` and H1 for the primary keyword; rewrite the loser to a distinct long-tail modifier. ## Hreflang and language hygiene (common silent failure) - Reciprocity is mandatory: every `hreflang` URL must link back to all variants or Google ignores the whole set. Declare the full set on every language-variant URL. - `<html lang>` is an independent signal — set it even when hreflang is present. - A single page mixing two languages with no `lang`/hreflang is treated as ONE ambiguous document and dilutes topical authority for both languages. Split into per-language URLs before expecting clean rankings. ## Communication principles - Cite data and specific pages; never vague recommendations. - Frame every choice through search intent and query ownership. - Rank recommendations by impact x effort; be honest that SEO compounds over months, not days. - White-hat only: no link schemes, cloaking, or keyword stuffing. ## Resources - `references/cannibalization-audit.md` — GSC cross-page query map, ownership assignment, resolution plan, pre-GSC fallback audit, and the keyword-research framework (copy-paste templates). - `references/on-page-checklist.md` — meta tags, content structure, media, and schema checklists. - `references/link-authority.md` — link-profile analysis, acquisition tactics, monthly targets, hreflang template, and success-metric thresholds.

--- name: keyword-guard description: Plan SEO topic clusters and eliminate keyword cannibalization so exactly one page wins each query. Use when mapping pillar and satellite pages, deciding which page should rank for a keyword, resolving internal competition between pages, writing title/H1/meta to avoid primary-keyword overlap, assigning cluster ownership from Search Console or from a sitemap when GSC access is missing, de-conflicting mixed-language pages with hreflang, or building keyword-research, on-page, and link-authority plans for organic growth. Not for crawl and index health (use seo-crawl), rewriting the copy once ownership is settled (use keyword-resolver), or mass page generation (use programmatic-seo). --- # Keyword guard ## Overview Design topical clusters and assign each target keyword to exactly one owner page, so pages cooperate instead of competing. The spine of this skill is cannibalization governance: a clean ownership map before any content change. Measured crawl and index evidence comes from `seo-crawl` (with the third-party `seo-audit` for deeper diagnosis); large template-page generation lives in `programmatic-seo` — reach for those instead when the task is purely crawl/index health or mass page generation. ## Golden rule One query, one owner. The page with the most clicks/impressions on a query owns that query. Before proposing ANY title, H1, meta description, or content change, run a cannibalization check and confirm the map is clean. Two pages sharing a primary keyword in title+H1 = guaranteed internal competition; assign an owner and de-conflict the other. ## Workflow 1. **Discovery** — baseline organic traffic, current positions, top-5 organic competitors. (Technical crawl/index issues -> `seo-crawl`; speed -> `pre-ship-performance-audit`.) 2. **Keyword strategy + cluster architecture** — group the keyword universe by topic and search intent; design pillar + satellites with explicit internal-link paths. Use the keyword-research framework in `references/cannibalization-audit.md`. 3. **Cannibalization audit (BLOCKER)** — must finish before any content change. See below. 4. **On-page + technical execution** — apply the per-page checklist in `references/on-page-checklist.md`. 5. **Authority building** — link profile, digital PR, outreach per `references/link-authority.md`. 6. **Measurement** — track positions, segment traffic by intent, attribute revenue, refine on confirmed algorithm updates. ## Cannibalization audit (Phase 3 blocker) With Search Console access: 1. Query GSC with dimensions `page + query`, filtered on each target keyword — list every page currently ranking. 2. Where 2+ pages rank for the same query, assign a single owner (most clicks/impressions, closest semantic match, designated pillar/satellite) and plan de-optimization of the others: strip the competing primary keyword from non-owners, add internal links FROM non-owners TO the owner, keep self-referencing canonicals (no cross-canonicals unless merging). 3. Verify no two pages in the cluster share the same primary keyword in title or H1. 4. Get explicit sign-off that the map is clean before writing or changing content. Templates (GSC and the pre-GSC fallback) are in `references/cannibalization-audit.md`. ### Pre-GSC fallback (new site, no access, or auditing a competitor) When Search Console isn't available, use the sitemap + query-intent method: 1. Pull `sitemap.xml`; inventory every URL whose title, H1, or body mentions the target topic. Flag the homepage/anchor separately — it is the #1 silent cannibal because raw authority makes it win and starves the dedicated sub-page. 2. For each URL pair ask: "if a user searches [primary keyword], which ONE page should win?" If the homepage anchor and a sub-page both target it -> conflict. Make the homepage link out to the dedicated page and give it its own distinct primary keyword. 3. Grep every `` and H1 for the primary keyword; rewrite the loser to a distinct long-tail modifier. ## Hreflang and language hygiene (common silent failure) - Reciprocity is mandatory: every `hreflang` URL must link back to all variants or Google ignores the whole set. Declare the full set on every language-variant URL. - `<html lang>` is an independent signal — set it even when hreflang is present. - A single page mixing two languages with no `lang`/hreflang is treated as ONE ambiguous document and dilutes topical authority for both languages. Split into per-language URLs before expecting clean rankings. ## Communication principles - Cite data and specific pages; never vague recommendations. - Frame every choice through search intent and query ownership. - Rank recommendations by impact x effort; be honest that SEO compounds over months, not days. - White-hat only: no link schemes, cloaking, or keyword stuffing. ## Resources - `references/cannibalization-audit.md` — GSC cross-page query map, ownership assignment, resolution plan, pre-GSC fallback audit, and the keyword-research framework (copy-paste templates). - `references/on-page-checklist.md` — meta tags, content structure, media, and schema checklists. - `references/link-authority.md` — link-profile analysis, acquisition tactics, monthly targets, hreflang template, and success-metric thresholds.