market-seo

# SEO Content Audit ## Skill Purpose Perform a comprehensive SEO audit of a webpage or website, covering on-page SEO, content quality (E-E-A-T), keyword analysis, technical SEO, and content strategy. This skill combines automated analysis via `scripts/analyze_page.py` with expert-level manual review to produce an actionable SEO audit document. ## When to Use - User provides a URL and asks for SEO analysis, audit, or recommendations - User wants to improve organic search rankings and traffic - User asks about on-page SEO, meta tags, content quality, or technical SEO - User wants a content gap analysis or content strategy recommendations - Triggered by `/market seo <url>` or `/market seo` ## Dynamic Workflow orchestration This audit spans ~11 independent dimensions over potentially many URLs — fan out, don't grind linearly. 1. **Plan.** Run `scripts/analyze_page.py <url>` first (Step 1). Use its JSON to scope the surface: single page vs. a discovered URL set (sitemap, internal links). The natural parallel units are the audit lenses, each backed by hard evidence from the page: - On-page (title / meta / headings / images / internal links / URL) — Steps 2 - Content quality E-E-A-T — Step 3 - Keyword + search-intent fit — Step 4 - Technical SEO (robots / sitemap / canonical / CWV / mobile) — Steps 5, 10 - Content-gap + featured-snippet + schema + internal-linking opportunities — Steps 6–9 2. **Fan out.** Dispatch one sub-agent per lens in parallel (file-disjoint: each writes its own findings fragment, never the shared `SEO-AUDIT.md` — R-SCOPE one-writer-per-file). For **unknown-size discovery** (site-wide audit, content-gap crawl across competitor URLs), loop-until-dry: keep pulling URLs/gaps from the frontier until no new ones surface, capped by a page budget you state up front. 3. **Adversarially verify.** Before accepting any lens, run ≥3 skeptic graders / 2-of-3 consensus that try to *falsify* each finding: "Is this title actually truncated in the live SERP, or did we guess the px width?", "Is the keyword-density claim measured or asserted?", "Does the E-E-A-T 'Weak' score cite a missing author bio we actually checked?". A claim with no file/URL/line citation is rejected (R-CITE). Reject any score not traceable to the script output or a fetched page element. 4. **Synthesize yourself.** YOU merge the verified fragments into one `SEO-AUDIT.md` and the single /100 health score — never paste a sub-agent's section verbatim as the verdict. Resolve cross-lens conflicts (e.g. CWV impact from technical lens vs. content-strategy priority) and produce the unified prioritized roadmap. Single-URL quick audits may run all lenses inline; fan out when the surface is a full site or multiple competitor URLs. ## How to Execute ### Step 1: Run Automated Analysis Use the Python analysis script to gather baseline data: ```bash python3 scripts/analyze_page.py <url> ``` This script extracts: - Title tag and meta description - Open Graph tags - Heading hierarchy (H1-H6) - Links (internal and external) - Images and alt text status - Forms and CTAs - Schema/structured data - Social links - Tracking scripts - Viewport meta tag (mobile-friendliness indicator) - Canonical tag - Robots meta directives Capture the JSON output and use it as the foundation for the manual analysis. ### Step 2: On-Page SEO Checklist Evaluate each element and score it as Pass, Needs Work, or Fail. #### Title Tag | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | Exists | Every page must have a unique title tag | Pass/Fail | | Length | 50-60 characters (displays fully in SERPs) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Primary keyword | Contains the primary target keyword | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Keyword position | Primary keyword appears near the beginning | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Brand name | Includes brand name (typically at the end, separated by pipe or dash) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Uniqueness | Different from other pages on the site | Pass/Fail | | Compelling | Would a searcher want to click this? | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | **Common title tag mistakes:** - Too long (truncated in search results) - Missing primary keyword - Keyword stuffing ("Best SEO Tool | Top SEO Tool | SEO Software | SEO Platform") - Using the same title across multiple pages - Generic titles ("Home", "Welcome", "Page 1") - Missing brand name #### Meta Description | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | Exists | Every page should have a meta description | Pass/Fail | | Length | 150-160 characters | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Primary keyword | Naturally includes the target keyword | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Call to action | Includes a reason to click | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Unique | Different from other pages | Pass/Fail | | Compelling | Acts as ad copy for the search result | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | #### Heading Hierarchy (H1-H6) | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | H1 exists | Exactly one H1 per page | Pass/Fail | | H1 contains keyword | Primary keyword in the H1 | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | H1 differs from title | H1 and title tag are different (but related) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Logical hierarchy | H2 under H1, H3 under H2 (no skipping levels) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Descriptive subheadings | H2s and H3s describe content sections clearly | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Keywords in subheadings | Secondary keywords appear naturally in H2s/H3s | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Not overused | Headers used for structure, not styling | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | #### Image Optimization | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | Alt text | Every image has descriptive alt text | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Alt text quality | Alt text describes the image and includes keywords naturally | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | File names | Descriptive filenames (not IMG_001.jpg) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | File size | Images optimized for web (WebP preferred, compressed) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Lazy loading | Below-fold images use lazy loading | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Responsive images | Uses srcset or picture element for different sizes | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Decorative images | Decorative images have empty alt="" (not missing alt) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | #### Internal Linking | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | Internal links present | Page links to other relevant pages on the site | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Anchor text | Internal link anchor text is descriptive (not "click here") | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Deep linking | Links go to specific pages, not just homepage | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Relevant context | Links are contextually relevant to surrounding content | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Reasonable count | 3-10 internal links per 1,000 words of content | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Broken links | No broken internal links (404s) | Pass/Fail | #### URL Structure | Criteria | Best Practice | Check | |---|---|---| | Readable | URL is human-readable and descriptive | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Keywords | URL contains relevant keywords | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Length | Under 75 characters (ideally under 60) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Hyphens | Words separated by hyphens (not underscores) | Pass/Fail | | Lowercase | All lowercase characters | Pass/Fail | | No parameters | Clean URLs without unnecessary query parameters | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | | Trailing slashes | Consistent use (either always or never) | Pass/Needs Work/Fail | ### Step 3: Content Quality Assessment (E-E-A-T) Evaluate the content against Google's E-E-A-T framework: #### Experience Does the content demonstrate first-hand experience with the topic? **Check for:** - Personal anecdotes, case studies, or real-world examples - Screenshots, photos, or evidence of hands-on experience - Specific details that only someone with experience would know - "I did X and here's what happened" type content **Score:** Strong / Present / Weak / Missing #### Expertise Does the author have demonstrated knowledge in this subject? **Check for:** - Author bio with relevant credentials - Depth of content (not superficial) - Accurate information and data - Proper use of industry terminology - Links to authoritative sources **Score:** Strong / Present / Weak / Missing #### Authoritativeness Is the website and author recognized as an authority on this topic? **Check for:** - Author bylines with real names and bios - About page with company background - Industry awards or certifications - Backlinks from authoritative sites - Media mentions or press coverage - Guest posts on industry publications **Score:** Strong / Present / Weak / Missing #### Trustworthiness Can users trust this content and this website? **Check for:** - HTTPS (SSL certificate) - Privacy policy and terms of service - Physical address and contact information - Customer reviews and testimonials - Security badges and certifications - Transparent business practices - Accurate, up-to-date information - Properly sourced claims and statistics **Score:** Strong / Present / Weak / Missing ### Step 4: Keyword Analysis #### Primary Keyword Assessment | Element | Evaluation | |---|---| | Primary keyword identified | What keyword is this page targeting? | | Search intent alignment | Does the content match what searchers expect? (informational, commercial, transactional, navigational) | | Keyword in title | Present, position, natural usage | | Keyword in H1 | Present, natural usage | | Keyword in first 100 words | Appears early in the content | | Keyword in subheadings | Appears in at least one H2 or H3 | | Keyword in meta description | Present and natural | | Keyword in URL | Present | | Keyword density | 1-2% is ideal. Over 3% is keyword stuffing. | #### Secondary Keywords Identify 5-10 related keywords that should be naturally included in the content: - Synonyms and variations of the primary keyword - Long-tail variations - Related questions (People Also Ask) - LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords #### Search Intent Analysis Determine the search intent behind the target keyword and evaluate if the content matches: | Intent Type | User Goal | Content Should Be | |---|---|---| | Informational | Learn something | Blog post, guide, tutorial, FAQ | | Commercial | Compare options | Comparison page, review, list | | Transactional | Buy something | Product page, pricing page, checkout | | Navigational | Find a specific page | Homepage, login page, specific tool | **Misalignment is a ranking killer.