# AI SEO by Content Type

Tactical guidance for optimizing specific content types for AI search citation. These tactics work for non-Google AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot) and don't hurt Google AI Overviews / AI Mode.

For the cross-cutting strategy, see [SKILL.md](../SKILL.md).

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## SaaS Product Pages

**Goal:** Get cited in "What is [category]?" and "Best [category]" queries. (Citation is the realistic goal here; being *recommended* in the answer depends on offsite consensus — see [citations-vs-recommendations.md](citations-vs-recommendations.md).)

**Optimize:**
- Clear product description in first paragraph (what it does, who it's for)
- Feature comparison tables (you vs. category, not just competitors)
- Specific metrics ("processes 10,000 transactions/sec" not "blazing fast")
- Customer count or social proof with numbers
- Pricing transparency (AI cites pages with visible pricing) — add a `/pricing.md` file so AI agents can parse your plans without rendering your page (see "Machine-Readable Files" in the main skill)
- FAQ section addressing common buyer questions

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## Blog Content

**Goal:** Get cited as an authoritative source on topics in your space.

**Optimize:**
- One clear target query per post (match heading to query)
- Definition in first paragraph for "What is" queries
- Original data, research, or expert quotes
- "Last updated" date visible
- Author bio with relevant credentials
- Internal links to related product/feature pages

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## Comparison / Alternative Pages

**Goal:** Get cited in "[X] vs [Y]" and "Best [X] alternatives" queries.

**Optimize:**
- Structured comparison tables (not just prose)
- Fair and balanced (AI penalizes obviously biased comparisons)
- Specific criteria with ratings or scores
- Updated pricing and feature data
- Cite the `competitors` skill for building these pages

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## Industry / Segment Pages

**Goal:** Get recommended when a prompt names an industry or company size ("email marketing software for e-commerce," "RFP software for government," "enterprise [category]"). Models increasingly sort brands into segments and personalize answers, so a generic page can lose to a competitor's segment page.

**Optimize:**
- One page per core industry or segment you actually serve, with industry-specific workflows, integrations, compliance, and customer proof
- Start with core segments. Many pages are fine if each adds real, segment-specific value; templated pages that only swap the industry name are what the scaled-content policy targets (see the `programmatic-seo` skill)
- Match the segment language used on your third-party profiles (see [positioning-and-consensus.md](positioning-and-consensus.md))

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## Documentation / Help Content

**Goal:** Get cited in "How to [X] with [your product]" queries.

**Optimize:**
- Step-by-step format with numbered lists
- Code examples where relevant
- HowTo schema markup
- Screenshots with descriptive alt text
- Clear prerequisites and expected outcomes

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## Local Business / Ecom (Google emphasis)

Google's AI features pull from product feeds and business profiles for local + ecom queries. Optimize:

- **Merchant Center feeds** kept current with accurate inventory, pricing, attributes
- **Google Business Profile** complete with hours, services, photos, posts, Q&A answered
- **Reviews** — recent + sufficient volume; respond to reviews to signal active management
- **Service area schema** for local services
- **Business Agent** (where available) for conversational customer engagement