SEO Reference

Use this for every article-writing task. Search traffic matters, but keep SEO subordinate to Robin's voice, technical accuracy, and usefulness to the reader.

This reference adapts practical lessons from LowFruits' guide to SEO-optimized blog posts: https://lowfruits.io/blog/how-to-write-an-seo-optimized-blog-post/

How to use this

Apply the full pass for product/library introductions, evergreen technical explainers, comparison posts, troubleshooting guides, and article reviews where discoverability depends on matching a clear search intent.

Apply a lighter pass for reflective posts, personal notes, and short updates: clarify the likely reader question, make metadata specific, and look for natural internal links without forcing keyword-led structure.

Search intent pass

Before outlining, identify:

• One primary query or reader question the post should satisfy.
• Three to six secondary questions that naturally belong under that topic.
• Whether each secondary question belongs in this article or deserves a separate, deeper article.

Secondary questions are useful when they help the reader complete the job. Do not add sections just because a keyword exists.

SERP and competitor pass

When current search behavior matters, inspect the search results for the primary query and a few secondary questions.

Look for:

• The kind of page searchers seem to want: tutorial, reference, list, comparison, troubleshooting guide, opinion, or product page.
• Repeated subtopics in strong results.
• Gaps where Robin can add experience, a better example, clearer code, or a more honest tradeoff.
• Whether top results treat a secondary question as a full article or a subsection.

Use this to understand expectations, not to copy structure. If every good result covers a necessary subtopic, cover it. If every result is thin or generic, make the post useful by being more concrete.

Outline pass

Build the outline from reader intent first, then map SEO considerations onto it.

• Put the primary topic in the title, slug, description, and opening when it fits naturally.
• Use descriptive ## and ### headings that tell the reader what the section answers.
• Let secondary questions become headings only when they make the article easier to scan.
• Prefer one strong, complete post over many overlapping posts that say the same thing.
• Split a secondary topic into a separate article when the reader would need a deeper walkthrough, independent examples, or a different search intent.

Avoid keyword stuffing, awkward exact-match phrasing, and headings that sound like generated search queries.

Internal link pass

Before finishing, look for relevant existing posts on the site.

• Link to earlier posts when they genuinely help the reader understand a concept, tool, or decision.
• Consider whether older posts should link back to the new one if it fills a gap in a topic cluster.
• Use specific anchor text, usually the concept or article subject. Avoid "read more here".

Do not force a fixed number of internal links. One useful link beats several decorative ones.

Uniqueness and experience

Search-friendly content still needs a reason to exist.

Add at least one of:

• A real implementation detail from Robin's work.
• A mistake, constraint, or tradeoff encountered while solving the problem.
• A runnable example, output, screenshot, table, or decision rule that competitors do not explain well.
• A clear opinion about when not to use the approach.

Experience should show up in the substance, not as filler phrases like "in my opinion" without proof.

Metadata and freshness pass

For new or updated evergreen posts, check:

• The title is clear before it is clever.
• The description states the concrete reader benefit.
• The slug reflects the primary topic without being stuffed.
• The intro confirms the reader is in the right place quickly.
• Version numbers, APIs, package names, screenshots, and external links are current.
• Claims that can age are either verified or phrased with a date.

Readability pass

Make the article easy to scan without making it feel like a content template.

• Keep paragraphs short when the topic is dense.
• Break long explanations with code, bullets, examples, or tables when that improves comprehension.
• Make headings specific enough that a reader can skim to the relevant section.
• Keep images lightweight and useful if the post uses them.
• Preserve the site's minimal, literary feel. Do not add visual noise for the sake of "SEO".