github-repo-seo

name

github-repo-seo

description

Improve GitHub and open-source repository SEO/discoverability across GitHub metadata, README/docs, package registries, GitHub Pages or docs sites, Google Search Console, and release verification. Use when the user asks why a repo/package cannot be found on Google, npm, crates.io, PyPI, etc.; asks to do SEO for a GitHub repo; needs README/package metadata optimization; wants Search Console submission; needs branded package scope planning for public repos; or wants evidence-backed repo/package/site discoverability audits.

GitHub Repo SEO

Use this skill to make a public repository findable as a product, not just correct as code. Treat SEO as five connected surfaces: GitHub repo metadata, README/docs content, package registry metadata, public site crawlability, and external search/indexing.

Keep claims evidence-based. Separate locally healthy, merged on GitHub, published to registries, and indexed by Google; they move on different clocks.

Workflow

1. Start from current state. Run git status --short --branch and fetch/sync before calling anything latest.
2. Run the baseline collector:

python3 ../../scripts/repo_seo_baseline.py --root . --json

3. If a public site exists, run:

python3 ../../scripts/site_meta_audit.py <homepage> --json

4. Search exact brand, repo, package, and docs-site names when search visibility is the question.
5. Record repo, docs site, package registry, and release discoverability separately.
6. Read ../../references/data-sources.md before recommending paid APIs or MCP providers.

Check Surfaces

• GitHub About description, homepage, topics, social preview, releases, and community profile files.
• README first screen: name, what it does, who it is for, install command, demo/proof, and authoritative links.
• Package metadata: npm, crates.io, PyPI, Homebrew or other actual distribution channels.
• Docs site: title, meta description, canonical, OG/Twitter cards, JSON-LD, robots, sitemap, and crawlability.
• Search Console: verification, sitemap submission, and indexing requests only when credentials/browser access are available.

Rules

• Do not keyword-stuff descriptions, topics, package keywords, or README headings.
• Do not claim Google has indexed a page immediately after sitemap submission.
• Do not treat a successful crawl as proof of ranking.
• Do not force unrelated projects under one package scope.
• Do not expose tokens. Keep npm/GitHub/provider credentials outside reports and commits.

Decision Table

Symptom	Likely cause	Action
Google cannot find the repo/site	No crawlable site, weak README text, new page, missing sitemap	Improve README/site metadata, verify robots/sitemap, submit Search Console
Package is published but not discoverable	Weak name/description/keywords/readme	Improve package metadata and republish a patch release
Branded search shows another product	Name collision, weak entity signals, no disambiguation	Add brand qualifiers, sameAs links, and a disambiguation page or issue
Site checks pass but ranking is unknown	No SERP/rank data	Use Search Console for owned properties or DataForSEO/SE Ranking/Ahrefs for SERP evidence

Done Criteria

Finish with changed files or issue links, exact verification commands and outcomes, public URLs, and remaining external/manual blockers.