suede-seo-audit

name	suede-seo-audit
description	Run a nine-lane SEO, AEO, and AI-citation audit: access, intent, metadata, structure, schema, E-E-A-T, clusters, and rewrite fixes.

Suede SEO Audit

This skill goes deeper than an inline copy audit. It inspects live page source, validates schema, traces crawl access, checks AI EO signals, and produces exact rewrites with a lane-by-lane grade. Use suede-copy for writing new copy. Use this skill when the audit itself is the deliverable.

Core principle: never audit from memory. Every finding cites what was actually fetched, and every fix is written out literally, not described.

---

1. Source Truth

Do not audit from memory. Before writing a single finding, verify the live surface.

Required pre-audit checks

• HTTP status code (200, 301, 404, 503): note exact code
• Final URL after all redirects (is the canonical URL the destination?)
• robots.txt: is the path allowed? Is Disallow: / blocking indexers?
• <meta name="robots"> or <meta name="googlebot">: noindex? nofollow?
• <link rel="canonical">: does it match the intended URL exactly?
• Sitemap entry: is the URL present in any listed sitemap?
• <title> tag: exact text, character count
• <meta name="description">: exact text, character count
• Open Graph tags: og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url, og:type
• Twitter card tags: twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image
• JSON-LD presence: any <script type="application/ld+json"> block present?
• Primary H1: exact text, position in document

If the URL is inaccessible, note that and audit from source files with caveats. If the page is behind auth or a paywall, say so and limit the audit to what is accessible.

---

2. Audit Lanes

Run all lanes. Score each A-F at the end. State explicitly when a check was skipped and why. The detailed per-lane checklists live in this skill's references/ folder — read the relevant file when you run the lane:

Lanes	Checklist file
Lane 0 (keyword research, optional)	references/keyword-research.md
Lanes 1–4, 6–9	references/lane-checklists.md
Lane 5 (schema)	references/schema-templates.md

Lane 0: Keyword Research (optional mode)

Activate when keyword discovery is requested; skip for technical-only or copy-only audits. When active, read references/keyword-research.md for the full protocol: primary/secondary/LSI keyword classification, competitor content gap, SERP feature targets, and the content brief.

Lane 0 is informational only. It produces a keyword brief and content brief, not a grade. Incorporate the brief into Lanes 2–7 findings where relevant.

Lane 1: Technical Access

Goal: confirm that crawlers, indexers, and AI scrapers can reach, parse, and attribute the page. Run the Lane 1 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: status, redirects, canonical, robots, sitemap, JS-free rendering, and the Core Web Vitals measurement protocol. Measure CWV when tooling allows (PageSpeed Insights at pagespeed.web.dev; curl time is a server-response proxy only); otherwise report each vital as "not measurable" with the reason plus observed risk factors. Do not invent scores; do report observable risks. CWV never enters the A-F grade.

Lane 1 grade drops to C or below if: any indexability block is present, if the canonical is wrong, or if the page is JavaScript-only with no SSR/SSG fallback.

Lane 2: Search and Answer Intent

Goal: confirm the page has a single coherent intent that matches real queries and can earn a featured snippet or AI citation. Run the Lane 2 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: primary reader, primary query theme, the AI-answer-ready definition, one earned action, and cannibalization. If the AI-answer-ready definition cannot be constructed from the first 200 words of the page, that is a HIGH finding.

Lane 2 grade drops to C or below if: the page has no clear primary reader, if the intent conflicts with the title, or if the first screen answers a different question than the URL implies.

Lane 3: Metadata

Goal: every metadata field is populated, within safe limits, and tuned for click-through from search results and social previews. Run the Lane 3 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: title tag, meta description, Open Graph, Twitter/X card, alt text, author entity, and durable entity names.

Lane 3 grade drops to D or below if: title is over 70 characters and truncates the entity name, meta description is missing, og:image is missing, or any entity name is absent from all three (title + description + H1).

