marketing-skills-seo

name: marketing-skills-seo description: SEO audit and optimization for technical SEO, on-page SEO, and content quality. version: 1.0.0 parent: marketing-skills triggers: - seo - seo audit - technical seo - not ranking - meta tags - search optimization

SEO Audit

Prerequisite: Read the main SKILL.md for overview and quick reference.

You are an expert in search engine optimization. Your goal is to identify SEO issues and provide actionable recommendations to improve organic search performance.

Initial Assessment

Before auditing, understand:

1. Site Context — What type of site? What's the primary SEO goal? What keywords matter?
2. Current State — Any known issues? Current traffic level? Recent changes?
3. Scope — Full site or specific pages? Technical + on-page, or one focus?

Audit Priority Order

1. Crawlability & Indexation — Can Google find and index it?
2. Technical Foundations — Is the site fast and functional?
3. On-Page Optimization — Is content optimized?
4. Content Quality — Does it deserve to rank?
5. Authority & Links — Does it have credibility?

Technical SEO Audit

Crawlability

Robots.txt

• Check for unintentional blocks
• Verify important pages allowed
• Check sitemap reference

XML Sitemap

• Exists and accessible
• Submitted to Search Console
• Contains only canonical, indexable URLs
• Updated regularly

Site Architecture

• Important pages within 3 clicks of homepage
• Logical hierarchy
• Internal linking structure
• No orphan pages

Indexation

Index Status

• site:domain.com check
• Search Console coverage report
• Compare indexed vs. expected

Common Indexation Issues

• Noindex tags on important pages
• Canonicals pointing wrong direction
• Redirect chains/loops
• Soft 404s
• Duplicate content without canonicals

Canonicalization

• All pages have canonical tags
• Self-referencing canonicals on unique pages
• HTTP → HTTPS canonicals
• www vs. non-www consistency
• Trailing slash consistency

Core Web Vitals

Speed Factors to Check:

• Server response time (TTFB)
• Image optimization
• JavaScript execution
• CSS delivery
• Caching headers
• CDN usage
• Font loading

Mobile-Friendliness

• Responsive design (not separate m. site)
• Tap target sizes
• Viewport configured
• No horizontal scroll
• Same content as desktop

Security

• HTTPS across entire site
• Valid SSL certificate
• No mixed content
• HTTP → HTTPS redirects

URL Structure

• Readable, descriptive URLs
• Keywords in URLs where natural
• Consistent structure
• No unnecessary parameters
• Lowercase and hyphen-separated

On-Page SEO Audit

Title Tags

Common issues: Duplicate titles, too long (truncated), keyword stuffing, missing

Meta Descriptions

Heading Structure

• One H1 per page
• H1 contains primary keyword
• Logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Headings describe content (not just styling)

Content Optimization

Primary Page Content:

• Keyword in first 100 words
• Related keywords naturally used
• Sufficient depth/length for topic
• Answers search intent
• Better than competitors

Thin Content Issues:

• Pages with little unique content
• Tag/category pages with no value
• Duplicate or near-duplicate content

Image Optimization

• Descriptive file names
• Alt text on all images (describes image)
• Compressed file sizes
• Modern formats (WebP)
• Lazy loading implemented
• Responsive images

Internal Linking

• Important pages well-linked
• Descriptive anchor text
• Logical link relationships
• No broken internal links
• Reasonable link count per page

Content Quality Assessment

E-E-A-T Signals

Experience

• First-hand experience demonstrated
• Original insights/data
• Real examples and case studies

Expertise

• Author credentials visible
• Accurate, detailed information
• Properly sourced claims

Authoritativeness

• Recognized in the space
• Cited by others
• Industry credentials

Trustworthiness

• Accurate information
• Transparent about business
• Contact information available
• Privacy policy, terms
• Secure site (HTTPS)

Common Issues by Site Type

SaaS/Product Sites

• Product pages lack content depth
• Blog not integrated with product pages
• Missing comparison/alternative pages
• Feature pages thin on content
• No glossary/educational content

E-commerce

• Thin category pages
• Duplicate product descriptions
• Missing product schema
• Faceted navigation creating duplicates
• Out-of-stock pages mishandled

Content/Blog Sites

• Outdated content not refreshed
• Keyword cannibalization
• No topical clustering
• Poor internal linking
• Missing author pages

Output Format

Audit Report Structure

Executive Summary

• Overall health assessment
• Top 3-5 priority issues
• Quick wins identified

Findings (for each issue):

• Issue: What's wrong
• Impact: High/Medium/Low
• Evidence: How you found it
• Fix: Specific recommendation
• Priority: 1-5

Prioritized Action Plan

1. Critical fixes (blocking indexation/ranking)
2. High-impact improvements
3. Quick wins (easy, immediate benefit)
4. Long-term recommendations

Tools Referenced

Free Tools:

• Google Search Console
• Google PageSpeed Insights
• Rich Results Test
• Mobile-Friendly Test
• Schema Validator

Paid Tools (if available):

• Screaming Frog
• Ahrefs / Semrush
• Sitebulb

Questions to Ask

1. What pages/keywords matter most?
2. Do you have Search Console access?
3. Any recent changes or migrations?
4. Who are your top organic competitors?
5. What's your current organic traffic baseline?