# SEO Content > 2026 SEO content writing for marketing sites — search intent, on-page structure, keyword research, E-E-A-T, internal linking, and AI Overview optimization. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/seo-content-3` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/seo-content-3` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/seo-content-3/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/seo-content-3 --- # SEO Content — 2026 Marketing Site Writing ## Search Intent Classification — Do This First Before writing a single word, classify the intent of the target query. Getting this wrong means the page will not rank regardless of quality. | Intent | What the user wants | Content format | |--------|--------------------|-------------- | | Informational | Learn something | Long-form guide, tutorial, comparison | | Navigational | Find a specific site/page | Not a content play — fix your brand SERP | | Commercial investigation | Evaluate options before buying | Comparison, listicle, review | | Transactional | Buy or sign up now | Landing page, product page | To verify intent: Google the keyword. Look at the top 5 results. Match their format and depth. If the SERP is all listicles, write a listicle. If it is all tutorials, write a tutorial. ## Title, H1, and Meta Description **Title tag:** - 50–60 characters max (Google truncates at ~580px). - Primary keyword near the front. - Differentiation signal: year, number, modifier ("Best", "Complete Guide", "For [ICP]"). - Example: `B2B Cold Email Templates That Actually Book Meetings (2026)` **H1:** - Can differ from the title tag — use the keyword naturally, not stuffed. - One H1 per page only. **Meta description:** - 120–158 characters. - Not a ranking factor but directly affects CTR. - Include primary keyword, a benefit, and an implicit CTA. - Example: `Skip the generic templates. These cold email frameworks generated 3,000+ replies for SaaS teams in 2025. Copy and adapt.` ## Keyword Research Workflow Paid tools: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Semrush Keyword Magic. Free stack (in order): 1. **Google Search Console** — find queries where you rank 8–20 and optimize for them (fastest wins). 2. **Bing Keyword Research Tool** — free, underused, shows volume and CPC. 3. **AlsoAsked.com** — maps the "People Also Ask" tree; reveals the sub-questions to answer in the article. 4. **Google autocomplete + related searches** — primary keyword in the search bar, scrape suggestions. Targeting signal: primary keyword + 3–5 secondary/LSI keywords woven naturally into H2s and body copy. Do not stuff. Google detects unnatural density. Difficulty vs. opportunity heuristic: target keywords with KD < 30 for new sites, KD 30–60 for established domains. Above 60 requires serious authority and backlinks — a content play alone will not rank. ## E-E-A-T Signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) Google's quality rater guidelines penalize thin, anonymous, unverifiable content. Countermeasures: - **Author byline** with real name, photo, credentials, and LinkedIn link. - **First-person experience.** "I tested X" or "Our team ran Y" signals real experience. - **Citations and sources.** Link to primary research, studies, and authoritative domains. - **Publication date + last-updated date.** Keep evergreen content updated annually at minimum. - **About page and author bio pages.** Must exist and be detailed. - **Expert quotes.** Pull quotes from named practitioners (with permission). For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics — finance, health, legal — E-E-A-T requirements are significantly stricter. Anonymous content will not rank. ## Internal Linking Internal links distribute PageRank and signal topical authority. Do both: - **Hub-and-spoke.** Create a pillar page for a broad topic; link to it from all related cluster posts. Pillar links back to clusters. - **Contextual links.** Link from body copy using descriptive anchor text (not "click here"). Anchor text should describe the destination page's topic. - Rule of thumb: 3–5 internal links per 1,000 words. - Audit broken internal links quarterly. ## AI Overview / SGE Optimization Google's AI Overviews (formerly SGE) cite specific sources. To be citation-worthy: - **Answer the question in the first 100 words.** The model favors content that answers directly before elaborating. - **Use structured formats.** Numbered steps, definition-first paragraphs, comparison tables — all easier for LLMs to parse and cite. - **Claim specificity.** "Reduces churn by 18%" is citable. "Reduces churn significantly" is not. - **FAQ schema.** Marks up questions and answers explicitly for AI parsing (see snippet below). - **Structured data.** Article, BreadcrumbList, and FAQPage schemas increase the signal-to-noise ratio for crawlers. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a good cold email open rate?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A good cold email open rate for B2B outreach is 40–60%. Below 30% usually signals deliverability problems or weak subject lines." } } ] } ``` Add this in a `