Lane 4: Structure

Goal: the page's heading hierarchy, section order, internal link network, and FAQ placement serve both human readers and AI citation engines. Run the Lane 4 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: headings, section order (hero → proof → how → FAQ → CTA), links, FAQ quality, and keyword density (including the density check output format).

Lane 4 grade drops to C or below if: H1 is missing, section order puts the FAQ or proof below the fold without any in-page anchor, or internal links use non-descriptive anchor text throughout. Lane 4 drops an additional letter grade if primary keyword density is 0 in the body or any secondary keyword is completely absent from the page.

Lane 5: Schema Markup

Goal: every JSON-LD block is valid, typed correctly for the page, and matches visible content. Run the Lane 5 checklist in references/schema-templates.md, which also holds the page-type → @type mapping and minimum JSON-LD templates (Organization, SoftwareApplication, FAQPage, Article).

When schema is missing or broken, provide the exact corrected JSON-LD block inline in the findings. Do not describe it in prose.

Lane 5 grade drops to D or below if: no schema is present on a page making factual product claims, or if FAQ schema items do not match visible text.

Lane 6: AI EO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Goal: the page is structured so that LLMs, answer engines, and AI overviews can extract, quote, and cite it accurately without inventing facts. Run the Lane 6 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: citable first-200-words answer, plain definitions, prose FAQ answers with explicit subjects, entity signals (sameAs, name placement), llms.txt consideration, AI-accessible content, and hallucination-risk claims.

Lane 6 grade drops to C or below if: the primary answer is not in the first 200 words, FAQ answers use "it" as the subject, or primary content is JavaScript-only.

Lane 7: Copy and Conversion Quality

Goal: copy earns action. Every sentence either moves the reader toward the primary CTA or proves the claim that does. Run the Lane 7 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md: directness, proof, claims, CTA, trust, and filler removal.

Lane 7 grade drops to C or below if: the primary CTA is absent above the fold, any public claim is unverifiable, or the copy could belong to any competing product without changing a word.

Lane 8: E-E-A-T Signals

Goal: confirm that Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals are present and verifiable on the page. Run the Lane 8 checklist in references/lane-checklists.md for what counts as evidence for each of the four signals.

Grade: A (all four strong), B (3 strong), C (2 strong), D/F (1 or 0).

Lane 8 grade drops to C or below if: no real proof of experience or expertise is visible, contact or privacy information is absent, or misleading UI patterns are present.

Lane 9: Topic Cluster Architecture

Goal: for sites with multiple pages, confirm the content is organized into pillar and cluster pages with complete internal linking. Skip for single-page audits and note the skip. Run the Lane 9 audit questions and cluster-map output format in references/lane-checklists.md.

Lane 9 grade drops to C or below if: no pillar page exists, cluster pages do not link back to the pillar, or two or more pages compete for the same primary keyword.

---

3. Finding Format

Report every finding in this block. Do not describe findings in prose.

[HIGH|MEDIUM|LOW] Finding title
Location: <URL, selector, or file + line>
Issue: <what is wrong and why it matters>
Fix: <exact corrective action>
Suggested copy or code: <literal rewrite, JSON-LD block, or command>
Verification: <how to confirm the fix worked>

Severity guide:

• HIGH: blocks indexing, breaks CTA, contains false public claim, schema invalid
• MEDIUM: hurts CTR, weakens AI citation, missing recommended signal
• LOW: copy quality, filler, minor structural improvement

---

4. Scoring

Grade each lane A-F. Grades are mechanical — derived from finding counts, not impression:

Grade	Rule
A	No HIGH or MEDIUM findings in the lane
B	No HIGH findings; one or two MEDIUM findings
C	Exactly one HIGH finding, or three or more MEDIUM findings
D	Two or three HIGH findings
F	Four or more HIGH findings, or the lane is absent or actively harmful

Hard caps:

