โ ๏ธ Before use: confirm your product type
Default scenario for this skill:Developer tools / open-source projects / B2B SaaS going global
If your product is 2C consumer goods / education / apps / games, the following parameters need adjustment:
| Parameter | Default value (B2B/open source) | Suggested value for 2C |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword volume lower limit | 300 | 50 (long-tail high-conversion terms have low volume but are worth doing) |
| E-E-A-T requirements | Founder's authentic voice | YMYL categories (education/medical/finance) require verifiable credentials + methodology transparency page |
| Launch channels | PH / GitHub / HN | Reddit niche communities / Xiaohongshu / TikTok / Zhihu / Quora |
| Programmatic page risk | Low | Requires "unique value per page" to prevent doorway page penalty |
| Keyword strategy | Single-track BOFU + long tail | Add "time-window bonus terms" (e.g., "2026 new regulations/reform/new question types") |
| Backlink acquisition channels | Tech media / dev blog | Industry media / schools and institutions / vertical KOLs |
For the detailed 2C usage guide, see โ references/2c-adaptation.md
SEO & GEO Dual-Engine Growth Handbook
Language: Chinese | English
Chinese version
Author: Iris (็ๅงiris) | Version: v1.0 (April 2026)
Core philosophy
SEO and GEO are not two things; they are two sides of one thing. Structured data serves both traditional search and AI search.
Traditional SEO solves "being found"; GEO solves "being cited by AI."
In 2026, search traffic has already split into two entry points: traditional rankings on Google/Bing, and AI answers from ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude. Your content must win on both battlefields at the same time.
SEO + GEO dual-engine comparison
| Dimension | SEO (traditional search) | GEO (AI search) |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Google/Bing ranking | Being cited in AI answers |
| Core signals | Backlinks + keyword matching | Structured data + E-E-A-T authenticity |
| Content format | H2/H3 hierarchy + long-tail keyword coverage | Direct answers + comparison tables + FAQ Schema |
| Technical methods | XML Sitemap + Core Web Vitals | IndexNow + robots.txt open to AI crawlers |
| Measurement method | GA4 organic traffic + Ahrefs rankings | Manually check AI citation frequency |
Five core principles (2026-06-24 execution standard)
- Work from BOFU upward โ Do high-intent keywords first (pricing, comparisons), then educational content. Prioritize the terms with the highest conversion rates.
- Authentic voice is the best E-E-A-T โ Don't let AI write like AI. Build credibility with the founder's voice, real numbers, and firsthand stories.
- Structured = citable โ Key Stats tables, FAQ Schema, and comparison matrices let AI engines directly scrape and cite them.
- IndexNow is the infrastructure of GEO โ After content updates, push to Bing/AI search within seconds; don't wait for crawlers.
- Comparison pages are an SEO goldmine โ one dedicated page per competitor, capturing users in the decision phase.
