SEO & AEO Strategy
Traditional SEO gets pages ranked. AI search optimization (AEO/GEO) gets content cited. This skill covers both.
SEO → Rank in traditional search results (blue links)
AEO → Appear in featured snippets, AI Overviews, voice answers
GEO → Get cited in generative AI responses (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity)2025 reality: AI Overviews appear in ~47% of Google searches. 58% of queries end without a click. Optimize for citation, not just ranking.
Initial Assessment
Check for .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .agents/product-marketing-context.md first. Use existing context; only ask for what's missing.
Before auditing, understand:
- Site context — Type (SaaS, e-commerce, blog), primary SEO goal, priority keywords/topics
- Current state — Known issues, organic traffic level, recent changes or migrations
- AI visibility — Does the brand appear in AI-generated answers today? Checked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews?
- Scope — Full site vs. specific pages? Technical + on-page + AI, or one focus area?
Technical SEO
Crawlability
| Check | What to Verify |
|---|---|
| robots.txt | No unintentional blocks, sitemap referenced, AI crawlers allowed |
| XML Sitemap | Exists, submitted to Search Console, canonical URLs only, < 50K URLs |
| Site architecture | Important pages within 3 clicks, logical hierarchy, no orphan pages |
| Crawl budget | Parameterized URLs controlled, faceted nav handled, no session IDs in URLs |
Indexation
site:domain.comcheck vs. Search Console coverage report- Verify no
noindexon important pages - Check canonical tags (self-referencing on unique pages, HTTP→HTTPS, www consistency)
- Identify redirect chains/loops, soft 404s, duplicate content
Core Web Vitals & Speed
| Metric | Target | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | < 2.5s | PageSpeed Insights |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | < 200ms | Chrome DevTools |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | < 0.1 | WebPageTest |
| TTFB (Time to First Byte) | < 800ms | Search Console |
Mobile & Security
- Responsive design (not separate m. site), viewport configured, adequate tap targets (48px min)
- HTTPS across entire site, valid SSL, no mixed content, HSTS header
URL Structure
- Lowercase, hyphen-separated, < 75 characters
- Include target keywords naturally, avoid unnecessary parameters
On-Page SEO
Title Tags
- 50–60 characters, primary keyword near beginning
- Unique per page, brand name at end (unless homepage)
- Compelling and click-worthy
Meta Descriptions
- 150–160 characters, include primary keyword
- Clear value proposition with call-to-action, unique per page
Heading Structure
- Single
<h1>per page containing primary keyword - Logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3), no skipped levels
- Descriptive headings (not generic), include keywords naturally
Image SEO
- Descriptive filenames with keywords, alt text on all images
- Compressed, modern formats (WebP/AVIF), lazy load below-fold
- Responsive images with
width/heightattributes
Internal Linking
- Descriptive anchor text with keywords (not "click here")
- Important pages well-linked, no broken internal links
- Breadcrumb navigation for hierarchy
Content Quality (E-E-A-T)
| Signal | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Experience | First-hand accounts, case studies, original data |
| Expertise | Author credentials visible, accurate detailed information |
| Authoritativeness | Cited by others, industry credentials, recognized in space |
| Trustworthiness | Transparent sourcing, contact info, privacy policy, HTTPS |
AI Search Optimization (AEO/GEO)
How AI Search Platforms Select Sources
| Platform | Source Selection | Key Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews | Strong correlation with traditional rankings | Top 5 organic positions favored |
| ChatGPT | Wider range, not just top-ranked | Branded domain authority, recency |
| Perplexity | Always cites with links | Authoritative, recent, well-structured |
| Gemini | Google index + Knowledge Graph | E-E-A-T signals, structured data |
| Copilot | Bing index | Microsoft ecosystem (LinkedIn, GitHub) |
| Claude | Brave Search | Factual density, structural clarity |
For detailed platform-specific ranking factors, see references/platform-ranking-factors.md and references/platform-algorithms.md.
