Pages: Article (Single Post)

Guides structure, SEO, and UX for individual article pages — one blog post, one guide, one piece of long-form content. Distinct from blog-page-generator, which covers the blog index/listing page.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Output workflow: Always output in order: 0. Research Phase (keywords, search intent, competitors) → 1. Intent Analysis → 2. Content Analysis → 3. Recommendations. Do not skip steps. When Research Phase was performed via web search, show the search results and findings.

Optimization Foundation: Four Inputs

Article analysis and creation rest on four inputs. Gather or infer them before outputting recommendations:

When any input is missing: Proactively ask or search. For article analysis: perform Research Phase (keyword search, search intent, competitor articles) by default — see Research Phase section. For product/keywords/intent, infer from article or prompt user to add product-marketing-context.

Before Analysis: Gather Context

1. Product / company context

Use available context to give tailored analysis:

If no product-marketing-context exists, infer from the article and optionally search for company/product info to enrich recommendations.

Research Phase: Keyword, Search Intent, Competitor (Required for Article Analysis)

Lightweight research for article analysis—keyword extraction, intent check, competitor structure. For deep keyword research, topical mapping, or content planning, use keyword-research and content-strategy.

When analyzing or auditing an article, perform the following searches and output the results in the analysis. Skip only if user explicitly asks to skip (e.g. "skip search").

1. Keyword Search

• Extract seed keywords from article (title, H1, H2s, meta keywords, first 100 words).
• Search the web for related keywords and opportunity:
  • "[primary keyword]" or "[primary keyword] related keywords"
  • "[primary keyword]" site:competitor.com (if competitors known)
  • Google autocomplete / "People also ask" style queries for the topic
• Output: Primary keyword, secondary keywords, keyword opportunities (terms top rankers use that this article misses).

2. Search Intent Analysis

• Determine intent for primary and secondary keywords:
  • Informational: How-to, what is, why, guides → blog, FAQ
  • Commercial: Comparison, best, review → comparison pages, product pages
  • Transactional: Buy, pricing, sign up → product, pricing, CTA
  • Navigational: Brand name, login → brand pages
• Search the web if needed: "[keyword]" to see SERP result types (blogs, product pages, etc.) and infer intent. See serp-features for SERP feature types.
• Output: Intent for primary keyword, intent for top 2–3 secondary keywords, whether article matches intent.

3. Competitor Article Search

• If user provides URLs: Use them for competitor analysis.
• If user does not provide URLs: By default, search for top-ranking articles:
  • Web search: "[target keyword]" or "[primary keyword]"
  • Fetch 2–3 top-ranking pages via mcp_web_fetch or WebSearch
  • Analyze: word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema
• If user explicitly asks to skip: Omit competitor search; note "Competitor analysis skipped" in output.
• Output: Competitor URLs, brief structure comparison, content gaps, length target, keyword opportunities.

Scope

• Single article page: One post, one URL (e.g. /blog/how-to-optimize-seo)
• Not the blog index, category pages, or archive pages — see blog-page-generator for those

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it for topics, audience, keywords, and Section 11 (Content/Blog/Article Strategy).

Identify:

1. Product connection: How does this article support the product? (educate on problem, introduce features, nurture leads)
2. Keyword basis: Target keyword from product context or keyword research — see keyword-research
3. Content type: Blog post, guide, tutorial, news, evergreen
4. Length: Short (<1,000 words), medium (1,000–2,500), long (2,500+)
5. Intent: Informational, commercial, problem-aware

Product-linked content: Articles should tie to the product (problem it solves, features, use cases). Avoid purely generic content with no product relevance. Link to product/feature pages naturally in conclusion or when context fits.

Article Orientations

Not all articles share the same goal. Choose structure, SEO depth, and schema based on orientation and primary objective.

Article Types by Orientation

SEO-Driven vs Non-SEO-Driven

• SEO-driven: How-to guides, listicles, comparisons, pillar content. Target keywords, optimize structure, invest in GEO. Goal: organic traffic.
• Non-SEO-driven: Funding announcements, product updates, company news. Goal: brand, PR, existing audience. Don't expect rankings; focus on clarity, shareability, and internal linking to SEO content.
• Hybrid: Product launch posts can include SEO-friendly sections (e.g., "How to use [feature]" with keyword targeting) while the main goal remains announcement.

