grey-haven-seo-geo-optimization
SEO/GEO Optimization
Optimize web content for both traditional search engines (Google, Bing) and AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude).
GEO = Generative Engine Optimization - Optimizing content to be cited by AI search engines.
Key Insight: AI search engines don't rank pages - they cite sources. Being cited is the new ranking #1.
When to Use
- Auditing a website's SEO/GEO status
- Optimizing content for AI search engine citations
- Implementing or fixing structured data (JSON-LD, Schema.org)
- Researching keywords and competitor strategies
- Ensuring AI bots can crawl your site
- Adding meta tags, Open Graph, Twitter Cards
- Improving content structure for both humans and AI
Don't use for:
- General content writing without SEO focus (use creative-writing skill)
- Backend API performance (use performance-optimizer)
Workflow
digraph seo_geo {
rankdir=TB;
"Audit current state" -> "Keyword research";
"Keyword research" -> "GEO optimization";
"GEO optimization" -> "Traditional SEO";
"Traditional SEO" -> "Validate & monitor";
"Validate & monitor" -> "Audit current state" [label="iterate", style=dashed];
}
Step 1: Website Audit
Get the target URL and analyze current SEO/GEO status.
Quick technical check:
# Check meta tags and schema markup
curl -sL "https://example.com" | grep -E "<title>|<meta name=\"description\"|<meta property=\"og:|application/ld\+json" | head -20
# Check robots.txt - verify AI bots are allowed
curl -s "https://example.com/robots.txt"
# Check sitemap structure
curl -s "https://example.com/sitemap.xml" | head -50
AI bots to verify access for:
| Bot | Service |
|---|---|
| Googlebot | |
| Bingbot | Bing / Copilot |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity |
| ChatGPT-User | ChatGPT with browsing |
| ClaudeBot / anthropic-ai | Claude |
| GPTBot | OpenAI |
Step 2: Keyword Research
Use WebSearch to research target keywords:
{keyword} keyword difficulty site:ahrefs.com OR site:semrush.com{keyword} search volume {current_year}site:{competitor.com} {keyword}
Analyze search volume, difficulty, competitor strategies, long-tail opportunities, and international keyword conflicts.
Step 3: GEO Optimization (AI Search Engines)
Apply the 9 Princeton GEO Methods (see reference/geo-methods.md):
| Method | Boost | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Cite Sources | +40% | Must-have |
| Statistics Addition | +37% | Must-have |
| Quotation Addition | +30% | Should-have |
| Authoritative Tone | +25% | Should-have |
| Fluency Optimization | +15-30% | Must-have |
| Easy-to-understand | +20% | Should-have |
| Technical Terms | +18% | Context-dependent |
| Unique Words | +15% | Nice-to-have |
| -10% | AVOID |
Best combination: Fluency + Statistics = Maximum boost
Content structure for AI citation:
- "Answer-first" format (direct answer at top)
- Clear H1 > H2 > H3 hierarchy
- Bullet points and numbered lists
- Tables for comparison data
- Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)
FAQPage schema adds +40% AI visibility. See templates/schema-faqpage.json.
Step 4: Traditional SEO
Apply meta tags, Open Graph, Twitter Cards, and JSON-LD schema markup. See templates/meta-tags.md for copy-paste templates.
Quick checks:
- H1 contains primary keyword
- Images have descriptive alt text
- Internal links to related content
- External links have
rel="noopener noreferrer" - Mobile-friendly layout
- Page loads in < 3 seconds
Step 5: Validate & Monitor
# Schema validation
open "https://search.google.com/test/rich-results?url={encoded_url}"
open "https://validator.schema.org/?url={encoded_url}"
# Check indexing
open "https://www.google.com/search?q=site:{domain}"
open "https://www.bing.com/search?q=site:{domain}"
Generate report using checklists/seo-geo-audit.md.
Platform-Specific Quick Reference
Each AI search engine has different citation criteria. See reference/platform-optimization.md for full details.
| Platform | Key Factor | Critical Action |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Domain authority | Update content within 30 days |
| Perplexity | Semantic relevance | FAQPage schema + PDF hosting |
| Google AI Overview | E-E-A-T | Authoritative citations (+132%) |
| Copilot / Bing | Bing indexing | Page speed < 2s |
| Claude | Brave Search | High factual density |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Blocking AI bots in robots.txt | Allow PerplexityBot, GPTBot, ClaudeBot explicitly |
| Keyword stuffing | Reduces visibility by 10%. Use natural language. |
| Missing FAQPage schema | Adds +40% AI visibility. Always include for FAQ content. |
| No statistics or citations | GEO research shows +37-40% boost from data and sources |
| Ignoring Brave Search | Claude uses Brave, not Google. Ensure Brave indexing. |
| Stale content | ChatGPT cites 3.2x more from content updated within 30 days |
Collaboration
- Works with:
content-strategistagent (strategy + keyword planning),creative-writingskill (content quality) - Complements: Content strategy with technical SEO implementation and GEO methodology
- Outputs: Optimized markup, schema, audit reports, GEO-enhanced content
Supporting Documentation
-
reference/ - Detailed optimization guides
- geo-methods.md - Princeton GEO research (9 methods in depth)
- platform-optimization.md - Per-platform citation criteria
-
checklists/ - Audit and validation
- seo-geo-audit.md - Complete SEO/GEO audit checklist with report template
-
templates/ - Copy-paste ready markup
- meta-tags.md - Meta tags, Open Graph, Twitter Cards
- schema-faqpage.json - FAQPage JSON-LD template
- schema-templates.md - All JSON-LD schema types