---
name: seo
description: Optimize for search engine visibility and ranking. Use when asked to "improve SEO", "optimize for search", "fix meta tags", "add structured data", "sitemap optimization", or "search engine optimization".
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: web-quality-skills
  version: "1.0"
---

# SEO optimization

Search engine optimization based on Lighthouse SEO audits and Google Search guidelines. Focus on technical SEO, on-page optimization, and structured data.

## SEO fundamentals

Search ranking factors (approximate influence):

| Factor                            | Influence | This Skill                                         |
| --------------------------------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Content quality & relevance       | ~40%      | Partial (structure)                                |
| Backlinks & authority             | ~25%      | ✗                                                  |
| Technical SEO                     | ~15%      | ✓                                                  |
| Page experience (Core Web Vitals) | ~10%      | See [Core Web Vitals](../core-web-vitals/SKILL.md) |
| On-page SEO                       | ~10%      | ✓                                                  |

---

## Technical SEO

### Crawlability

**robots.txt:**

```text
# /robots.txt
User-agent: *
Allow: /

# Block admin/private areas
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /api/
Disallow: /private/

# Don't block resources needed for rendering
# ❌ Disallow: /static/

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
```

**Meta robots:**

```html
<!-- Default: indexable, followable -->
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow" />

<!-- Noindex specific pages -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />

<!-- Indexable but don't follow links -->
<meta name="robots" content="index, nofollow" />

<!-- Control snippets -->
<meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:150, max-image-preview:large" />
```

**Canonical URLs:**

```html
<!-- Prevent duplicate content issues -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page" />

<!-- Self-referencing canonical (recommended) -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/current-page" />

<!-- For paginated content -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/products" />
<!-- Or use rel="prev" / rel="next" for explicit pagination -->
```

### XML sitemap

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-01-15</lastmod>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/products</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-01-14</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>
```

**Sitemap best practices:**

- Maximum 50,000 URLs or 50MB per sitemap
- Use sitemap index for larger sites
- Include only canonical, indexable URLs
- Update `lastmod` when content changes
- Submit to Google Search Console

### URL structure

```
✅ Good URLs:
https://example.com/products/blue-widget
https://example.com/blog/how-to-use-widgets

❌ Poor URLs:
https://example.com/p?id=12345
https://example.com/products/item/category/subcategory/blue-widget-2024-sale-discount
```

**URL guidelines:**

- Use hyphens, not underscores
- Lowercase only
- Keep short (< 75 characters)
- Include target keywords naturally
- Avoid parameters when possible
- Use HTTPS always

### HTTPS & security

```html
<!-- Ensure all resources use HTTPS -->
<img src="https://example.com/image.jpg" />

<!-- Not: -->
<img src="http://example.com/image.jpg" />
```

**Security headers for SEO trust signals:**

```
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
X-Frame-Options: DENY
```

---

## On-page SEO

### Title tags

```html
<!-- ❌ Missing or generic -->
<title>Page</title>
<title>Home</title>

<!-- ✅ Descriptive with primary keyword -->
<title>Blue Widgets for Sale | Premium Quality | Example Store</title>
```

**Title tag guidelines:**

- 50-60 characters (Google truncates ~60)
- Primary keyword near the beginning
- Unique for every page
- Brand name at end (unless homepage)
- Action-oriented when appropriate

### Meta descriptions

```html
<!-- ❌ Missing or duplicate -->
<meta name="description" content="" />

<!-- ✅ Compelling and unique -->
<meta
  name="description"
  content="Shop premium blue widgets with free shipping. 30-day returns. Rated 4.9/5 by 10,000+ customers. Order today and save 20%."
/>
```

**Meta description guidelines:**

- 150-160 characters
- Include primary keyword naturally
- Compelling call-to-action
- Unique for every page
- Matches page content

### Heading structure

```html
<!-- ❌ Poor structure -->
<h2>Welcome to Our Store</h2>
<h4>Products</h4>
<h1>Contact Us</h1>

<!-- ✅ Proper hierarchy -->
<h1>Blue Widgets - Premium Quality</h1>
<h2>Product Features</h2>
<h3>Durability</h3>
<h3>Design</h3>
<h2>Customer Reviews</h2>
<h2>Pricing</h2>
```

**Heading guidelines:**

- Single `<h1>` per page (the main topic)
- Logical hierarchy (don't skip levels)
- Include keywords naturally
- Descriptive, not generic

### Image SEO

```html
<!-- ❌ Poor image SEO -->
<img src="IMG_12345.jpg" />

<!-- ✅ Optimized image -->
<img
  src="blue-widget-product-photo.webp"
  alt="Blue widget with chrome finish, side view showing control panel"
  width="800"
  height="600"
  loading="lazy"
/>
```

**Image guidelines:**

- Descriptive filenames with keywords
- Alt text describes the image content
- Compressed and properly sized
- WebP/AVIF with fallbacks
- Lazy load below-fold images

### Internal linking

