:
{
"metadata": {
"collector_version": "2.0",
"collection_date": "[ISO 8601]",
"url_audited": "[URL]",
"url_final": "[URL after redirects]",
"domain": "[extracted domain]",
"data_completeness": "high|medium|low",
"mcp_integrations": {
"ahrefs": true|false,
"ga4": true|false,
"gsc": true|false
}
},
"homepage": { "..." },
"cms_detected": "shopify|wordpress|...",
"robots_txt": { "..." },
"sitemap": { "..." },
"core_web_vitals": { "..." },
"security": { "..." },
"schema_markup": { "..." },
"analytics_tracking": { "..." },
"pages_sample": [ "..." ],
"indexation": { "..." },
"ahrefs": { "..." },
"ahrefs_keywords": { "..." },
"ahrefs_competitors": [ "..." ],
"ahrefs_brand_radar": { "..." },
"issues_summary": {
"critical": ["[list]"],
"warnings": ["[list]"],
"info": ["[list]"]
}
}
Save to seo-project-[domain]/site-data.json.
If no client-profile.md exists, create a pre-filled one with detected information.
Step 10: Summary for the user
After collection, present a clear summary:
═══════════════════════════════════════════
SEO DATA COLLECTION COMPLETE — [domain]
Date: [date]
═══════════════════════════════════════════
📊 Data collected:
✅ Homepage: title, meta, H1, OG tags
✅ Robots.txt: [X] AI bots allowed / [Y] blocked
✅ Sitemap: [N] URLs found
✅ Core Web Vitals: [source]
✅ Security: HTTPS [yes/no]
✅ Schema: [types found or "check needed"]
✅ Analytics: [tools detected] | Maturity: [basic/intermediate/advanced]
✅ Sample: [N] pages analyzed
✅ Indexation: ~[N] pages on Google
[If Ahrefs MCP connected:]
✅ Ahrefs DR: [score]/100 | Referring domains: [N]
✅ Organic keywords: [N] tracked | Top position: [N]
✅ Competitors: [N] identified
✅ Brand Radar: cited by [N] AI platforms
[If Ahrefs MCP NOT connected:]
ℹ️ Backlinks & keywords: estimated (connect Ahrefs MCP for real data)
⚠️ Issues detected: [N critical] / [N warning]
[Top 3 most important issues]
📁 File generated: site-data.json
→ Ready for seo-geo-audit
Would you like to run the full audit now?
Error handling
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Site inaccessible (timeout) | Retry after 5s. If still down → note and stop. |
| Robots.txt missing | Note exists: false, continue. |
| Sitemap missing | Check robots.txt for sitemap URL, otherwise note exists: false. |
| PageSpeed not found | Estimate via HTML analysis, note source: "estimation". |
| Page 403/401 | Note, continue with other pages. |
| Rate limiting detected | Space out requests, note in report. |
| Ahrefs MCP timeout | Note the failure, continue without Ahrefs data. Flag in output. |
| Ahrefs MCP not connected | Skip Step 7 entirely, all metrics marked "source": "estimated". |
Pipeline chaining
The site-data.json file is designed to be read directly by seo-geo-audit. When the user asks to run the audit after collection:
- Verify
site-data.jsonexists - Pass it in context to the audit skill
- The audit skill skips Step 0 (manual collection) and goes directly to analysis
- If Ahrefs data is present, the auditor uses real metrics instead of estimates
Pattern 2 applied: Output-as-input chaining. The collector writes structured JSON, the auditor reads it. Loose coupling, shared files as the API layer.