Seo Content

Content Quality & E-E-A-T Analysis

E-E-A-T Framework (per Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines and the "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" doc)

Read seo/references/eeat-framework.md for full criteria.

> How Google uses E-E-A-T: E-E-A-T itself is NOT a direct ranking factor. > Google's automated systems use a mix of factors to reward content people > find helpful; quality raters use E-E-A-T to evaluate whether those systems > are working — rater data is not used directly in ranking. > Of the E-E-A-T family, Trust is the most important member — the other > three contribute to trust, and content need not demonstrate all of them.

Experience (first-hand signals)

• Original research, case studies, before/after results
• Personal anecdotes, process documentation
• Unique data, proprietary insights
• Photos/videos from direct experience

Expertise

• Author credentials, certifications, bio
• Professional background relevant to topic
• Technical depth appropriate for audience
• Accurate, well-sourced claims

Authoritativeness

• External citations, backlinks from authoritative sources
• Brand mentions, industry recognition
• Published in recognized outlets
• Cited by other experts

Trustworthiness

• Contact information, physical address
• Privacy policy, terms of service
• Customer testimonials, reviews
• Date stamps, transparent corrections
• Secure site (HTTPS)

Content Metrics

Word Count Analysis

Compare against page type minimums: | Page Type | Minimum | |-----------|---------| | Homepage | 500 | | Service page | 800 | | Blog post | 1,500 | | Product page | 300+ (400+ for complex products) | | Location page | 500-600 |

> Important: These are topical coverage floors, not targets. Google has confirmed word count is NOT a direct ranking factor. The goal is comprehensive topical coverage — a 500-word page that thoroughly answers the query will outrank a 2,000-word page that doesn't. Use these as guidelines for adequate coverage depth, not rigid requirements.

Readability

• Flesch Reading Ease: target 60-70 for general audience

> Note: Flesch Reading Ease is a useful proxy for content accessibility but is NOT a direct Google ranking factor. John Mueller has confirmed Google does not use basic readability scores for ranking. Yoast deprioritized Flesch scores in v19.3. Use readability analysis as a content quality indicator, not as an SEO metric to optimize directly.

• Grade level: match target audience
• Sentence length: average 15-20 words
• Paragraph length: 2-4 sentences

Keyword Optimization

• Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words
• Natural density (1-3%)
• Semantic variations present
• No keyword stuffing

Content Structure

• Logical heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Scannable sections with descriptive headings
• Bullet/numbered lists where appropriate
• Table of contents for long-form content

Multimedia

• Relevant images with proper alt text
• Videos where appropriate
• Infographics for complex data
• Charts/graphs for statistics

Internal Linking

• 3-5 relevant internal links per 1000 words
• Descriptive anchor text
• Links to related content
• No orphan pages

External Linking

• Cite authoritative sources
• Open in new tab for user experience
• Reasonable count (not excessive)

AI Content Assessment (Sept 2025 QRG addition)

Google's raters now formally assess whether content appears AI-generated.

Acceptable AI Content

• Demonstrates genuine E-E-A-T
• Provides unique value
• Has human oversight and editing
• Contains original insights

Low-Quality AI Content Markers

• Generic phrasing, lack of specificity
• No original insight
• Repetitive structure across pages
• No author attribution
• Factual inaccuracies

> Helpful Content System (March 2024): The Helpful Content System was merged into Google's core ranking algorithm during the March 2024 core update. It no longer operates as a standalone classifier. Helpfulness signals are now weighted within every core update — the same principles apply (people-first content, demonstrating E-E-A-T, satisfying user intent), but enforcement is continuous rather than through separate HCU updates.

AI Citation Readiness (GEO signals)

Optimize for AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews):

• Clear, quotable statements with statistics/facts
• Structured data (especially for data points)
• Strong heading hierarchy (H1→H2→H3 flow)
• Answer-first formatting for key questions
• Tables and lists for comparative data
• Clear attribution and source citations

AI Search Visibility & GEO (2025-2026)

Google AI Mode launched publicly in May 2025 as a separate tab in Google Search, available in 180+ countries. Unlike AI Overviews (which appear above organic results), AI Mode provides a fully conversational search experience with zero organic blue links — making AI citation the only visibility mechanism.