Evergreen vs Timely Content

Recommended mix: 70/30 or 60/40 evergreen-to-timely. Too much evergreen = blog feels outdated; too much timely = irregular traffic, constant churn. Use timely content to link into evergreen pillar articles.

Date display: For timely content, datePublished matters more; for evergreen, prefer dateModified when visible (see Date Display below).

Competitor Article Analysis

Performed as part of Research Phase (see above). When competitor articles are obtained:

1. Obtain articles: URLs from user or product context (Section 11), or search web for "[keyword]" to find top-ranking pages (default for analysis)
2. Fetch content: mcp_web_fetch, WebSearch, or user-provided text
3. Analyze: Content Analysis dimensions + word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema
4. Output: In Research Phase (Section 0) + add to Recommendations — structure to adopt, sections to add, length target, keyword opportunities, content gaps to fill

Article Page Structure

Featured Image

The hero image displayed at the top of the article. Same image typically used for Schema, Open Graph, and Twitter Cards.

Schema and Open Graph require the same image (min 1200px wide, absolute URL). See open-graph, twitter-cards.

Social Sharing

• Add share buttons (X, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) — see social-share-generator
• Place after intro and/or end of article; sticky sidebar for long-form
• Requires Open Graph and Twitter Cards for rich previews when shared

GEO / AI Optimization (Generative Engine Optimization)

Optimize for AI citation (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). Content structured for GEO is cited ~35% more frequently.

See generative-engine-optimization for full GEO strategy.

Paragraph Length & Content

Long-Form (1,000+ words)

• Add table of contents (TOC) after intro — see toc-generator
• Use jump links for major sections
• Break text with images, lists, definition boxes, mini-FAQs

SEO Best Practices (2025)

Title & Meta

Keyword Placement

• Title: 1× primary keyword
• First 100 words: 1× primary keyword
• Body: 2–3× naturally; avoid stuffing
• At least one H2: Include primary or related keyword

Content Quality

• Readability: Grade 8–10 (Flesch-Kincaid); short sentences, clear language
• Depth: 2,500+ words for pillar content; 1,000+ for cluster articles
• Originality: Unique angle, data, examples; avoid thin or rehashed content
• E-E-A-T: Author bio, citations, changelog, expert quotes — see eeat-signals for full guidance

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Multiple H1s; skipping heading levels (H2→H4); keyword stuffing in headings
• Neglecting conclusion or CTA; no internal links to related content
• Walls of text; generic "click here" anchors

URL

Use url-slug-generator for slug creation. Key rules:

• Slug: 3–5 words; under 60 chars; primary keyword; lowercase, hyphens
• Example: /blog/ai-people-search not /blog/ai-search-engine-finding-people-speed-discovery-outreach
• Avoid: Date in path (/blog/2025/01/15/article-title); copy-pasting full title

Date Display (Critical for CTR)

Google recommends: Minimize the presence of other dates on the page. If both datePublished and dateModified are shown, Google may pick the wrong date for SERP display.

• Search Engine Land case: A site showing both dates saw 22% CTR drop — Google chose the outdated date.
• Best practice: Show only one date on the page — prefer dateModified if it exists, otherwise datePublished.
• Schema: Keep both datePublished and dateModified in JSON-LD; the rule applies to visible date only.

Schema (Article / BlogPosting / NewsArticle)

Choose the most specific type that matches content:

Required Properties

• headline (max 110 chars; often = H1)
• image (min 1200px wide; absolute URL)
• datePublished (ISO 8601)
• author (Person or Organization)
• publisher (Organization with logo)

Recommended Properties

• dateModified — signals freshness
• description — brief summary
• mainEntityOfPage — canonical URL

JSON-LD Example

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BlogPosting",
  "headline": "The Ultimate SEO Checklist for 2025",
  "description": "A complete guide to optimizing blog posts for search and AI.",
  "image": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
  "datePublished": "2025-01-15T09:00:00Z",
  "dateModified": "2025-02-01T14:30:00Z",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Doe", "url": "https://example.com/author/jane" },
  "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Example", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://example.com/logo.png" } }
}

Place in <head> via <script type="application/ld+json">. Validate with Rich Results Test.