The Three Pillars
1. Structure — Make content extractable
AI systems extract passages, not pages. Every key claim should work standalone.
- Lead every section with a direct answer (don't bury it)
- Keep key answer passages to 40–60 words (optimal for snippet extraction)
- Use H2/H3 headings that match how people phrase queries
- Tables beat prose for comparisons; numbered lists beat paragraphs for processes
Inverted pyramid pattern:
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ DIRECT ANSWER (1-2 sentences) │ ← AI extracts this first
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│ KEY FACTS & CONTEXT │ ← Supporting bullets/data
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│ DETAILED EXPLANATION │ ← Background, examples
└──────────────────────────────────┘2. Authority — Make content citable
The Princeton GEO research (KDD 2024) ranked 9 optimization methods:
| Method | Visibility Boost | How to Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Cite sources | +40% | Add authoritative references with links |
| Add statistics | +37% | Include specific numbers with sources |
| Add quotations | +30% | Expert quotes with name and title |
| Authoritative tone | +25% | Write with demonstrated expertise |
| Improve clarity | +20% | Simplify complex concepts |
| Technical terms | +18% | Use domain-specific terminology |
| Unique vocabulary | +15% | Increase word diversity |
| Fluency optimization | +15–30% | Improve readability and flow |
| Keyword stuffing | -10% | Actively hurts AI visibility |
Best combination: Fluency + Statistics = maximum boost. Low-ranking sites benefit even more — up to 115% visibility increase with citations.
For detailed GEO research, see references/geo-research.md.
3. Presence — Be where AI looks
AI systems cite where you appear, not just your site:
- Wikipedia mentions (7.8% of all ChatGPT citations)
- Reddit discussions, YouTube content, Quora answers
- Review sites (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius for B2B SaaS)
- Industry publications and guest posts
Semantic Triples (Key AEO Technique)
Compact, unambiguous facts AI can't misread. Pattern: [Subject] [specific verb] [concrete object].
✅ "HubSpot CRM syncs contact and company data."
✅ "Lead Scoring assigns priority based on engagement."
❌ "The system helps with various tasks."
❌ "It can do many things for users."AI Crawler Configuration
Ensure robots.txt allows AI crawlers:
User-agent: GPTBot # OpenAI
Allow: /
User-agent: ChatGPT-User # ChatGPT browsing
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot # Perplexity
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot # Anthropic
Allow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended # Gemini/AI Overviews
Allow: /See references/ai-crawlers.md for full configuration.
Structured Data for Search & AI
Schema markup improves AI visibility by 30–40%. Priority types:
| Content Type | Schema | Citation Impact |
|---|---|---|
| FAQs | FAQPage | 2.5x inclusion |
| Articles/Blog | Article + Author | 2.2x citations |
| Organization | Organization | 2.8x citations |
| How-to content | HowTo | Step extraction |
| Products | Product | Pricing/features |
| Reviews | AggregateRating | Trust signals |
| Breadcrumbs | BreadcrumbList | Navigation context |
For full JSON-LD templates, see references/schema-templates.md and references/schema-for-ai.md.
Validate at Google Rich Results Test and Schema.org Validator.
Content Types That Get Cited Most
| Content Type | AI Citation Share | Why AI Cites It |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison articles | ~33% | Structured, balanced, high-intent |
| Definitive guides | ~15% | Comprehensive, authoritative |
| Original research/data | ~12% | Unique, citable statistics |
| Best-of/listicles | ~10% | Clear structure, entity-rich |
| Product pages | ~10% | Specific extractable details |
| How-to guides | ~8% | Step-by-step structure |
Underperformers: Generic blog posts without structure, thin product pages, gated content, undated content, PDF-only content.
For content templates and patterns, see references/content-patterns.md and references/content-templates.md.
