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):
| Metric |
Good |
Needs Improvement |
Poor |
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) |
≤ 2.5s |
2.5s - 4s |
> 4s |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) |
≤ 200ms |
200ms - 500ms |
> 500ms |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) |
≤ 0.1 |
0.1 - 0.25 |
> 0.25 |
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
| Signal |
Implementation |
| Experience |
First-hand testing, case studies, original photos |
| Expertise |
Author credentials, certifications |
| Authoritativeness |
Quality backlinks, industry mentions |
| Trustworthiness |
HTTPS, contact info, privacy policy, citations |
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:
| Aspect |
Traditional SEO |
GEO |
| Goal |
Rank in search results |
Be cited in AI answers |
| Success Metric |
Click-through rate |
Citation frequency |
| Approach |
Keywords, backlinks |
Entity clarity, authority signals |
| Optimization |
Pages and snippets |
Citable facts and answers |
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:
- Re-crawl the affected pages
- Verify DOM changes are live
- Check robots.txt isn't blocking new paths
- Validate schema with Google's Rich Results Test
- Test Core Web Vitals with Lighthouse
- 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
| Element |
Specification |
| Title Tag |
50-60 chars, keyword front-loaded |
| Meta Description |
120-155 chars, includes CTA |
| H1 |
Exactly 1 per page, contains keyword |
| URL |
Lowercase, hyphens, descriptive |
| Images |
WebP/AVIF, <200KB, alt text, dimensions |
| Canonical |
Self-referencing on every page |
| robots.txt |
Allow important paths, block admin |
| Sitemap |
All indexable URLs, lastmod dates |
GEO Checklist
| Element |
Required |
| FAQPage Schema |
Yes |
| Answer-first content |
Yes |
| Statistics with sources |
Yes |
| Expert quotes |
Recommended |
| TL;DR blocks |
Recommended |
| llms.txt |
Recommended |
| Fresh content (<90 days) |
Yes |
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
1---
2name: technical-seo
3description: "Use this skill to implement technical SEO optimizations in code — meta tags, schema markup, Core Web Vitals, crawlability, robots.txt, sitemaps, and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) for AI search engines. This is the implementation skill — for strategy see seo, for content writing see seo-content, for auditing see seo-audit."
4---
5
6# Technical SEO Implementation
7
8This 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.
9
10This skill covers **how to implement in code**. For the other SEO concerns:
11- **seo** — Strategy and planning (keyword research, content architecture, what to build)
12- **seo-content** — Writing content (briefs, humanized prose, SERP feature targeting)
13- **seo-audit** — Auditing an existing codebase (scan, diagnose, produce action plan)
14
15---
16
17## Metadata
18
19Every indexable page needs these elements correct:
20
21- **Title tag:** 50-60 chars, primary keyword front-loaded
22- **Meta description:** 120-155 chars, includes CTA
23- **Canonical:** self-referencing or correct target
24- **Robots:** no accidental noindex
25- **Open Graph:** og:title, og:description, og:image for social sharing
26
27For detailed specs and code examples, see [ON-PAGE-SEO.md](ON-PAGE-SEO.md).
28
29## HTML Structure
30
31- Exactly one H1 per page, contains primary keyword
32- No skipped header levels (H1 → H2 → H3)
33- Semantic HTML: `<header>`, `<nav>`, `<main>`, `<article>`, `<section>`
34
35## Crawlability
36
37- robots.txt exists, not blocking important paths
38- XML sitemap exists, all important URLs included
39- Canonical tags on every page
40- No orphan pages, proper internal linking
41
42For detailed crawlability checklist, see [TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md](TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md).
43
44## Core Web Vitals
45
46Target metrics (2026 thresholds):
47
48| Metric | Good | Needs Improvement | Poor |
49|--------|------|-------------------|------|
50| **LCP** (Largest Contentful Paint) | ≤ 2.5s | 2.5s - 4s | > 4s |
51| **INP** (Interaction to Next Paint) | ≤ 200ms | 200ms - 500ms | > 500ms |
52| **CLS** (Cumulative Layout Shift) | ≤ 0.1 | 0.1 - 0.25 | > 0.25 |
53
54**Note**: INP replaced FID as a Core Web Vital in March 2024.
55
56For optimization techniques (LCP, INP, CLS), see [TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md](TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md).
