SEO Review

Skill: SEO Audit for Documentation Pages

Use this skill to perform a focused SEO audit on documentation or content pages. The goal is to maximize search visibility for developers and readers searching for topics you cover.

When to Use

• Before publishing a new documentation page
• When optimizing underperforming pages
• Periodic content audits
• After major content updates
• When targeting new keywords

Goal

Each documentation page should rank for searches like:

• "what is [topic] in [technology]"
• "how does [topic] work"
• "[topic] explained"
• "[topic] tutorial"
• "[topic] example"

SEO Audit Methodology

Follow these five steps for a complete SEO audit.

Step 1: Identify Target Keywords

Before auditing, identify the keyword cluster for the topic.

Keyword Cluster Template

Step 2: On-Page SEO Audit

Check all on-page SEO elements systematically using the checklists below.

Step 3: Featured Snippet Optimization

Verify content is structured to win featured snippets.

Step 4: Internal Linking Audit

Check the internal link structure.

Step 5: Generate Report

Document findings using the report template at the bottom of this skill.

Audit Checklists

Title Tag Checklist (4 points)

Scoring:

• 4/4: Excellent
• 3/4: Good, minor improvements possible
• 0-2/4: Needs significant work

Title Formula:

[Topic]: [What You'll Understand] in [Technology]

Good Examples:

Bad Examples:

Meta Description Checklist (4 points)

Description Formula:

[Action word] [what the topic is] in [technology]. [Specific things covered]: [topic 1], [topic 2], and [topic 3].

Good Examples:

Bad Examples:

Keyword Placement Checklist (5 points)

Keyword Placement Map:

CRITICAL (Must have keyword)
  - title frontmatter
  - description frontmatter
  - First paragraph (within 100 words)
  - At least one H2 heading

RECOMMENDED (Include naturally)
  - "What you'll learn" summary box
  - H3 subheadings
  - Key Takeaways section
  - First sentence after major H2s

AVOID
  - Same phrase >4 times per 1000 words
  - Forcing keywords where pronouns work better
  - Awkward sentence structures to fit keywords

Content Structure Checklist (6 points)

Content Length Guidelines:

Featured Snippet Checklist (4 points)

Featured Snippet Formats:

Definition Paragraph Example (40-60 words):

## What is a Closure?

A **closure** is a function that retains access to variables from its outer
(enclosing) scope, even after that outer function has finished executing.
Closures are created every time a function is created, allowing inner functions
to "remember" and access their lexical environment.

Internal Linking Checklist (4 points)

Good Anchor Text:

Technical SEO Checklist (3 points)

URL/Slug Best Practices:

Rules for slugs:

• Include primary keyword
• Use hyphens, not underscores
• Keep under 50 characters
• Lowercase only

Scoring System

Total Points Available: 30

Score Interpretation

Common SEO Issues and Fixes

Title Tag Issues

Meta Description Issues

Content Structure Issues

Featured Snippet Issues

Internal Linking Issues

SEO Audit Report Template

Use this template to document your findings.

# SEO Audit Report: [Page Title]

**File:** `[file path]`
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Auditor:** [Name]
**Overall Score:** XX/30 (XX%)
**Status:** Excellent | Needs Work | Poor

---

## Score Summary

| Category | Score | Status |
|----------|-------|--------|
| Title Tag | X/4 | |
| Meta Description | X/4 | |
| Keyword Placement | X/5 | |
| Content Structure | X/6 | |
| Featured Snippets | X/4 | |
| Internal Linking | X/4 | |
| Technical SEO | X/3 | |
| **Total** | **X/30** | |

---

## Target Keywords

**Primary Keyword:** [e.g., "JavaScript closures"]
**Secondary Keywords:**
- [keyword 1]
- [keyword 2]
- [keyword 3]

**Search Intent:** Informational / How-to / Comparison

---

## Title Tag Analysis

**Current Title:** "[current title]"
**Character Count:** XX characters
**Score:** X/4

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| Length 50-60 chars | | XX characters |
| Primary keyword in first half | | |
| Contains technology context | | |
| Contains compelling hook | | |

**Recommended Title:** "[suggested title]" (XX chars)

---

## Meta Description Analysis

**Current Description:** "[current description]"
**Character Count:** XX characters
**Score:** X/4

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| Length 150-160 chars | | XX characters |
| Starts with action word | | |
| Contains primary keyword | | |
| Promises specific value | | |

**Recommended Description:** "[suggested description]" (XX chars)

---

## Keyword Placement Analysis

**Score:** X/5

| Location | Present | Notes |
|----------|---------|-------|
| Title | | |
| Meta description | | |
| First 100 words | | Found at word XX |
| H2 heading | | Found in: "[H2 text]" |
| Natural reading | | |

---

## Content Structure Analysis

**Word Count:** X,XXX words
**Score:** X/6

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| Question hook opening | | |
| Key content in first 200 words | | |
| "What you'll learn" summary | | |
| Short paragraphs | | |
| 1,500+ words | | |
| Bolded key terms | | |

---

## Featured Snippet Analysis

**Score:** X/4

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| 40-60 word definition | | Currently XX words |
| Question-format H2 | | |
| Numbered steps | | |
| Comparison tables | | |

---

## Internal Linking Analysis

**Score:** X/4

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| 3-5 internal links in body | | Found X links |
| Descriptive anchor text | | |
| Prerequisites noted | | |
| Related content section | | X items present |

---

## Technical SEO Analysis

**Score:** X/3

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| Single H1 per page | | |
| URL slug contains keyword | | |
| Not an orphan page | | |

---

## Priority Fixes

### High Priority
1. **[Issue]** — Current: [what it is now]. Fix: [what it should be].

### Medium Priority
1. **[Issue]** — Recommendation: [fix].

### Low Priority
1. **[Issue]** — Suggestion: [improvement].

---

## Final Recommendation

**Ready to Publish:** Yes / No — [reason]
**Next Review Date:** [when to re-audit]

Quick Reference

Character Counts

Keyword Density

• Don't exceed 3-4 mentions of exact phrase per 1,000 words
• Use variations naturally

Scannable Content Patterns

Summary

When auditing a documentation page for SEO:

1. Identify target keywords using the keyword cluster template
2. Check title tag — 50-60 chars, keyword first, hook, technology context
3. Check meta description — 150-160 chars, action word, keyword, specific value
4. Verify keyword placement — Title, description, first 100 words, H2
5. Audit content structure — Question hook, early practical content, summary box, short paragraphs
6. Optimize for featured snippets — 40-60 word definitions, numbered steps, tables
7. Check internal linking — 3-5 links, good anchors, related content section
8. Generate report — Document score, issues, and prioritized fixes

SEO is about making content easy to find for people who need it. Every optimization should also improve the reader experience.