# Traditional SEO Reference

Detailed guidance for mid-funnel Google/Bing optimization.

## Table of Contents
1. When NOT to Do SEO
2. User Journey Framework
3. On-Page Optimization
4. Technical SEO Basics
5. Programmatic vs Editorial SEO
6. Help Center Optimization

---

## 1. When NOT to Do SEO

SEO is not free. Before investing, assess fit:

### SEO is a Poor Fit When:

**No search journey exists**
- Users don't search for this category
- Discovery happens through referrals, sales, or virality
- Example: Most enterprise SaaS, novel categories

**Long sales cycles with committees**
- Multiple stakeholders involved in purchase
- Requires sales team to close
- Example: Enterprise software, Google Cloud

**No online conversion path**
- Can't convert from website visit
- Requires demo, call, or in-person
- Example: High-touch B2B services

**Better ROI elsewhere**
- Limited budget, other channels more effective
- Example: Trade shows, influencer, paid ads

### Questions to Ask:
1. "What will someone search to find this product?"
2. "Will they convert online after finding us?"
3. "Is this search journey or sales journey?"

If you can't answer #1 clearly, don't do SEO.

---

## 2. User Journey Framework

### Funnel Stages

| Stage | User Intent | AI Impact | SEO Opportunity |
|-------|-------------|-----------|-----------------|
| **Top** | Discovery, curiosity, "what is X?" | AI handles this | LOW - AI gives answers |
| **Mid** | Intent, comparison, "best X for Y" | AI starts, SEO continues | HIGH - This is where SEO wins |
| **Bottom** | Purchase, "X pricing", "X vs Y" | Users need details | MEDIUM - Product pages |

### Mid-Funnel Focus

This is where SEO opportunity remains. Examples:

**Top (AI handles)**: "What is a CRM?" → AI summarizes
**Mid (SEO wins)**: "Best CRM for small marketing teams" → User clicks results
**Bottom (Product)**: "HubSpot pricing" → User visits HubSpot

Focus SEO efforts on mid-funnel intent queries.

---

## 3. On-Page Optimization

### Title Tags

**Best Practices**:
- 50-60 characters (will truncate beyond)
- Primary keyword near beginning
- Brand at end (optional)
- Unique per page
- Compelling for clicks

**Examples**:
```
Good: "Best CRM for Small Business in 2025 | HubSpot"
Bad: "HubSpot | CRM Software for Business Sales Marketing"
```

### Meta Descriptions

**Best Practices**:
- 150-160 characters
- Include call-to-action
- Match page content
- Unique per page

**Example**:
```
"Compare the top 10 CRM platforms for small business. Free trials, pricing, and features reviewed. Find your perfect CRM in 5 minutes."
```

### Header Hierarchy

```
H1: Primary topic (one per page)
  H2: Major sections
    H3: Subsections
      H4: Details (rarely needed)
```

**Rules**:
- Single H1 per page
- H2s for main sections
- Don't skip levels (H1 → H3)
- Keywords in headers (natural)

### Content Quality

#### E-E-A-T Checklist

**Experience**:
- [ ] First-hand experience demonstrated
- [ ] Personal insights included
- [ ] Real examples from practice

**Expertise**:
- [ ] Author credentials shown
- [ ] Technical depth appropriate
- [ ] Accurate information

**Authoritativeness**:
- [ ] Cited by others
- [ ] Industry recognition
- [ ] Quality backlinks

**Trustworthiness**:
- [ ] Accurate, fact-checked
- [ ] Sources cited
- [ ] Transparent about limitations

---

## 4. Technical SEO Basics

### Critical Technical Elements

**Crawlability**:
- XML sitemap submitted
- Robots.txt configured correctly
- Internal linking structure clear

**Indexability**:
- No accidental noindex tags
- Canonical tags correct
- No duplicate content issues

**Mobile**:
- Mobile-responsive design
- No mobile-specific blocking
- Fast mobile load times

### When Technical SEO Matters

Technical SEO is important for:
- Large sites (10M+ pages): Zillow, TripAdvisor
- Complex navigation structures
- Sites with crawl issues

Technical SEO is NOT the solution for:
- Small sites with content issues
- Sites hit by algorithm updates
- Sites with no traffic history

**Rule**: If you have a 100-page site, technical SEO is rarely your problem.

---

## 5. Programmatic vs Editorial SEO

### Programmatic SEO

**Definition**: Generating pages at scale from data sources.

**Good Examples**:
- **Zapier**: Pages for every integration (Gmail+Salesforce)
- **Zillow**: Pages for every property
- **TripAdvisor**: Pages for every hotel/restaurant

**When to Use**:
- Clear user search pattern exists
- Data available to populate pages
- Each page genuinely useful

**Danger Signs**:
- Creating pages no one searches
- Thin content with no value
- Copying programmatic without user need

### Editorial SEO

**Definition**: Manually created content targeting topics.

**When to Use**:
- Complex topics requiring expertise
- Thought leadership content
- No programmatic data source

**Examples**:
- Blog posts
- Guides
- Research reports

### Decision Framework

Ask: "Does a user need unique information on each page?"

| Scenario | Approach |
|----------|----------|
| "Best pizza in [city]" for 10,000 cities | Programmatic (if you have data) |
| "Complete guide to SEO" | Editorial |
| "Gmail + [app] integration" for 1,000 apps | Programmatic |
| "Why SEO matters for startups" | Editorial |

---

## 6. Help Center Optimization

### Why Help Centers Matter

Help centers are underrated for SEO because:
- Answer specific user questions
- Long-tail keyword coverage
- High intent (users seeking solutions)
- Community can fill gaps

### Optimization Checklist

**Structure**:
- [ ] Help center on subdirectory (not subdomain)
  - Good: `example.com/help/`
  - Bad: `help.example.com`
- [ ] Cross-linking between articles
- [ ] Category pages indexed

**Content**:
- [ ] FAQ format where appropriate
- [ ] Questions from actual support tickets
- [ ] Community contributions for edge cases
- [ ] Regular updates based on new tickets

**Technical**:
- [ ] Schema.org FAQPage markup
- [ ] Internal search working
- [ ] Breadcrumbs implemented

### Mining Questions

Sources for help center content:
1. Support ticket analysis
2. Sales call transcripts
3. Community forum questions
4. ChatGPT/Perplexity query analysis
5. Google Search Console queries

---

## SEO Forecasting

### The Problem with Keyword Tools

Keyword research tools are often wrong by 10X:
- They estimate, not measure
- Different tools give different numbers
- Actual search volume varies

### Better Approach: Top-Down TAM

Instead of bottom-up keyword research:

1. **Total addressable market** (population)
2. **Target segment** (demographics, needs)
3. **Online behavior** (% searching online)
4. **Market penetration goal** (realistic share)

**Example**:
- 10M potential customers
- 30% search online for solution
- Target 10% of searchers
- = 300K potential visitors

This gives directional guidance without false precision.

### Use Keyword Data For:
- Relative comparison (A vs B volume)
- Understanding search patterns
- Question/topic discovery

### Don't Use Keyword Data For:
- Exact traffic forecasts
- Pitch deck promises
- Precise ROI calculations