Keyword selection criteria (Ahrefs filtering rules)
| Parameter | Standard | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 300โ1,000/month | New sites should target this range exclusively; big keywords are too competitive |
| Keyword Difficulty | KD 5โ35 | KD > 35 = a new site cannot rank on the first page in the short term |
| Traffic Potential | 300+ | Look at the overall traffic potential of the landing page for that keyword, not just the single word |
| Search Intent | Top priority | Before writing, first look at the Google top-10 for that keyword (ignore Sponsored) to judge intent (step-by-step guide vs list/gallery); the content must align with the intent |
| Competitor new keywords | Prioritize mining | Scrape competitors' latest blog posts to find new keywords Google hasn't crawled yet |
On-page optimization execution standards
| Rule | Standard | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Internal link density | โค 2-3 per paragraph | Too many makes Google flag it as spam โ lower ranking |
| Outbound link strategy | Proactively cite competitor blogs | Google sees it as objective โ boosts trust score โ boosts ranking |
| Title formulas | best / free / top / guide + year | The formula with the most significant CTR improvement |
| Meta description | Keyword rephrase(e.g. "figma alternative" โ "the alternative to Figma") | Boosts click-through rate |
| Breadcrumb navigation | BreadcrumbList schema + visible | Structural signal + rich results in SERP boost CTR |
| Freshness | Mark the last updated date | Freshness signal boosts ranking |
| URL structure | Short + contains the keyword + trailing slash | Readable + semantic signal |
Link building standards
- Directory/review site listing submissions: submit listings to review/directory sites (submission fee $20โ30 per batch) to gain natural inclusion backlinksโโnot buying dofollow links(for buying links, see the gr-backlinks anti-pattern: flagged by Google within days)
- Forum backlinks: high volume but low quality, with penalty riskโโdon't do BacklinkBeam-type operations
- The right path: HARO/Qwoted + data-story press release = high-quality backlinks
Historical case: AFFiNE's zero-spend SEO campaign (late 2022โ2023, mature-site playbook)
โ ๏ธ Caveat on scope: The keyword selection parameters in this case (KD 30โ50 / search volume โ1,000) reflect AFFiNE's playbook in 2022โ2023โโat the time the site already had domain authority from 10k+ stars and a full-time content team.New sites should follow the 2026 standards above (volume 300โ1,000 / KD 5โ35); this case is for historical reference only and does not replace the current standards. The numbers below are self-reported from the podcast, marked with โ.
Full SOP (in effect since February 2023, zero paid marketing):
- Infrastructure first: run the official site through SEO scoring tools until it reaches โฅ90 before starting to publish content, otherwise keyword rankings won't go up.
- Keyword selection: Use Ahrefs/Semrush to reverse-research competitors' keyword libraries, and select long-tail keywords (for the current period, parameters KD 30โ50 / search volume โ1,000; see the matching criteria note above).
- Pre-writing Google research: Enter the keywords into Google and study the 5โ6 existing articles on the first pageโ80% of the structure is ready-made and can be copied (feeding it to AI can yield about 70% of the framework); build on that structure by adding increments: replace outdated data (swap numbers from two years ago for the latest), use more precise images, and add GIFs of your own product.
- Quality standards: โ1,500 words, image + text + GIFs + tables; bounce rate is a ranking signalโdwell time + internal link clicks boost the main site's authority.
- Backlink exchange: If you're unknown early on, exchange backlinks in overseas communities, or email sites with hundreds of thousands of monthly impressions (non-top-tier) to discuss exchanges.
- Keyword matrix internal linking: Past SEO articles cite each other (follow the internal link density standard above, โค2โ3 per paragraph).
- Annual maintenance: Update product images and competitor screenshots once a year for high-ranking articles (written in 2022, updated in 2023, updated again in 2024); the asset library (latest user cases + latest competitor screenshots) is maintained jointly by everyone.
- Output capacity: 4 articles a week, โ20 a month. "SEO is very hard work, but as long as you have patience, you can get results."
Results (self-reported): 3 months after starting SEO, traffic was โ25x; โ400,000โ500,000 stable impressions per month all came from SEO, with zero paid promotion.
Compounding case study: The term "open source notion alternative" received the most effort and was written thoroughly, holding steady in Google's top three/four; when Notion announced a ban on Russian accounts, searches for that term surged, and a single old article automatically captured a wave of Russian usersโhigh-authority articles will catch traffic for free during sudden events, and that is the SEO compounding effect.
