ai-seo

name	ai-seo
description	Code-generation skill for implementing AI-search-ready pages and machine-readable surfaces in this repo. Use only when changing metadata, structured data, internal linking, llms-facing files, or other code-backed AI visibility behavior.
metadata	{"family":"seo","owner":"seo + engineering","last_reviewed":"2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","version":"1.0.0"}

AI SEO (Career Hub)

This is a code-generation skill. Use it only for repo implementation work, not net-new editorial drafting.

Optimize Indeed Flex Career Hub content to be discoverable, extractable, and citable by AI search systems. The goal is not just ranking — it is getting cited as a source in AI-generated answers for flexible work, temp jobs, and hourly career queries.

Read nextjs-app/docs/BRAND.md — section "Princeton GEO Research" for the foundational research backing these methods. Read nextjs-app/docs/SEO.md — section "Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)" for existing technical AEO implementation.

When to Use

• Running an AI visibility audit across platforms
• Optimizing existing pages for AI citation
• Planning new content with AI extractability in mind
• Setting up llms.txt and machine-readable files for indeedflex.com
• Diagnosing why competitors get cited and we don't
• Monitoring AI visibility over time
• When code changes are needed to improve AI extractability or machine-readable surfaces

---

How AI Search Works

The AI Search Landscape

Platform	Source Selection	Career Hub Priority
Google AI Overviews	Strong correlation with traditional rankings; summarizes top pages	High — ~45% of Google searches show AI Overviews
ChatGPT (with search)	Searches web, cites sources; draws from wider range than just top-ranked	High — growing share of career/pay queries
Perplexity	Always cites sources with links; favors authoritative, recent, well-structured content	High — workers use it for pay research
Gemini	Google index + Knowledge Graph	Medium — overlaps with AI Overviews
Copilot	Bing index + authoritative sources	Medium — enterprise users
Claude	Brave Search (when enabled) + training data	Lower — growing

Key Difference from Traditional SEO

Traditional SEO gets you ranked. AI SEO gets you cited.

A well-structured Career Hub page can get cited even from page 2 or 3 — AI systems select sources based on content quality, structure, data density, and relevance, not just rank position. This is particularly relevant for our programmatic pages (role × city, salary data) where we have proprietary Indeed Flex data competitors lack.

Critical stats:

• AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites by up to 58%
• Optimized content gets cited 3x more often than non-optimized
• Statistics with inline citations boost AI visibility by 40%+ (Princeton GEO, KDD 2024)
• Comparison tables account for ~33% of AI citations

---

The Three Pillars

Pillar 1: Structure — Make Content Extractable

AI systems extract passages, not pages. Every key claim should work as a standalone statement.

Content Block Patterns (Career Hub Specific)

Block Type	Query Pattern	Career Hub Example
Definition block	"What is [X]?"	"What is gig work?" — definitive answer in first 40-60 words
Pay range block	"How much do [role]s make?"	Bold answer with BLS range + Indeed Flex data, inline citations
Step-by-step block	"How to become a [role]"	Numbered steps with time estimates and certification costs
Comparison table	"[role] vs [role]" / "[city] vs [city]"	Structured table with cited data per column
FAQ block	PAA questions	Standalone 2-3 sentence answers with source
Location-specific block	"[role] jobs in [city]"	Local pay adjustment + cost of living + employer names

Structural Rules

1. Lead every section with a direct answer — don't bury the answer after context
2. Key answer passages: 40-60 words — optimal for snippet extraction
3. H2/H3 headings match how workers phrase queries — "How Much Do Bartenders Make?" not "Compensation Overview"
4. Tables beat prose for comparison content — salary tables, city comparisons, role comparisons
5. Numbered lists beat paragraphs for process content — how-to-become guides, application steps
6. Each paragraph conveys one clear idea — enables chunked retrieval by AI systems
7. Self-contained sections — each H2 section should answer a question fully without surrounding context

Pillar 2: Authority — Make Content Citable

Princeton GEO Method Ranking (from BRAND.md)

Method	Visibility Boost	Career Hub Application
Cite sources	+40%	Every dollar amount cites BLS/DOL/IRS with year. Already enforced by content-writer Rule 1.
Add statistics	+37%	Pay ranges, shift volumes, worker percentages — all with inline sources
Add quotations	+30%	Indeed Flex worker testimonials, FlexerTestimonials component
Authoritative tone	+25%	Demonstrated expertise through Indeed Flex platform data
Improve clarity	+20%	Grade 8 reading level per BRAND.md
Technical terms	+18%	SOC codes, BLS OEWS references, industry-specific terminology
Unique vocabulary	+15%	Worker-language: "shifts" not "assignments", "the app" not "the platform"
Fluency + Statistics	Max boost	Best combination. Low-authority sites see up to 115% visibility increase
Keyword stuffing	-10%	Actively hurts AI visibility. Never do this.