57
58## E-E-A-T & Schema
59
60| Signal | Implementation |
61|--------|----------------|
62| **Experience** | First-hand testing, case studies, original photos |
63| **Expertise** | Author credentials, certifications |
64| **Authoritativeness** | Quality backlinks, industry mentions |
65| **Trustworthiness** | HTTPS, contact info, privacy policy, citations |
66
67Required JSON-LD schema: Organization, WebSite, Article/BlogPosting, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, Person (author).
68
69For schema code examples and author bio templates, see [EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md](EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md).
70
71## GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
72
73Optimize for AI-powered search engines:
74
75| Aspect | Traditional SEO | GEO |
76|--------|----------------|-----|
77| **Goal** | Rank in search results | Be cited in AI answers |
78| **Success Metric** | Click-through rate | Citation frequency |
79| **Approach** | Keywords, backlinks | Entity clarity, authority signals |
80| **Optimization** | Pages and snippets | Citable facts and answers |
81
82For GEO techniques, llms.txt implementation, and AI crawler management, see [GEO.md](GEO.md).
83
84---
85
86## Fix Priorities
87
88When issues are identified, fix in this order:
89
90### Priority 1: Critical (Fix Immediately)
91- 404 errors and broken links
92- Missing or duplicate title tags
93- Broken canonical tags
94- noindex on important pages
95- HTTPS/security issues
96- Blocked by robots.txt
97
98### Priority 2: High (Fix Within 1 Week)
99- Core Web Vitals failures
100- Missing meta descriptions
101- Multiple H1 tags
102- Missing alt text on key images
103- Orphan pages (no internal links)
104- Missing schema markup
105
106### Priority 3: Medium (Fix Within 1 Month)
107- Thin content pages
108- Header hierarchy issues
109- Internal link optimization
110- Image optimization (format, compression)
111- Anchor text improvements
112- Content freshness updates
113
114### Priority 4: Low (Ongoing Optimization)
115- A/B testing improvements
116- Advanced schema types
117- International SEO expansion
118- New content for topic clusters
119- Competitive gap analysis
120
121---
122
123## Post-Fix Validation
124
125After applying fixes:
126
1271. **Re-crawl** the affected pages
1282. **Verify** DOM changes are live
1293. **Check** robots.txt isn't blocking new paths
1304. **Validate** schema with Google's Rich Results Test
1315. **Test** Core Web Vitals with Lighthouse
1326. **Monitor** Search Console for indexing issues
133
134---
135
136## Monitoring Cadence
137
138**Daily:** Check Search Console for crawl errors. Monitor site uptime. Review security alerts.
139
140**Weekly:** Review Core Web Vitals trends. Check for new 404s. Monitor AI referral traffic. Review ranking changes.
141
142**Monthly:** Full technical audit. Content freshness review. Backlink profile analysis. Schema validation.
143
144**Quarterly:** Full SEO strategy review. GEO performance analysis. Content gap analysis.
145
146---
147
148## Quick Reference
149
150### SEO Specifications
151
152| Element | Specification |
153|---------|---------------|
154| Title Tag | 50-60 chars, keyword front-loaded |
155| Meta Description | 120-155 chars, includes CTA |
156| H1 | Exactly 1 per page, contains keyword |
157| URL | Lowercase, hyphens, descriptive |
158| Images | WebP/AVIF, <200KB, alt text, dimensions |
159| Canonical | Self-referencing on every page |
160| robots.txt | Allow important paths, block admin |
161| Sitemap | All indexable URLs, lastmod dates |
162
163### GEO Checklist
164
165| Element | Required |
166|---------|----------|
167| FAQPage Schema | Yes |
168| Answer-first content | Yes |
169| Statistics with sources | Yes |
170| Expert quotes | Recommended |
171| TL;DR blocks | Recommended |
172| llms.txt | Recommended |
173| Fresh content (<90 days) | Yes |
174
175---
176
177## Supporting Files
178
179- [TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md](TECHNICAL-AUDIT.md) — Core Web Vitals optimization, crawlability, mobile-first, HTTPS
180- [ON-PAGE-SEO.md](ON-PAGE-SEO.md) — Title tags, meta descriptions, headers, images, internal linking
181- [EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md](EEAT-AND-SCHEMA.md) — E-E-A-T implementation, schema markup library (JSON-LD)
182- [GEO.md](GEO.md) — Generative Engine Optimization, llms.txt, AI crawlers, framework-specific SEO
183
184---
185
186## Version History
187
188- **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
189- **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
190- **v1.0** (December 2024): Initial version with technical audit, on-page SEO, basic schema
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