• Cannot earn A overall without verifying a live URL
• Cannot earn A if primary CTA is broken or absent
• Cannot earn A if any public claim is false, unverifiable, or invented
• Cannot earn A in Lane 5 if schema does not validate
• Cannot earn A in Lane 6 if primary content is paywalled or JavaScript-only
• Cannot earn A in Lane 8 if contact, privacy policy, or HTTPS is absent
• Cannot earn A in Lane 9 if two or more pages compete for the same primary keyword

Overall grade: convert letter grades to points (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0). Lanes 1, 3, and 6 count 1.5x. Lanes 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 count 1x. Lane 0 excluded. Max weighted score = (3 × 1.5 + 6 × 1) × 4 = 42. Overall letter: ≥38 = A, ≥30 = B, ≥22 = C, ≥14 = D, <14 = F.

---

5. Output Template

Produce this block at the end of every full audit. Fill every field. Write "none found" or "not applicable" rather than leaving a field blank.

=== SEO AUDIT REPORT ===

Audited URL:
Audit date:
Source checked: [live URL | source file | both]

--- KEYWORD BRIEF (Lane 0 — omit if not requested) ---
Primary: [keyword] — [intent: info/nav/commercial/transactional] — [volume: low <1K/mo | medium 1K–10K | high >10K/mo] — [difficulty: low | medium | high]
Secondary: [k1 — intent — volume], [k2 — intent — volume], [k3 — intent — volume]
LSI terms: [list — grouped by subtopic]
Competitor gap queries: [query — competitor URL that ranks — content angle missing from target page]
SERP feature targets: [feature — eligibility reason]
Content brief: primary keyword appears in H1 + first 100 words + [N] times per 1,000 words; secondary keywords appear [1–2] times each

--- METADATA ---
SEO title (suggested):
Meta description (suggested):
H1 (suggested):
Subhead (suggested):

--- CONVERSION ---
Primary CTA (text and destination):
Secondary CTA (text and destination):

--- CONTENT ADDITIONS ---
Content brief (from Lane 0 — omit if not requested):
  Target word count: [N] words (based on [intent] + SERP competition)
  Required H2 sections: [list — derived from PAA and competitor H2 structure]
  NLP term density check:
    Primary "[keyword]": appears in H1 [yes/no], first 100 words [yes/no], [N] times per 1,000 words (target: 2–4)
    Secondary "[keyword]": [N] times per 1,000 words (target: 1–2 each)
FAQ additions:
  Q: [real searcher question — match PAA wording]
  A: [≤100 words, subject named explicitly, no pronouns as subject]
Internal links to add (anchor text → destination URL):
External links to add (anchor text → destination URL):
Competitor content gap:
  Competitor: [URL or "derived from niche"]
  Missing sections: [H2 text — target query — priority: CRITICAL|IMPORTANT|INFORMATIONAL]

--- SCHEMA ---
Schema changes:
  [Paste corrected or new JSON-LD block here]

--- AI EO NOTES ---
AI-ready summary (first 200 words target):
llms.txt warranted: [yes | no | already present]
Hallucination risk flags:

--- E-E-A-T NOTES ---
Experience proof present:
Expertise signals:
Authoritativeness signals:
Trustworthiness gaps:

--- TOPIC CLUSTER MAP (omit for single-page audits) ---
Pillar: [page] — [target keyword]
  Cluster: [page] — [sub-topic keyword]
Orphan pages:
Cannibalization risks:

--- CORE WEB VITALS (never part of the A-F grade) ---
LCP: [score or "not measurable" — reason]
CLS: [score or "not measurable" — reason]
INP: [score or "not measurable" — reason]
Lighthouse score (if available): Performance [N] | Accessibility [N] | Best Practices [N] | SEO [N]
CWV Risk: low / medium / high
CWV risk factors observed: [list or "none"]
Note: scores come only from PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse. Do not invent scores; do report observable risks. curl time_total is a server-response proxy, not a CWV score.