```html
<!-- ❌ Non-descriptive -->
<a href="/products">Click here</a>
<a href="/widgets">Read more</a>

<!-- ✅ Descriptive anchor text -->
<a href="/products/blue-widgets">Browse our blue widget collection</a>
<a href="/guides/widget-maintenance">Learn how to maintain your widgets</a>
```

**Linking guidelines:**

- Descriptive anchor text with keywords
- Link to relevant internal pages
- Reasonable number of links per page
- Fix broken links promptly
- Use breadcrumbs for hierarchy

---

## Structured data (JSON-LD)

### Organization

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Example Company",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png",
    "sameAs": ["https://twitter.com/example", "https://linkedin.com/company/example"],
    "contactPoint": {
      "@type": "ContactPoint",
      "telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
      "contactType": "customer service"
    }
  }
</script>
```

### Article

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "How to Choose the Right Widget",
    "description": "Complete guide to selecting widgets for your needs.",
    "image": "https://example.com/article-image.jpg",
    "author": {
      "@type": "Person",
      "name": "Jane Smith",
      "url": "https://example.com/authors/jane-smith"
    },
    "publisher": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": "Example Blog",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
      }
    },
    "datePublished": "2024-01-15",
    "dateModified": "2024-01-20"
  }
</script>
```

### Product

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Product",
    "name": "Blue Widget Pro",
    "image": "https://example.com/blue-widget.jpg",
    "description": "Premium blue widget with advanced features.",
    "brand": {
      "@type": "Brand",
      "name": "WidgetCo"
    },
    "offers": {
      "@type": "Offer",
      "price": "49.99",
      "priceCurrency": "USD",
      "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
      "url": "https://example.com/products/blue-widget"
    },
    "aggregateRating": {
      "@type": "AggregateRating",
      "ratingValue": "4.8",
      "reviewCount": "1250"
    }
  }
</script>
```

### FAQ

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "FAQPage",
    "mainEntity": [
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "What colors are available?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "Our widgets come in blue, red, and green."
        }
      },
      {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "What is the warranty?",
        "acceptedAnswer": {
          "@type": "Answer",
          "text": "All widgets include a 2-year warranty."
        }
      }
    ]
  }
</script>
```

### Breadcrumbs

```html
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 1,
        "name": "Home",
        "item": "https://example.com"
      },
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 2,
        "name": "Products",
        "item": "https://example.com/products"
      },
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 3,
        "name": "Blue Widgets",
        "item": "https://example.com/products/blue-widgets"
      }
    ]
  }
</script>
```

### Validation

Test structured data at:

- [Google Rich Results Test](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results)
- [Schema.org Validator](https://validator.schema.org/)

---

## Mobile SEO

### Responsive design

```html
<!-- ❌ Not mobile-friendly -->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=1024" />

<!-- ✅ Responsive viewport -->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
```

### Tap targets

```css
/* ❌ Too small for mobile */
.small-link {
  padding: 4px;
  font-size: 12px;
}

/* ✅ Adequate tap target */
.mobile-friendly-link {
  padding: 12px;
  font-size: 16px;
  min-height: 48px;
  min-width: 48px;
}
```

### Font sizes

```css
/* ❌ Too small on mobile */
body {
  font-size: 10px;
}

/* ✅ Readable without zooming */
body {
  font-size: 16px;
  line-height: 1.5;
}
```

---

## International SEO

### Hreflang tags

```html
<!-- For multi-language sites -->
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/page" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://example.com/es/page" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/page" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/page" />
```

### Language declaration

```html
<html lang="en">
  <!-- or -->
  <html lang="es-MX"></html>
</html>
```

---

## SEO audit checklist

### Critical

- [ ] HTTPS enabled
- [ ] robots.txt allows crawling
- [ ] No `noindex` on important pages
- [ ] Title tags present and unique
- [ ] Single `<h1>` per page

### High priority

- [ ] Meta descriptions present
- [ ] Sitemap submitted
- [ ] Canonical URLs set
- [ ] Mobile-responsive
- [ ] Core Web Vitals passing

### Medium priority

- [ ] Structured data implemented
- [ ] Internal linking strategy
- [ ] Image alt text
- [ ] Descriptive URLs
- [ ] Breadcrumb navigation

### Ongoing

- [ ] Fix crawl errors in Search Console
- [ ] Update sitemap when content changes
- [ ] Monitor ranking changes
- [ ] Check for broken links
- [ ] Review Search Console insights

---

## Tools

| Tool                      | Use                           |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Google Search Console     | Monitor indexing, fix issues  |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | Performance + Core Web Vitals |
| Rich Results Test         | Validate structured data      |
| Lighthouse                | Full SEO audit                |
| Screaming Frog            | Crawl analysis                |

## References

- [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search)
- [Schema.org](https://schema.org/)
- [Core Web Vitals](../core-web-vitals/SKILL.md)
- [Web Quality Audit](../web-quality-audit/SKILL.md)