GEO execution standards
- Evidence layer priority (highest leverage): AI citations value evidence the mostโthe evidence citation layer accounts for 43%(authoritative quotes 16% + statistics 14% + citability 13%). Each core conclusion should be paired with 1 verifiable authoritative quote or full-scope statistic, and cite at least 1 primary-source paper (e.g., Aggarwal GEO, KDD 2024 = "up to 40%"๏ผใNever fabricate data/citations, and if you can't find it, mark
[ๅปบ่ฎฎ่กฅๅ ]. See references/geo-evidence-standard.md - Bing IndexNow: Push immediately after content updates (not just Google)โlet large models discover/index faster
- AI-friendly format: One-sentence answer + tables + FAQ Schema (FAQPage JSON-LD, 5โ8 questions)
- GA4 monitoring: Configure AI source channel grouping (track ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude referrals separately)
Detailed guide
| Topic | File | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword funnel strategy | references/keyword-strategy.md | TOFU/MOFU/BOFU keyword matrix and priorities |
| SEO technical foundations | references/seo-foundations.md | Core page optimization, Schema, site architecture |
| GEO optimization in practice | references/geo-optimization.md | IndexNow, AI crawlers, citation optimization |
| GEO evidence layer standards | references/geo-evidence-standard.md | 43% weight table + evidence discipline + primary-source paper citation library |
| Content production SOP | references/content-sop.md | The complete process from topic selection to publishing |
| E-E-A-T writing voice | references/writing-voice.md | Founder voice system to enhance authenticity signals |
| Competitor Comparison Page SOP | references/comparison-pages.md | Page structure, Schema, keyword embedding |
English
Author: Iris (็ๅงiris, the author's Chinese name) | Version: v1.0 (April 2026)
Core Philosophy
SEO and GEO are not two separate things โ they're two sides of the same coin. Structured data serves both traditional search and AI search simultaneously.
Traditional SEO solves "being found." GEO solves "being cited by AI."
In 2026, search traffic splits into two entry points: Google/Bing rankings, and AI answers from ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude. Your content must win on both battlefields.
SEO + GEO Dual-Engine Comparison
| Dimension | SEO (Traditional Search) | GEO (AI Search) |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Google/Bing rankings | Cited in AI answers |
| Core Signal | Backlinks + keyword match | Structured data + E-E-A-T authenticity |
| Content Format | H2/H3 hierarchy + long-tail coverage | Direct answers + comparison tables + FAQ Schema |
| Technical | XML Sitemap + Core Web Vitals | IndexNow + robots.txt allowing AI crawlers |
| Measurement | GA4 organic traffic + Ahrefs rankings | Manual check of AI citation frequency |
Keyword Selection Standards (2026-06-24)
| Parameter | Standard | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 300โ1,000/month | New sites only fight in this range; high-volume terms are too competitive |
| Keyword Difficulty | KD 5โ35 | KD > 35 = new sites can't reach page 1 short-term |
| Traffic Potential | 300+ | Evaluate the full page traffic potential, not just the single keyword |
| Search Intent | #1 priority | Before writing, check Google top-10 for the term (ignore Sponsored). Identify intent (step-by-step guide vs list/gallery). Content MUST align with intent โ this is the #1 ranking factor |
| Competitor new words | Mine first | Scrape competitor blog's latest posts for terms Google hasn't indexed yet |
Page Optimization Standards
| Rule | Standard | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Internal link density | โค 2โ3 per paragraph | More = Google spam signal โ ranking drop |
| External link strategy | Actively cite competitor blogs | Google reads as objective โ trust score up โ ranking up |
| Title formula | best / free / top / guide + year | Highest CTR lift formula |
| Meta description | Keyword rephrase (e.g. "figma alternative" โ "the alternative to Figma") | CTR boost |
| Breadcrumb nav | BreadcrumbList schema + visible | Structure signal + SERP rich result โ CTR |
| Freshness | Show last-updated date | Freshness signal improves ranking |
| URL structure | Short + keyword-rich + trailing slash | Readability + semantic signal |
Backlink Standards
- Directory/review listing submissions: Submit listings to review/directory sites ($20โ30 submission fee per batch) to earn naturally indexed backlinks โ not buying dofollow links (see gr-backlinks anti-pattern: purchased links get flagged by Google within days)
- Forum backlinks: Volume but low quality, penalty risk โ avoid BacklinkBeam-style mass links
- Right approach: HARO/Qwoted + data-driven press stories = quality backlinks
Historical Case: AFFiNE Zero-Budget SEO Campaign (late 2022-2023, established-site playbook)
โ ๏ธ Calibration note: The keyword parameters in this case (KD 30-50 / volume โ1,000) reflect AFFiNE's 2022-2023 playbook โ the site already had domain authority from 10k+ GitHub stars and a full-time content team. New sites must follow the 2026 standard above (volume 300-1,000 / KD 5-35); this case is historical reference only and does not replace the current standard. Numbers below are self-reported from podcast interviews, marked with โ.