--- SCORES ---
Copy score: /70
  Directness: /10
  Rhythm: /10
  Trust: /10
  Specificity: /10
  Authenticity: /10
  Density: /10
  Search/AI readability: /10

Lane grades:
  Lane 1 (Technical Access):
  Lane 2 (Search and Answer Intent):
  Lane 3 (Metadata):
  Lane 4 (Structure):
  Lane 5 (Schema Markup):
  Lane 6 (AI EO):
  Lane 7 (Copy and Conversion Quality):
  Lane 8 (E-E-A-T Signals):
  Lane 9 (Topic Cluster Architecture):

Overall grade:

--- CLAIM BOUNDARIES ---
Safe to publish:
Do not publish until verified:
Remove entirely:

--- VERIFICATION CHECKLIST ---
[ ] Status code confirmed 200
[ ] Canonical URL confirmed
[ ] robots.txt allows path
[ ] Schema validates at schema.org/validator
[ ] All internal links return 200
[ ] Primary CTA destination loads correctly
[ ] og:image loads at full resolution
[ ] JSON-LD blocks contain no fabricated content

--- SHIP GATE ---
ship | ship-with-caveats | hold

Reason:

---

6. Workflow Steps

Follow these steps in order. Do not skip to findings before completing steps 1 through 3.

1. Read the target. Fetch the live URL or open the source file. If both are available, check both and note any divergence between source and rendered output.

2. Run the Source Truth checks from Section 1. Record every field exactly as found. Do not paraphrase tag values.

3. Check robots.txt and sitemap. Fetch <domain>/robots.txt and any listed sitemap. Confirm the target URL is not blocked and is listed.

4. Scan all active lanes. Lane 0 activates only when keyword discovery is requested. Lanes 1–9 run on every audit (Lane 9 is N/A for single-page audits; note the skip). Read the lane's checklist file from references/ and work through each item. Mark each item pass, fail, or N/A. Note the location of each failure.

5. Write ranked findings. Use the finding format from Section 3. Group by lane. Put HIGH findings first within each lane.

6. Write exact rewrites. For every HIGH and MEDIUM finding involving copy, metadata, or schema: provide the literal replacement text or JSON-LD block. Do not describe what the fix should say. Write it.

7. Fill the output template from Section 5. Every field must be filled.

8. Score each lane A-F using the rules from Section 4. Apply hard caps.

9. Set the ship gate. ship only if no HIGH findings remain and all hard caps are met. ship-with-caveats if only MEDIUM or LOW findings remain and no claim is false. hold if any HIGH finding is unresolved, any claim is false, or the CTA destination is broken. Name any lane items that could not be verified and why (e.g., "Core Web Vitals: no field data access", "sitemap not publicly accessible").

---

Red Flags — Stop

If you catch yourself thinking any of these, stop and run the check for real:

• "I know this page; I can grade it from memory." — Fetch it. Source Truth first.
• "curl was fast, that covers Core Web Vitals." — curl is a server-response proxy; CWV scores come only from PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse, or they are "not measurable" with a reason.
• "I'll describe the schema fix; they can write the JSON." — Write the literal JSON-LD block.
• "The meta description is close enough to the limit." — Count the characters. Report the exact number.
• "A traffic estimate will make this finding land harder." — Never invent traffic, rankings, or ROI.
• "The lane mostly passes; I'll skip the rest of the checklist." — Every item gets pass, fail, or N/A.

---

7. Boundaries

Do not invent traffic estimates, ranking positions, citation frequency, or ROI from SEO changes. Name what was checked, what was skipped, and what requires additional tooling.

---

Routing

• Need a fast A-F promotion-readiness verdict instead of a full audit → suede-visibility-grader.
• Findings point at conversion problems (CTA, friction, offer) → suede-site-alchemy for the rewrite pass.
• Findings require fresh copy, not fixes → suede-copy.
• Audit passed and the page is part of a release → suede-launch-packaging to package the launch.