seo-skill
Apply technical SEO including meta tags, Schema.org structured data (BreadcrumbList, FAQPage, LocalBusiness), sitemap, robots.txt, and Core Web Vitals. Only modifies hidden/technical elements - produces reports for visible content changes. Triggers: SEO, meta tags, structured data, schema, sitemap, search optimisation, Google ranking, rich snippets.
Install
npx skillscat add websmartteam/cor-code/seo-skill Install via the SkillsCat registry.
SEO Skill
Technical SEO knowledge for web frontend work. Works alongside GMB agent for local SEO.
Critical: Visible vs Hidden Content
DO NOT automatically change visible/on-page content. SEO optimisation should only modify:
| Can Modify | Cannot Modify |
|---|---|
| Meta tags (title, description) | Body text / paragraphs |
| Schema.org JSON-LD | Headings text content |
| Open Graph / Twitter cards | Button labels |
| Canonical URLs | Navigation text |
| robots.txt / sitemap | Any user-visible content |
| Alt text (with care) |
For visible content improvements, produce a report with recommendations - don't apply changes automatically.
SEO Improvement Report Format
After SEO work, provide summary:
## SEO Improvements Applied
### Hidden/Technical Changes Made:
- ✅ Added meta description to /services page
- ✅ Added BreadcrumbList schema to all pages
### Visible Content Recommendations (Requires Review):
| Page | Issue | Recommendation |
|------|-------|----------------|
| /about | Thin content (180 words) | Expand to 400+ words |
| /services | No H1 contains keyword | Consider: "Professional [Service] in [Location]" |
### SEO Score Summary:
- Pages analysed: 12
- Issues fixed: 8
- Recommendations pending: 4Meta Tag Targets
| Tag | Target Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 50-60 chars | Primary keyword near start |
| Description | 150-160 chars | Compelling summary with CTA |
| Canonical | Full URL | Prevents duplicate content |
Use Next.js metadata API (static or generateMetadata for dynamic).
Semantic HTML
- One H1 per page - the main topic
- Logical heading hierarchy - H2 sections, H3 subsections (don't skip)
- Landmarks -
<header>,<main>,<nav>,<footer>,<article>,<aside> - Strategic
<strong>- 2-3 per page for key entities
Structured Data (Schema.org)
Use JSON-LD in <head>. Common types:
| Schema Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| BreadcrumbList | Navigation path (enables rich snippets) |
| FAQPage | FAQ sections (expandable results) |
| Article/BlogPosting | Blog content |
| LocalBusiness | Business sites (coordinates with GMB agent) |
| HowTo | Instructional content |
Claude knows Schema.org syntax - just specify which types are needed.
Content Guidelines
Length Targets (Total Across Page)
| Content Type | Minimum | Optimal |
|---|---|---|
| Service page | 300 words | 600+ |
| Blog post | 400 words | 1000+ |
| Product page | 200 words | 400+ |
Distribute naturally across hero, features, FAQ, CTA - not one block.
Keyword Usage
- Density: 0.5-2% natural occurrence
- Placement: H1, first paragraph, URL, meta description
- Variations: Semantic variations naturally
Image SEO
- Alt text - descriptive, keywords natural (not stuffing)
- File names - descriptive (
blue-widget-product.jpgnotIMG_1234.jpg) - Dimensions - always specify (prevents CLS)
- Format - WebP/AVIF with fallbacks
- Lazy loading - use Next.js Image component
Technical SEO
- robots.txt - control crawler access
- sitemap.xml - all indexable URLs with lastmod
- Canonical URLs - prevent duplicate content
- HTTPS - required
- Mobile-friendly - Google indexes mobile-first
- Core Web Vitals - LCP <2.5s, FID <100ms, CLS <0.1
AI Crawlers (Modern Consideration)
Don't block AI crawlers unless specific reason:
- GPTBot (ChatGPT)
- Google-Extended (Gemini/AI Overviews)
- anthropic-ai (Claude)
- PerplexityBot
Being cited by AI systems is increasingly valuable.
Site-Wide Audit Checklist
When reviewing a site, check and advise (don't auto-implement):
Images
- Modern formats (WebP/AVIF)?
- Properly sized (not 4000px displayed at 400px)?
- Lazy loading?
- Alt text present?
Navigation
- Breadcrumbs (Schema + visible)?
- Logical URLs (/services/web-design not /page?id=47)?
- Internal linking between related pages?
- 404 page helpful?
Technical
- robots.txt reviewed?
- sitemap.xml submitted?
- HTTPS everywhere?
- Mobile responsive?
Content
- No thin pages (<300 words)?
- No duplicate content?
- Dates on blog posts?
- Contact/about pages exist?
Local SEO (if applicable)
- LocalBusiness schema?
- NAP consistent?
- GMB linked? (GMB agent)
Output findings as recommendations, not changes.
UK Considerations
- UK English - British spellings throughout
- Local keywords - include town/region names
- hreflang - if multi-region:
hreflang="en-GB" - LocalBusiness - UK address format, +44 phone
- Coordinates with GMB agent - for local business SEO
Accessibility = SEO
Good accessibility benefits SEO:
- Semantic HTML helps both screen readers and crawlers
- Alt text required for accessibility, used by image search
- Heading hierarchy helps both
- Descriptive link text (not "Read more")
Install
npx skillscat add websmartteam/cor-code/seo-skill Install via the SkillsCat registry.