AEO Measurement
Track these four metrics monthly:
1. AI Visibility
Test priority queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews. Target: Appear in 60%+ of priority queries.
2. AI Share of Voice
Share of Voice = (Your mentions / Total brand mentions) × 100. Target: Match or exceed traditional search market share.
3. AI Citations
How often YOUR WEBSITE is the source. Target: Cited in 30%+ of relevant queries.
4. Referral Demand
Traffic originating in AI but arriving later (brand search after AI mention). Track via post-purchase survey: "How did you first hear about us?"
Monitoring Tools
| Tool | Coverage | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Otterly AI | ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews | Share of AI voice |
| Peec AI | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude | Multi-platform monitoring |
| ZipTie | AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity | Brand mention + sentiment |
| HubSpot AEO Grader | AI visibility audit | Free audit |
Interpreting Results
| Visibility | Share of Voice | Diagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| ↓ Down | ↓ Down | Platform algorithm change (industry-wide) |
| ↓ Down | → Stable | Your content quality declined |
| → Stable | ↓ Down | Competitors improved |
| ↑ Up | ↑ Up | Your AEO strategy is working |
Audit Checklists
Critical (Fix Immediately)
- HTTPS enabled, valid SSL
- robots.txt allows crawling (including AI bots)
- No
noindexon important pages - Title tags present, unique, with primary keyword
- Single
<h1>per page - AI crawlers not blocked in robots.txt
High Priority
- Meta descriptions present and compelling
- XML sitemap submitted to Search Console
- Canonical URLs set correctly
- Mobile-responsive, Core Web Vitals passing
- FAQPage schema on FAQ/support pages
- Article schema with author on blog/guide pages
- "Last updated" date visible on content
Medium Priority
- Internal linking strategy implemented
- Image alt text on all images
- Descriptive URLs with keywords
- Breadcrumb navigation + schema
- Author bios with credentials
- Statistics cited with sources
- Content answers queries in first paragraph
Ongoing
- Fix crawl errors in Search Console
- Update sitemap when content changes
- Refresh content quarterly (competitive topics)
- Monitor AI visibility monthly (manual or tools)
- Check for broken links
- Track AI share of voice vs. competitors
For complete SEO checklist, see references/seo-checklist.md.
Tools
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Monitor indexing, fix issues, track queries |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | Performance + Core Web Vitals |
| Rich Results Test | Validate structured data |
| Lighthouse | Full SEO audit |
| Screaming Frog | Crawl analysis |
| Semrush / Ahrefs | AI Overview tracking, backlinks, content gaps |
See references/tools-and-apis.md for API reference.
Scripts available in scripts/: SEO audit, keyword research, SERP analysis, backlink analysis, competitor gap analysis, autocomplete ideas. See script files for usage.
References
- references/platform-ranking-factors.md — How each AI platform selects sources
- references/platform-algorithms.md — Detailed ranking factors per platform
- references/geo-research.md — Princeton GEO research (9 methods)
- references/content-patterns.md — AI-optimized content block templates
- references/content-templates.md — Page structure templates for AI
- references/schema-templates.md — JSON-LD schema templates
- references/schema-for-ai.md — Schema markup for AI visibility
- references/ai-crawlers.md — AI crawler robots.txt configuration
- references/seo-checklist.md — Complete SEO audit checklist
- references/aeo-geo-patterns.md — Content patterns for AI citation
- references/ai-writing-detection.md — AI writing patterns to avoid
- references/query-research.md — Query research methodology
- references/tools-and-apis.md — Tools and API reference
- references/google-docs-summary.md — Google documentation summary
Related Skills
- keyword-research-and-clustering — Keyword research, expansion, and topic clustering
- schema-markup — Structured data implementation details
- programmatic-seo — Building SEO pages at scale
- competitor-alternatives — Building comparison pages that get cited
- content-strategy-and-planning — Planning what content to create
- data-and-funnel-analytics — Measuring SEO/AEO performance