Key optimization strategies for AI citation:

• Structured answers: Clear question-answer formats, definition patterns, and step-by-step instructions that AI systems can extract and cite
• First-party data: Original research, statistics, case studies, and unique datasets are highly cited by AI systems
• Schema markup: Article, FAQ (for non-Google AI platforms), and structured content schemas help AI systems parse and attribute content
• Topical authority: AI systems preferentially cite sources that demonstrate deep expertise — build content clusters, not isolated pages
• Entity clarity: Ensure brand, authors, and key concepts are clearly defined with structured data (Organization, Person schema)
• Multi-platform tracking: Monitor visibility across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot — not just traditional rankings. Treat AI citation as a standalone KPI alongside organic rankings and traffic.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): GEO is the emerging discipline of optimizing content specifically for AI-generated answers. Key GEO signals include: quotability (clear, concise extractable facts), attribution (source citations within your content), structure (well-organized heading hierarchy), and freshness (regularly updated data). Cross-reference the seo-geo skill for detailed GEO workflows.

Content Freshness

• Publication date visible
• Last updated date if content has been revised
• Flag content older than 12 months without update for fast-changing topics

Output

Content Quality Score: XX/100

E-E-A-T Breakdown

| Factor | Score | Key Signals | |--------|-------|-------------| | Experience | XX/25 | ... | | Expertise | XX/25 | ... | | Authoritativeness | XX/25 | ... | | Trustworthiness | XX/25 | ... |

AI Citation Readiness: XX/100

Issues Found

Recommendations

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Live Data Insights (MCP Overlay)

> This section appears only when MCP data sources are available. The static analysis above is complete and unchanged regardless of MCP availability.

MCP Availability Check

Follow the self-contained check pattern from seo/references/mcp-degradation.md:

1. Use ToolSearch with query "+ahrefs" — if tools returned, Ahrefs is available
2. Use ToolSearch with query "+google-search-console" — if tools returned, GSC is available
3. Proceed with whichever MCPs are available; skip sections for unavailable MCPs

Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs)

If Ahrefs available: fetch site-explorer-organic-keywords filtered to the specific URL being analyzed (full URL with https://). Show what Google actually associates with this content — this complements the static keyword analysis by replacing estimation with real ranking data. Add a ### Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs) section:

### Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs)

Top 10 keywords this page actually ranks for:

| Keyword | Position | Monthly Volume | Est. Traffic | Traffic % |
|---------|----------|----------------|--------------|-----------|
| keyword 1 | #X | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% |
| keyword 2 | #XX | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> Position data reflects current Google rankings. Compare with static keyword analysis above to identify gaps between targeted vs. actual ranking keywords.

Note: cpc values from Ahrefs are in cents — divide by 100 before displaying as USD.

Search Query Performance (GSC)

If GSC available: fetch get_search_analytics filtered to this specific URL for the last 28 days. Add a ### Search Query Performance (GSC) section to validate E-E-A-T signals with real user behavior data:

### Search Query Performance (Google Search Console — Last 28 Days)

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total Impressions | XX,XXX |
| Total Clicks | X,XXX |
| Overall CTR | X.X% |
| Average Position | X.X |

**Top Queries Triggering This Page:**

| Query | Impressions | Clicks | CTR | Avg Position |
|-------|-------------|--------|-----|--------------|
| query 1 | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% | X.X |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> High impressions with low CTR on relevant queries suggests title/meta description optimization is needed.
> CTR displayed as percentage (API returns decimal — multiply by 100 for display).

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Data Sources

Always append this footer to the content analysis output:

| Source | Status | Data Provided | |--------|--------|---------------| | Static Analysis | Always available | E-E-A-T scoring, readability, keyword density, structure, AI citation readiness | | Ahrefs MCP | Available / Not connected | Actual ranking keywords, positions, search volumes, traffic estimates | | GSC MCP | Available / Not connected | Impressions, clicks, CTR, avg position, top queries for this page |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: lionkiii
• Source: lionkiii/claude-seo-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.