# SEO Playbook

Based on research from [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/), [Moz](https://moz.com/), [Search Engine Journal](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/).

---

## SEO Fundamentals

### Ranking Factors (2024 Priority)
| Factor | Weight | Category |
|--------|--------|----------|
| Content quality & relevance | Very High | Content |
| Backlink profile | High | Off-page |
| Core Web Vitals | High | Technical |
| Search intent match | Very High | Content |
| E-E-A-T signals | High | Trust |
| Mobile experience | High | Technical |
| Internal linking | Medium | On-page |
| Keyword optimization | Medium | On-page |
| HTTPS/Security | Medium | Technical |
| Domain authority | Medium | Off-page |

### E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
| Factor | Signals |
|--------|---------|
| Experience | First-hand knowledge, practical examples |
| Expertise | Credentials, depth of content |
| Authority | Backlinks, mentions, citations |
| Trust | Accuracy, transparency, security |

---

## Keyword Research

### Keyword Types
| Type | Example | Intent | Difficulty |
|------|---------|--------|------------|
| Head | "CRM" | Mixed | Very High |
| Body | "CRM software" | Commercial | High |
| Long-tail | "best CRM for small business" | Commercial | Medium |
| Question | "how to choose a CRM" | Informational | Low-Medium |

### Search Intent Categories
| Intent | Modifiers | Content Type |
|--------|-----------|--------------|
| Informational | how, what, why, guide | Blog, guide, FAQ |
| Navigational | [brand name], login | Homepage, product |
| Commercial | best, top, review, compare | Comparison, review |
| Transactional | buy, price, demo, trial | Product, pricing |

### Keyword Metrics
| Metric | Source | Target |
|--------|--------|--------|
| Search volume | Ahrefs, SEMrush | Varies |
| Keyword difficulty | Ahrefs, SEMrush | <30 (starting) |
| CPC | Google Ads | Indicates value |
| SERP features | Manual check | Opportunity |
| Click potential | Ahrefs | >50% |

### Keyword Research Process
1. Seed keywords from product/service
2. Expand with tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush)
3. Analyze competitors' keywords
4. Check search intent for each
5. Prioritize by volume × difficulty × relevance
6. Group into topic clusters

---

## On-Page SEO

### Title Tag Optimization
| Element | Best Practice |
|---------|---------------|
| Length | 50-60 characters |
| Keyword | Front-loaded |
| Brand | At end (if space) |
| Format | Primary Keyword - Secondary | Brand |
| Click-worthy | Include benefit or modifier |

### Meta Description
| Element | Best Practice |
|---------|---------------|
| Length | 150-160 characters |
| Keyword | Include naturally |
| CTA | Encourage click |
| Unique | Per page |
| Preview | Match page content |

### Header Structure
```
H1: Primary keyword (1 per page)
├── H2: Section topic
│   ├── H3: Subsection
│   └── H3: Subsection
├── H2: Section topic
└── H2: Section topic
```

### Content Optimization Checklist
- [ ] Primary keyword in H1, title, meta
- [ ] Secondary keywords in H2s
- [ ] Keyword in first 100 words
- [ ] Natural keyword density (1-2%)
- [ ] Related terms and synonyms
- [ ] Internal links (3-5 per 1000 words)
- [ ] External links to authority sources
- [ ] Optimized images (alt text, compression)
- [ ] Schema markup where applicable

### URL Optimization
| Element | Best Practice |
|---------|---------------|
| Length | Short, readable |
| Keywords | Include target keyword |
| Separators | Hyphens, not underscores |
| Lowercase | Always |
| No parameters | Clean URLs |

---

## Technical SEO

### Core Web Vitals Targets
| Metric | Good | Needs Work | Poor |
|--------|------|------------|------|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | <2.5s | 2.5-4s | >4s |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | <200ms | 200-500ms | >500ms |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | <0.1 | 0.1-0.25 | >0.25 |

### Site Speed Optimization
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Large images | Compress, WebP format |
| Render-blocking JS | Defer, async |
| No caching | Browser caching, CDN |
| Large files | Minify CSS/JS |
| Server response | Better hosting, CDN |

### Crawlability Checklist
- [ ] XML sitemap submitted
- [ ] Robots.txt configured
- [ ] No blocked important pages
- [ ] Crawl budget optimized
- [ ] Proper redirects (301)
- [ ] No broken links
- [ ] Clean URL structure

### Indexability Checklist
- [ ] No accidental noindex
- [ ] Canonical tags correct
- [ ] Duplicate content resolved
- [ ] Pagination handled
- [ ] Hreflang for multi-language
- [ ] Mobile-first indexing ready