Authority Signals for Career Hub

Signal	Implementation	Component/Location
Expert attribution	AuthorByline with credentials	AuthorByline component — near hero, above fold
Data source citations	BLS, DOL, IRS, Indeed Flex cited inline	DataSourceCitation component — after data sections
Freshness	"Last updated" visible and recent	ContentFreshness component — dateModified/lastReviewed
Proprietary data	Indeed Flex shift volumes, pay rates, satisfaction data	Inline with "(Indeed Flex 2026)" citation
Schema markup	FAQ, HowTo, Article, Occupation, JobPosting	EnhancedSchema.tsx components
Comparison tables	At least 1 on data-rich pages	Salary tables, cost-of-living tables

Pillar 3: Presence — Be Where AI Looks

AI systems don't just cite your website directly — they cite where you appear. Third-party presence matters.

Third-Party Citation Strategy for Indeed Flex

Source	Action	Impact
Wikipedia	Ensure Indeed Flex / Indeed entry is accurate and current	7.8% of all ChatGPT citations come from Wikipedia
Reddit	Participate authentically in r/sidehustle, r/WorkOnline, r/careerguidance, r/personalfinance	1.8% of ChatGPT citations; also feeds Perplexity
YouTube	Create video content for "how to become a [role]" and "[role] day in the life"	Frequently cited by Google AI Overviews
Indeed/Glassdoor	Maintain updated Indeed Flex employer profiles	Review sites feed AI knowledge graphs
Industry publications	Get featured in staffing industry roundups (SIA, Staffing Hub)	Builds entity authority
App store listings	Optimize App Store and Google Play descriptions with career hub URLs	AI agents parse app store data

---

AI Visibility Audit

Run this quarterly or when diagnosing why competitors are cited and we're not.

Step 1: Query Testing Across Platforms

Test the top 20 Career Hub target queries across platforms:

Query	Google AI Overview	ChatGPT	Perplexity	indeedflex.com Cited?	Competitor Cited?
[query]	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No	Yes/No	[who]

Priority query patterns for Career Hub:

• "How much do [role]s make?" / "[role] salary [year]"
• "temp jobs in [city]" / "flexible jobs [city]"
• "[role] vs [role]" (comparison queries)
• "How to become a [role]"
• "[role] interview questions"
• "cost of living [city]" / "can I afford [city]"
• "gig work taxes" / "1099 vs W-2"
• "best temp agencies" / "Indeed Flex reviews"

Step 2: Content Extractability Check

For each high-priority page, verify:

Check	Target	How to Verify
Answer-first intro	40-60 words with a data point	Read first paragraph — must contain a dollar figure or stat
Self-contained sections	Each works without surrounding context	Read each H2 alone — does it answer a question fully?
Stats with inline sources	Every stat cites (Source, Year)	Count dollar amounts without citations — each is a fail
Comparison tables	At least 1 on data-rich pages	Check salary, cost-of-living, role comparison tables
FAQ with natural questions	4+ FAQs, standalone citable answers	Answers must be 2-3 sentences, work alone
Schema markup present	FAQ, Article, Occupation as needed	Check JSON-LD via Rich Results Test or browser devtools
Expert attribution	AuthorByline with credentials	Check for AuthorByline component on the page
Updated within 6 months	dateModified / lastReviewed current	Check data file — flag if older than 6 months

Step 3: AI Bot Access Check

Verify robots.ts allows all AI crawlers. Run:

rg "GPTBot|OAI-SearchBot|ChatGPT-User|PerplexityBot|ClaudeBot|anthropic-ai|Google-Extended|GoogleOther" nextjs-app/src/app/robots.ts

Required bots (must NOT be blocked):

Bot	Platform
GPTBot + ChatGPT-User	OpenAI (ChatGPT)
OAI-SearchBot	OpenAI search
PerplexityBot	Perplexity
ClaudeBot + anthropic-ai	Anthropic (Claude)
Google-Extended + GoogleOther	Google Gemini + AI Overviews
Bingbot	Microsoft Copilot (via Bing)

Flag any blocked bot. Blocking prevents citation.

