Technical SEO

Technical SEO Implementation

This skill is the implementation reference for technical SEO. Use it when you need to add, fix, or optimize SEO elements in code — meta tags, schema markup, Core Web Vitals, crawlability, and GEO.

This skill covers how to implement in code. For the other SEO concerns:

• seo — Strategy and planning (keyword research, content architecture, what to build)
• seo-content — Writing content (briefs, humanized prose, SERP feature targeting)
• seo-audit — Auditing an existing codebase (scan, diagnose, produce action plan)

Metadata

Every indexable page needs these elements correct:

• Title tag: 50-60 chars, primary keyword front-loaded
• Meta description: 120-155 chars, includes CTA
• Canonical: self-referencing or correct target
• Robots: no accidental noindex
• Open Graph: og:title, og:description, og:image for social sharing

For detailed specs and code examples, see ON-PAGE-SEO.md.

HTML Structure

• Exactly one H1 per page, contains primary keyword
• No skipped header levels (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Semantic HTML: <header>, <nav>, <main>, <article>, <section>

Crawlability

• robots.txt exists, not blocking important paths
• XML sitemap exists, all important URLs included
• Canonical tags on every page
• No orphan pages, proper internal linking

For detailed crawlability checklist, see TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md.

Core Web Vitals

Target metrics (2026 thresholds):

Note: INP replaced FID as a Core Web Vital in March 2024.

For optimization techniques (LCP, INP, CLS), see TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md.

E-E-A-T & Schema

Required JSON-LD schema: Organization, WebSite, Article/BlogPosting, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, Person (author).

For schema code examples and author bio templates, see EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Optimize for AI-powered search engines:

For GEO techniques, llms.txt implementation, and AI crawler management, see GEO.md.

Fix Priorities

When issues are identified, fix in this order:

Priority 1: Critical (Fix Immediately)

• 404 errors and broken links
• Missing or duplicate title tags
• Broken canonical tags
• noindex on important pages
• HTTPS/security issues
• Blocked by robots.txt

Priority 2: High (Fix Within 1 Week)

• Core Web Vitals failures
• Missing meta descriptions
• Multiple H1 tags
• Missing alt text on key images
• Orphan pages (no internal links)
• Missing schema markup

Priority 3: Medium (Fix Within 1 Month)

• Thin content pages
• Header hierarchy issues
• Internal link optimization
• Image optimization (format, compression)
• Anchor text improvements
• Content freshness updates

Priority 4: Low (Ongoing Optimization)

• A/B testing improvements
• Advanced schema types
• International SEO expansion
• New content for topic clusters
• Competitive gap analysis

Post-Fix Validation

After applying fixes:

1. Re-crawl the affected pages
2. Verify DOM changes are live
3. Check robots.txt isn't blocking new paths
4. Validate schema with Google's Rich Results Test
5. Test Core Web Vitals with Lighthouse
6. Monitor Search Console for indexing issues

Monitoring Cadence

Daily: Check Search Console for crawl errors. Monitor site uptime. Review security alerts.

Weekly: Review Core Web Vitals trends. Check for new 404s. Monitor AI referral traffic. Review ranking changes.

Monthly: Full technical audit. Content freshness review. Backlink profile analysis. Schema validation.

Quarterly: Full SEO strategy review. GEO performance analysis. Content gap analysis.

Quick Reference

SEO Specifications

GEO Checklist

Supporting Files

• TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md — Core Web Vitals optimization, crawlability, mobile-first, HTTPS
• ON-PAGE-SEO.md — Title tags, meta descriptions, headers, images, internal linking
• EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md — E-E-A-T implementation, schema markup library (JSON-LD)
• GEO.md — Generative Engine Optimization, llms.txt, AI crawlers, framework-specific SEO

Version History

• v3.0 (March 2026): Reframed as implementation reference (auditing moved to seo-audit skill), added cross-references to seo-content and seo skills, standardized meta description spec to 120-155 chars
• v2.0 (December 2025): Added GEO section, AI crawler management, llms.txt, GA4 AI tracking, updated Core Web Vitals (INP), expanded schema library, framework-specific guides
• v1.0 (December 2024): Initial version with technical audit, on-page SEO, basic schema

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