---
name: claude-seo-plan
description: Build a strategic SEO plan for a new or existing site, covering discovery, competitive analysis, site architecture, content strategy, and a phased implementation roadmap with KPIs. Use when the user says "SEO plan", "SEO strategy", "SEO roadmap", "content calendar", or "site architecture". Not for a single page brief (use claude-seo-content-brief), pages generated at scale (use claude-seo-programmatic), or executing audits on a live site (use claude-seo-page or claude-seo-technical).
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: TechTide AI (Alex Cinovoj)
  provenance: rewritten from patterns in AgriciDaniel/claude-seo (MIT)
  category: SEO & AEO
---

# Strategic SEO Planning

A plan is a sequence of bets with owners, dates, and measurable exits. If a deliverable has no KPI and no phase, it is a wish, not a plan.

## Workflow

1. **Discovery.** Business type, audience, competitors, goals, budget, timeline, KPIs. Existing site: assess current state first. No URL: run new-site mode and skip live-site assessment.
2. **Competitive analysis.** Top 5 competitors: content strategy, schema usage, technical setup, E-E-A-T signals, estimated authority. Output keyword gaps and content opportunities. If DataForSEO MCP tools are available, use real data: `dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain`, `_domain_intersection`, `_bulk_traffic_estimation` (route via claude-seo-dataforseo). Otherwise label estimates as estimates.
3. **Architecture.** URL hierarchy, content pillars, internal linking model, sitemap structure. Start from the industry pattern:
   - SaaS: product pages, use-case pages, integrations, comparison pages, docs, blog.
   - Local service: service pages (one per core service), location pages, reviews, GBP alignment (hand local depth to claude-seo-local).
   - E-commerce: category tree, product pages, buying guides, faceted-nav index control.
   - Publisher: topic hubs, freshness program, author entities.
   - Agency: service pages, case studies, thought leadership.
   - Anything else: generic pattern of core pages plus resource hub, and say no industry template applied.
4. **Content strategy.** Gaps vs competitors, page types with estimated counts, publishing cadence, E-E-A-T building plan (author bios, credentials, experience proof), prioritized calendar.
5. **Technical foundation.** Hosting and performance requirements, schema plan per page type, CWV baseline targets, AI-search readiness (hand depth to claude-seo-geo), mobile-first.
6. **Roadmap in four phases.** Foundation (weeks 1-4): infrastructure, core pages, essential schema, analytics. Expansion (weeks 5-12): primary content, blog launch, internal linking, local setup if applicable. Scale (weeks 13-24): advanced content, link building, GEO, performance. Authority (months 7-12): thought leadership, PR, advanced schema, continuous optimization.

## Deliverables

Write these files: SEO-STRATEGY.md (the plan), COMPETITOR-ANALYSIS.md, CONTENT-CALENDAR.md, IMPLEMENTATION-ROADMAP.md, SITE-STRUCTURE.md. Every phase gets measurable goals, resource requirements, dependencies, and risks.

KPI table, baseline plus 3/6/12 month targets: organic traffic, keyword rankings, authority metric, indexed pages, Core Web Vitals. Numbers must trace to the competitive analysis, not round-number optimism.

## Verification

Cross-check the roadmap against the KPI table: every KPI target must have at least one roadmap item that plausibly moves it, and every roadmap item must map to a KPI. Expect zero orphans on either side. Orphans found: cut the item or add the missing workstream.

## Good vs bad

**Good:** "Phase 2, weeks 5-12: publish 8 service pages (list attached), targeting 20 keywords currently owned by <competitor>. Exit: all 8 indexed, 10 keywords in top 20."
**Bad:** "Phase 2: create great content and build authority." No counts, no keywords, no exit condition, unmeasurable.

## Footguns

- **Traffic targets without baselines.** "10x organic traffic" from an unknown base is meaningless. No baseline data: state assumptions and mark targets provisional.
- **Architecture that promises thousands of pages.** If the plan calls for pages at scale (locations, integrations, glossary), route the quality gates through claude-seo-programmatic before committing counts to the roadmap.
- **Ignoring budget in phasing.** A 12-month roadmap for a 3-month budget is a plan for failure. Cut phases to the money, say what got cut.
- **Copying a competitor's structure wholesale.** Their architecture serves their service mix. Plan only sections this business can credibly fill.

## Completion checklist

- [ ] Discovery answers captured, mode stated (new site vs existing)
- [ ] Top 5 competitors analyzed, data source labeled (live vs estimate)
- [ ] Architecture matches the industry pattern and the actual service mix
- [ ] All four phases have goals, resources, dependencies, risks
- [ ] KPI table has baselines and 3/6/12 month targets
- [ ] KPI-to-roadmap cross-check passed with zero orphans
- [ ] All five deliverable files written

Any box unchecked: not done. Fix or say so.