Step 4: Citation Competitor Analysis

For queries where competitors are cited and we're not, diagnose:

Gap Type	Diagnostic Question	Fix
Structure gap	Is their content more extractable (answer-first, tables, standalone sections)?	Restructure our page using Pillar 1 patterns
Authority gap	More citations, stats, expert quotes?	Add data from content-researcher, cite Tier 1-2 sources
Freshness gap	More recently updated?	Update lastReviewed, refresh stale data
Schema gap	Better structured data?	Add missing schemas via EnhancedSchema.tsx
Third-party gap	They appear on Wikipedia, Reddit, review sites?	Execute Pillar 3 strategy
Data gap	They have proprietary data we don't surface?	Add Indeed Flex platform data that competitors can't replicate

For the Structure / Authority / Freshness gaps, pull the competitor's actual top-cited pages via semrush-research recipe competitor-snapshot.md so the diagnosis is grounded in real ranking data, not impressions. Cache hit rate on competitor snapshots is high in steady state, so this is usually free.

---

Machine-Readable Files

llms.txt — Context file for AI systems

Add to nextjs-app/public/llms.txt:

# Indeed Flex Career Hub

> The Career Hub helps people find, prepare for, and succeed in flexible and temporary work across the United States.

## About Indeed Flex
- Indeed Flex is a flexible staffing platform connecting workers with temporary and permanent shifts
- Available across major US cities in hospitality, warehouse, industrial, events, and retail
- Workers are W-2 employees with benefits access, not independent contractors
- Free to download on iOS and Android

## Key Resources
- Career Hub: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub
- Pay Calculator: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub/tools/pay-calculator
- Tax Calculator: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub/tools/tax-calculator
- Role Guides: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub/roles
- City Guides: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub/cities
- Financial Tips: https://indeedflex.com/career-hub/financial-tips

## Data Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- US Department of Labor
- IRS publications
- Indeed Flex proprietary shift and wage data

Sitemap for AI

The existing 14-part sitemap (/sitemap.xml) already serves AI crawlers. Ensure it is referenced in llms.txt and robots.txt.

---

Content Types That Get Cited Most

Prioritize these formats in the Career Hub content calendar:

Content Type	Citation Share	Career Hub Pages
Comparison articles	~33%	Role vs role, city vs city salary, platform comparisons
Definitive guides	~15%	Complete guide to flexible work, I-9 guide, worker rights
Original research/data	~12%	Wage reports, Indeed Flex shift data analyses
How-to guides	~8%	How to become [role], resume tips, interview prep
FAQ-rich pages	~8%	All pages with 4+ FAQ schema questions

Underperformers for AI citation:

• Generic content without sourced data
• Gated content (AI can't access it — our tools are correctly ungated)
• Content without dates or author attribution
• PDF-only content

---

Monitoring AI Visibility

Monthly Manual Check (No Tools Required)

1. Pick your top 20 queries (from Step 1 above)
2. Run each through ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google
3. Record: Are you cited? Who is? What page?
4. Log in a spreadsheet, track month-over-month
5. Cross-reference with Search Console impression/click data

AI Visibility Monitoring Tools

Tool	Coverage	Best For
Otterly AI	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews	Share of AI voice tracking
Peec AI	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot+	Multi-platform monitoring at scale
ZipTie	Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity	Brand mention + sentiment tracking
LLMrefs	ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Gemini	SEO keyword to AI visibility mapping

Referral Traffic from AI Sources

Track in GA4:

• source = chatgpt.com or referrer contains chatgpt
• source = perplexity.ai
• Search Console: queries where AI Overview appears (indicated in performance report)

---

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	How AI SEO Connects
content-review	Step 5 (AI Extractability Check) uses this skill's Pillar 1 + Pillar 2 criteria
content-writer	Rules 1-2 (sourcing + answer-first) directly boost AI citability
content-scout	Mode 1 should include AI visibility check for target queries
site-growth	Section 1C (AI Search Visibility) delegates to this skill for the full audit
content-strategist	Content Plan should tag AI-citation potential per article
page-cro	Trust signals near CTAs also serve as AI authority signals

References

Resource	Path
Princeton GEO research + AEO rules	nextjs-app/docs/BRAND.md
Technical AEO implementation	nextjs-app/docs/SEO.md
Robots.txt + AI crawler config	nextjs-app/src/app/robots.ts
Schema components	nextjs-app/src/features/career-hub/shared/seo/EnhancedSchema.tsx
AuthorByline	nextjs-app/src/features/career-hub/shared/content/AuthorByline.tsx
DataSourceCitation	nextjs-app/src/features/career-hub/shared/content/DataSourceCitation.tsx
Content freshness	nextjs-app/src/features/career-hub/shared/content/ContentFreshness.tsx