### Mobile SEO
| Element | Requirement |
|---------|-------------|
| Viewport | Mobile-responsive |
| Font size | 16px minimum |
| Tap targets | 48px minimum |
| Content parity | Same as desktop |
| Speed | Under 3s load |

---

## Off-Page SEO

### Link Building Strategies
| Strategy | Difficulty | Quality |
|----------|------------|---------|
| Content marketing | Medium | High |
| Guest posting | Medium | Medium-High |
| Broken link building | Medium | High |
| Resource page links | Low-Medium | Medium |
| Digital PR | High | Very High |
| HARO | Medium | High |
| Competitor analysis | Low | Varies |

### Link Quality Factors
| Factor | Good | Bad |
|--------|------|-----|
| Domain authority | DR 40+ | DR <20 |
| Relevance | Same industry | Unrelated |
| Anchor text | Natural, varied | Exact match spam |
| Link placement | Editorial, in-content | Footer, sidebar |
| Follow status | Dofollow | All nofollow |
| Traffic | Real traffic | No traffic |

### Anchor Text Distribution
| Type | Target % |
|------|----------|
| Branded | 40-50% |
| Naked URL | 20-30% |
| Generic (click here) | 5-10% |
| Partial match | 10-15% |
| Exact match | 1-5% |

### Outreach Best Practices
1. Personalize every email
2. Lead with value
3. Keep it short
4. Follow up 2-3 times
5. Build relationships, not just links
6. Track responses and iterate

---

## Content SEO

### Content Quality Factors
| Factor | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Comprehensiveness | Covers topic fully |
| Originality | Unique insights, data |
| Accuracy | Fact-checked, sourced |
| Freshness | Up-to-date information |
| Readability | Clear, well-structured |
| Expertise | Author credibility |

### Content Depth by Intent
| Intent | Content Length | Depth |
|--------|----------------|-------|
| Informational | 1,500-3,000+ | High |
| Commercial | 2,000-4,000+ | Very High |
| Transactional | 500-1,500 | Focused |
| Navigational | Varies | Relevant |

### Content Refresh Strategy
| Content Age | Action |
|-------------|--------|
| 0-6 months | Monitor, promote |
| 6-12 months | Minor updates |
| 12-18 months | Major refresh |
| 18+ months | Rewrite or consolidate |

### Topic Cluster Model
```
Pillar Page (comprehensive guide)
├── Cluster: Subtopic A
│   ├── Article 1
│   ├── Article 2
│   └── Article 3
├── Cluster: Subtopic B
│   ├── Article 1
│   └── Article 2
└── Cluster: Subtopic C
    ├── Article 1
    ├── Article 2
    └── Article 3

(All cluster articles link to pillar,
pillar links to all clusters)
```

---

## Local SEO

### Google Business Profile Optimization
| Element | Best Practice |
|---------|---------------|
| Name | Exact business name |
| Category | Primary + secondary |
| Description | Keywords, benefits |
| Photos | High quality, regular |
| Posts | Weekly updates |
| Reviews | Respond to all |
| Q&A | Seed common questions |
| Attributes | All relevant selected |

### Local Ranking Factors
| Factor | Weight |
|--------|--------|
| GBP signals | High |
| Review signals | High |
| On-page signals | Medium |
| Citation signals | Medium |
| Link signals | Medium |
| Behavioral | Medium |

### NAP Consistency
| Element | Requirement |
|---------|-------------|
| Name | Exactly same everywhere |
| Address | Standardized format |
| Phone | Same number |
| Sources | Directories, social, website |

---

## SEO Metrics & Reporting

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Source | Frequency |
|--------|--------|-----------|
| Organic traffic | GA4 | Weekly |
| Keyword rankings | Ahrefs/SEMrush | Weekly |
| Organic conversions | GA4 | Weekly |
| Domain authority | Ahrefs | Monthly |
| Backlinks | Ahrefs | Monthly |
| Core Web Vitals | Search Console | Monthly |
| Index coverage | Search Console | Weekly |
| CTR | Search Console | Weekly |

### SEO Dashboard Template
```
MONTHLY SEO REPORT

Traffic
├── Organic Sessions: X,XXX (+X% MoM)
├── New Users: X,XXX
└── Organic Conversions: XXX

Rankings
├── #1-3: XX keywords (+X)
├── #4-10: XX keywords (+X)
└── #11-20: XX keywords

Technical
├── Core Web Vitals: Pass/Fail
├── Index Coverage: X,XXX pages
└── Crawl Errors: XX

Backlinks
├── New: XX
├── Lost: XX
└── Total: X,XXX
```

### SEO Tools Stack
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| Ahrefs/SEMrush | Research, tracking |
| Google Search Console | Performance, indexing |
| Screaming Frog | Technical audits |
| Surfer/Clearscope | Content optimization |
| PageSpeed Insights | Speed analysis |
