google-ranking-seo

# Google Ranking SEO

## Overview

Run SEO work as an execution system, not a checklist.
Collect evidence, prioritize by impact/effort, execute in a strict order, and measure outcomes tied to rankings and organic conversions.

## Load References Selectively

Use the smallest relevant reference set:

- Use `references/google-ranking-factors-summarized.txt` first for fast triage.
- Use `references/google-ranking-factors-longlist.txt` only when generating hypotheses for edge cases.
- Use `references/google-ranking-factors-leak-notes.txt` as directional guidance, not ground truth for weighting.
- Use `references/wordpress-pagespeed-checklist.md` when the site runs on WordPress.

For the long files, search first, then read only matched sections:

- In `google-ranking-factors-longlist.txt`, search for: `Core Web Vitals`, `Title`, `H1`, `internal links`, `schema`, `mobile`, `page speed`, `freshness`, `E-A-T`, `brand`.
- In `google-ranking-factors-leak-notes.txt`, search for: `NavBoost`, `goodClicks`, `siteAuthority`, `titlematchScore`, `siteFocusScore`, `PageRank`, `demotions`, `spam`.

## Workflow

Follow this order. Do not jump directly to low-impact tweaks.

### 1) Define Scope and KPI Targets

- Identify primary business goals: leads, sales, calls, signups.
- Define ranking and traffic targets by page type (not just domain-wide averages).
- Capture baseline metrics before changing anything:
- Google Search Console: clicks, impressions, CTR, average position.
- Core Web Vitals by template.
- Organic conversions by landing page.

### 2) Build an Evidence Pack

- Gather technical issues from crawl tools (Seobility, GSC coverage, logs if available).
- Group issues by template and page type.
- For each issue, store:
- affected URLs or template
- evidence source
- ranking or UX impact hypothesis
- estimated effort

### 3) Prioritize with Scoring

Use the bundled script to avoid subjective prioritization:

```bash
python .cursor/skills/google-ranking-seo/scripts/seo_priority.py --input tasks.csv --output prioritized.csv --markdown prioritized.md
```

Input CSV must include:

- `task` (or `issue`/`title`)
- `impact` (1-5)
- `effort` (1-5)

Optional columns:

- `reach` (1-5, default 3)
- `confidence` (1-5, default 3)
- `urgency` (1-5, default 3)
- any metadata columns (owner, template, notes)

Prioritize `P1` and `P2` first. Defer `P3`/`P4` unless they unblock higher tiers.

### 4) Execute in High-Leverage Order

Execute in this sequence:

1. Crawlability and indexation
2. Canonicalization, redirects, duplicate handling
3. Internal linking and architecture
4. On-page relevance (title/H1/intent matching)
5. Content depth, freshness, and information gain
6. Snippet CTR improvements (title/meta for click quality)
7. Core Web Vitals and loading performance
8. Authority building and link acquisition
9. Brand/entity reinforcement and E-E-A-T signals

### 5) Validate After Every Deployment

- Re-crawl changed templates and URLs.
- Validate indexing state in GSC URL Inspection.
- Track movement weekly for target query clusters.
- Keep a change log with date, hypothesis, owner, and KPI delta.

## Required Deliverables

When asked for an SEO plan, always output:

1. Prioritized backlog table
- Columns: `task`, `evidence`, `impact`, `effort`, `priority tier`, `owner`, `ETA`, `success metric`.
2. 30/60/90-day roadmap
- Technical, content, authority tracks.
3. Measurement plan
- KPI definitions, reporting cadence, and rollback criteria.

## WordPress Focus Rules

When the site is WordPress:

- Apply `references/wordpress-pagespeed-checklist.md`.
- Fix template-level issues in theme code before page-by-page edits.
- Minimize plugin overlap that adds duplicate JS/CSS payloads.
- Protect editorial workflow: create reusable rules for titles, schema, and internal links.

## Guardrails

- Treat ranking factor leaks as directional, not deterministic weights.
- Avoid keyword stuffing and thin near-duplicate pages.
- Avoid vanity work that does not tie to ranking or conversion KPIs.
- Avoid shipping SEO changes without baseline and post-change measurement.