Full SOP (executed from Feb 2023, zero paid marketing):
- Infrastructure first: Run an SEO audit tool on your site until it scores 90+ before producing content โ otherwise keywords will not rank.
- Keyword selection: Reverse-mine competitor keyword sets via Ahrefs/Semrush, pick long-tail terms (era parameters KD 30-50 / volume โ1,000 โ see calibration note above).
- Research Google before writing: Enter the keyword into Google and study the 5-6 existing page-1 articles โ 80% of the structure is already there (feeding them to AI yields ~70% of the framework). Then improve on it: replace outdated data (swap two-year-old numbers for current ones), use sharper images, add your own product GIFs.
- Quality bar: โ1,500 words with images + GIFs + tables; bounce rate is a ranking signal โ dwell time and internal-link clicks lift site-wide authority.
- Backlink exchange: With no brand yet, swap backlinks inside founder communities, or email non-head sites with hundreds of thousands of monthly impressions to negotiate exchanges.
- Keyword-matrix internal linking: Cross-link all past SEO articles (within the โค2-3 links/paragraph density standard above).
- Annual maintenance: Refresh product and competitor screenshots in every high-ranking article each year (2022 articles updated in 2023, again in 2024); the whole team maintains a shared asset library of latest user cases and competitor screenshots.
- Cadence: 4 articles/week, โ20/month. "SEO is grueling work, but with patience it always pays off."
Results (self-reported): traffic grew โ25x within 3 months of starting SEO; โ400-500k stable monthly impressions, all organic, zero paid spend.
Compounding case: The team poured maximum effort into one article for "open source notion alternative" and held Google positions 3-4 for it. When Notion announced its ban on Russian accounts, searches for that term spiked and the single old article automatically captured a wave of Russian users โ high-authority articles catch event-driven traffic for free. That is SEO compounding.
GEO Execution Standards
- Evidence layer first (highest leverage): AI citation is won on evidence โ the evidence layer is 43% of GEO weight (quotes 16% + statistics 14% + citability 13%). Give every core claim a verifiable authoritative quote or a full-provenance statistic, and cite at least one primary paper (e.g. Aggarwal GEO, KDD 2024 = "up to 40%"). Never fabricate data/citations; flag unverifiable claims as
[needs-source]. See references/en/geo-evidence-standard.md - Bing IndexNow: Push immediately after every content update (not just Google) โ helps LLMs discover/index faster
- AI-friendly format: One-sentence answer + table + FAQ Schema (FAQPage JSON-LD, 5โ8 Q&As)
- GA4 monitoring: Configure AI source channel grouping (isolate ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude referral traffic)
Five Core Principles
- Start from BOFU, work upward โ High-intent keywords first (pricing, comparisons), then educational content. Highest-converting terms get priority.
- Authentic voice is the best E-E-A-T โ Don't let AI write like AI. Use founder voice, real numbers, first-hand stories to build credibility.
- Structured = Citable โ Key Stats tables, FAQ Schema, comparison matrices let AI engines directly extract and cite.
- IndexNow is GEO infrastructure โ Push content updates to Bing/AI search in seconds, don't wait for crawlers.
- Comparison pages are SEO gold mines โ One dedicated page per competitor, capturing decision-stage users.