** If the user searches "how to do X" (informational) and lands on a sales page (transactional), they bounce -- and Google notices. ### Step 5: Technical SEO Quick Check #### Robots.txt ``` Check: Does /robots.txt exist and is it properly configured? ``` - [ ] robots.txt is accessible - [ ] Not blocking important pages or resources - [ ] Points to sitemap.xml - [ ] Not blocking CSS/JS (needed for rendering) #### XML Sitemap ``` Check: Does /sitemap.xml exist? ``` - [ ] Sitemap exists and is accessible - [ ] Contains all important pages - [ ] No broken URLs in sitemap - [ ] Submitted to Google Search Console - [ ] Last modified dates are accurate #### Canonical Tags - [ ] Canonical tag present on the page - [ ] Points to the correct URL (self-referencing or to the canonical version) - [ ] Consistent with robots.txt and sitemap #### Page Speed Reference benchmarks: | Metric | Good | Needs Work | Poor | |---|---|---|---| | Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | Under 2.5s | 2.5-4.0s | Over 4.0s | | First Input Delay (FID) | Under 100ms | 100-300ms | Over 300ms | | Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Under 0.1 | 0.1-0.25 | Over 0.25 | | Time to First Byte (TTFB) | Under 200ms | 200-500ms | Over 500ms | | First Contentful Paint (FCP) | Under 1.8s | 1.8-3.0s | Over 3.0s | **Common speed issues to flag:** - Unoptimized images (recommend WebP format, compression) - Render-blocking JavaScript or CSS - No browser caching headers - No CDN detected - Excessive third-party scripts (tracking, widgets, fonts) - Unminified CSS and JavaScript - Missing compression (gzip or brotli) #### Mobile-Friendliness - [ ] Viewport meta tag present (`<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">`) - [ ] Text readable without zooming (minimum 16px body text) - [ ] Tap targets adequately sized and spaced (minimum 48x48px) - [ ] No horizontal scrolling required - [ ] Responsive images - [ ] Forms usable on mobile ### Step 6: Content Gap Analysis Methodology for identifying content gaps: 1. **Identify the topic cluster:** What is the main topic this page/site covers? 2. **Map existing content:** What subtopics are already covered? 3. **Identify missing subtopics:** What related topics are competitors covering that this site is not? 4. **Analyze People Also Ask:** What questions do searchers have about this topic? 5. **Check related searches:** What does Google suggest at the bottom of the SERP? **Content Gap Template:** | Missing Topic | Search Volume Potential | Competition | Content Type Needed | Priority | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Topic] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | Blog/Guide/Tool/Page | 1-5 | ### Step 7: Featured Snippet Optimization Identify opportunities to capture featured snippets: **Types of featured snippets:** 1. **Paragraph snippet** -- Answer in 40-60 words. Use a clear question as H2/H3 followed by a concise answer. 2. **List snippet** -- Use ordered or unordered lists with H2 containing the target query. 3. **Table snippet** -- Use HTML tables with clear headers. 4. **Video snippet** -- Include video with descriptive title and timestamps. **Optimization checklist:** - [ ] Target question-based queries ("how to", "what is", "why does") - [ ] Place answer immediately after the question heading - [ ] Keep paragraph answers between 40-60 words - [ ] Use structured lists and tables where appropriate - [ ] Include the target query in an H2 or H3 ### Step 8: Schema Markup Audit Check for structured data implementation: | Schema Type | Applicable To | Status | |---|---|---| | Organization | Homepage, About page | Present/Missing | | LocalBusiness | Local businesses | Present/Missing/N/A | | Product | Product pages | Present/Missing/N/A | | Article | Blog posts, news | Present/Missing/N/A | | FAQ | FAQ sections | Present/Missing | | HowTo | Tutorial content | Present/Missing/N/A | | Review/AggregateRating | Reviews, testimonials | Present/Missing/N/A | | BreadcrumbList | All pages with breadcrumbs | Present/Missing | | WebSite/SearchAction | Homepage (sitelinks search box) | Present/Missing | | Event | Event pages | Present/Missing/N/A | **Implementation guidance:** - Use JSON-LD format (Google's preferred format) - Validate with Google's Rich Results Test - Don't mark up content that isn't visible on the page - Keep schema data consistent with on-page content ### Step 9: Internal Linking Opportunities Identify specific internal linking improvements: 1. **Orphan pages** -- Pages with no internal links pointing to them 2. **Hub pages** -- High-authority pages that should link to related content 3. **Topical clusters** -- Group related content and create linking structures 4. **CTA links** -- Blog content should link to relevant product/service pages 5. **Footer/sidebar links** -- Sitewide links to important pages **Linking Architecture Assessment:** ``` Homepage |-- Category/Service Pages (Pillar Content) |-- Individual Blog Posts/Articles (Cluster Content) |-- Back-links to Pillar Content |-- Key Conversion Pages (Pricing, Signup, Contact) |-- Linked from relevant content ``` ### Step 10: Core Web Vitals Impact Assessment Evaluate the revenue impact of Core Web Vitals performance: **Research-backed impacts:** - Sites passing all Core Web Vitals see 24% fewer page abandonments - A 100ms decrease in LCP correlates with a 1.1% increase in conversion rates - Reducing CLS by 0.1 corresponds to a 15% decrease in bounce rate - Pages loading within 2 seconds have an average bounce rate of 9%, while pages loading in 5 seconds have a 38% bounce rate **Recommendations by metric:** | Metric | If Failing | Typical Fixes | |---|---|---| | LCP | Over 2.5s | Optimize hero image, preload critical resources, use CDN, reduce server response time | | FID/INP | Over 100ms | Reduce JavaScript execution, defer non-critical scripts, use web workers | | CLS | Over 0.1 | Set image dimensions, reserve space for ads/embeds, avoid inserting content above existing content | ### Step 11: Blog and Content Strategy Recommendations Based on the audit findings, recommend: 1. **Publishing cadence** -- How often to publish based on competition and resources 2. **Content types** -- Blog posts, guides, tools, videos, infographics