Open Graph for Articles

Use og:type: article for article pages (not website):

<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:article:published_time" content="2025-01-15T09:00:00Z">
<meta property="og:article:modified_time" content="2025-02-01T14:30:00Z">
<meta property="og:article:author" content="https://example.com/author/jane">

Internal Linking

Outbound Links (External)

References / Citations

AI-Assisted Content

When content is AI-assisted: human review before publish; verify facts and add citations; original insights or data; avoid generic phrasing. See eeat-signals for E-E-A-T and AI content guidance.

Technical

• Core Web Vitals: LCP < 1.0s on mobile
• Images: WebP, compressed; descriptive alt text; keyword in filename when natural
• IndexNow: For fast indexing of new posts
• Canonical: Self-referencing canonical on article page

Post-Publication

• Refresh: Update every 6–12 months; refresh stats, add insights
• Internal links: Add links from older posts to new articles
• Monitor: GSC indexing, rankings, Core Web Vitals

Content Analysis

When auditing or optimizing an article, analyze content (beyond structure):

Output Format

0. Research Phase (output first, when analysis/audit is performed)

When analyzing or auditing an article, output this section before Intent Analysis. Include search sources and findings. If user asked to skip search, note that and infer from article only.

1. Intent Analysis (output second)

Before any recommendations, output a brief analysis:

2. Content Analysis (output third)

Apply the Content Analysis table above. Output a brief assessment per dimension (✅ / ⚠️ / ❌ + one-line note).

3. Recommendations (output fourth, tailored to intent)

Assign priority to each item: P0 (critical), P1 (high), P2 (medium), P3 (nice-to-have). Output as table or list with priority prefix.

Example: [P0] Add TL;DR or Key Takeaways — GEO, AI citation

• Product connection (how article supports product; where to link)
• Keyword (target from product context or keyword research)
• Structure for article template (hero, TL;DR or Key Takeaways, intro, body, conclusion, related, author)
• Paragraph length (40–80 words; break with lists, H3s; 100–200 words per H2 section)
• Featured image (dimensions, alt, file size, og:image alignment)
• GEO elements (TL;DR or Key Takeaways, QAE pattern) — skip or minimal for non-SEO-driven
• SEO checklist (title, meta, H1, keyword placement) — skip or minimal for non-SEO-driven
• Schema type and JSON-LD
• Internal links (3–5 in body + 3–6 Related; anchor text suggestions; avoid "click here")
• Outbound links (2–5 external; cite stats, research; anchor text for each)
• References (inline citations vs Reference section; when to add for E-E-A-T)
• Competitor analysis (when URLs provided or searched): content gaps vs top rankers, structure to adopt, length target, keyword opportunities — see competitor-research for methodology; Before Analysis to prompt user or search

Related Skills

• content-marketing-strategy: Content types, formats, repurposing; articles as one format
• eeat-signals: E-E-A-T implementation; author bio, citations, YMYL, AI content
• competitor-research: Competitor content analysis; content gaps, structure, length target
• blog-page-generator: Blog index/listing page; article pages live within blog
• keyword-research: Keyword basis for articles; run before drafting
• title-tag, meta-description: Article metadata
• schema-markup: Article/BlogPosting/NewsArticle schema
• heading-structure: H1–H6 structure for article body
• content-optimization: Word count, H2 keywords, keyword density, tables, lists, multimedia
• internal-links: Related posts, contextual links
• open-graph, twitter-cards: Social previews for articles (required for share previews)
• social-share-generator: Share buttons placement, platforms, intent URLs
• url-slug-generator: URL slug creation for articles; 3–5 words, primary keyword
• toc-generator: Table of contents for long articles
• breadcrumb-generator: Breadcrumb (e.g. Home > Blog > Category > Post)
• generative-engine-optimization: GEO strategy; AI citation optimization