Detailed Guides
| Topic | File | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword Funnel Strategy | references/en/keyword-strategy.md | TOFU/MOFU/BOFU keyword matrix & prioritization |
| SEO Technical Foundations | references/en/seo-foundations.md | Core page optimization, Schema, site architecture |
| GEO Optimization | references/en/geo-optimization.md | IndexNow, AI crawlers, citation optimization |
| GEO Evidence-Layer Standard | references/en/geo-evidence-standard.md | 43% weight table + evidence discipline + primary-source citation library |
| Content Production SOP | references/en/content-sop.md | End-to-end workflow from topic selection to publishing |
| E-E-A-T Writing Voice | references/en/writing-voice.md | Founder voice system for authenticity signals |
| Comparison Page SOP | references/en/comparison-pages.md | Page structure, Schema, keyword embedding |
Key Results (Battle-Tested)
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| AFFiNE GitHub stars | 60,000+ (among fastest open-source projects to 10k pre-ChatGPT era) |
| GitHub Trending appearances | 28 times (Aug-Dec 2022) |
| Product Hunt #1 launches coached | 30+ |
| AI startups consulted | 150+ |
| Content cadence proven effective | 4 articles/week, KD 5โ35 long-tail keywords |
| AFFiNE SEO campaign 2022-2023 (self-reported) | Traffic โ25x in 3 months; โ400-500k monthly impressions, zero paid spend |
| Compounding keyword case | "open source notion alternative" held Google positions 3-4; auto-captured Russian user wave when Notion exited Russia |
Platform Description
EN: SEO & GEO Dual-Engine Playbook 2026 โ Rank on Google AND get cited by AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini). Enforces 2026-06-24 execution standards: Ahrefs keyword filter (volume 300โ1,000 / KD 5โ35 / traffic potential 300+), internal links โค2โ3 per paragraph, cite competitor blogs as external links, title formula best/free/top/guide+year, keyword rephrase in meta description, BreadcrumbList schema, $20โ30 quality backlink outreach, Bing IndexNow for GEO, AI-friendly format (1-sentence answer + table + FAQ), GA4 AI traffic tracking.
ZH: SEO & GEO dual-engine growth playbook (2026-06-24 standard) โ Win both Google rankings and AI search citations at the same time. Keyword selection criteria: volume 300โ1,000 / KD 5โ35 / traffic potential 300+. Execution rules: internal links โค2โ3 per section, proactively cite external competitor links, titles include best/free/top/guide+year, meta description keyword rephrase, BreadcrumbList schema, $20โ30 high-quality backlinks, Bing IndexNow push, AI-friendly format (one-sentence answer+table+FAQ), GA4 AI traffic tracking.
JA: SEO & GEO dual-engine growth playbook (2026-06-24 standard) โ Conquer both Google Search and AI Search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude). Keyword selection criteria: volume 300โ1,000 / KD 5โ35 / traffic potential 300+. Execution rules: internal links โค2โ3 per paragraph, external links to competitor blogs, best/free/top/guide+year in titles, meta description keyword rephrase, BreadcrumbList schema, $20โ30 external link acquisition, Bing IndexNow, AI-ready format (one-sentence answer+table+FAQ), GA4 AI traffic tracking.
KO: SEO & GEO dual-engine growth playbook (2026-06-24 standard) โ Target both Google and AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) simultaneously. Default is for developer tools/OSS/B2B SaaS. For 2C products, see references/2c-adaptation.md. Keyword selection criteria: volume 300โ1,000 / KD 5โ35 / traffic potential 300+. Execution rules: internal links โค2โ3 per paragraph, cite competitor blog external links, best/free/top/guide+year in titles, meta description keyword rephrase, BreadcrumbList schema, $20โ30 high-quality backlinks, Bing IndexNow, AI-friendly format (one-sentence answer+table+FAQ), GA4 AI traffic tracking.
Join the overseas community and purchase the resource pack ยท Community & Resources
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Join the overseas community: Add on WeChat staywildgrow, leave the message "join the community" and you're in.
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Purchase the resource pack: Add on WeChat staywildgrow, inquire about purchasing the Gingiris overseas resource pack, price 599 RMBใ
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Join the global growth community: Add staywildgrow on WeChat and send "join the community" (join the community).
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Get the resource pack: Add staywildgrow on WeChat to purchase the Gingiris global growth resource pack for CNY 599.
The community and resource pack are optional entry points and do not affect the installation and use of this open-source Skill.
The community and paid resource pack are optional; neither is required to install or use this open-source skill.