Core SEO Rules

Overview

Core SEO rules cover the fundamental on-page SEO elements that search engines use to understand and rank your content. These are the baseline requirements for any page that should rank in search results.

Title Tags

Rule: `core/title`

What it checks:

Title tag presence
Title length (50-60 characters optimal)
Uniqueness across pages
Keyword placement

Why it matters: Title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO factors. They appear in search results and browser tabs, directly influencing click-through rates.

Common Issues

Missing title tag: Page has no <title> element
Title too short: Less than 30 characters (under-optimized)
Title too long: Over 60 characters (gets truncated in SERPs)
Duplicate titles: Multiple pages share the same title
Keywords missing: Primary keyword not in title

How to Fix

<!-- ❌ Bad: Too short, no keywords -->
<title>Home</title>

<!-- ✅ Good: Descriptive, keyword-rich, optimal length -->
<title>AI Automation Platform for Sales & Recruiting Teams | PrimePlus</title>

Best practices:

Place primary keyword near the beginning
Include brand name (usually at the end)
Keep it between 50-60 characters
Make it unique for every page
Write for users first, search engines second

Meta Descriptions

Rule: `core/meta-description`

What it checks:

Meta description presence
Length (120-160 characters optimal)
Keyword usage
Uniqueness

Why it matters: Meta descriptions don’t directly impact rankings, but they heavily influence click-through rates from search results. A compelling description can significantly increase organic traffic.

Common Issues

Missing description: No meta description tag
Too short: Under 120 characters (wasted opportunity)
Too long: Over 160 characters (gets truncated)
Duplicate descriptions: Same description across multiple pages
Not compelling: Doesn’t entice clicks

How to Fix

<!-- ❌ Bad: Too short (78 chars) -->
<meta name="description" content="Automate repetition. Accelerate growth.">

<!-- ✅ Good: Descriptive, compelling, optimal length (158 chars) -->
<meta name="description" content="Join 2,400+ teams using AI to automate lead discovery, outreach, and CRM tasks. Save 15+ hours weekly with intelligent RPA and agentic workflows. Start free.">

Best practices:

Aim for 150-160 characters
Include primary keyword naturally
Make it actionable and benefit-focused
Unique for every page
Include a call-to-action when appropriate

H1 Headings

Rule: `core/h1`

What it checks:

H1 tag presence
Single H1 per page (not multiple)
H1 contains keywords
H1 is descriptive

Why it matters: The H1 is the main heading that tells both users and search engines what the page is about. It should be the most prominent text element on the page.

Common Issues

Missing H1: Page has no <h1> tag (critical error)
Multiple H1s: Page has more than one H1 (confusing hierarchy)
Empty H1: H1 exists but contains no text
Generic H1: “Home”, “Welcome”, etc. (not descriptive)

How to Fix

<!-- ❌ Bad: Missing H1 -->
<div class="hero-title">Welcome to Our Platform</div>

<!-- ✅ Good: Single H1 with keywords -->
<h1>AI Automation Platform for Sales & Recruiting Teams</h1>

Best practices:

One H1 per page
Include primary keyword
Make it descriptive and specific
Should match or complement the title tag
Don’t duplicate the title verbatim

Canonical URLs

Rule: `core/canonical`

What it checks:

Canonical link tag presence
Points to correct URL
No conflicting canonicals
Self-referencing when appropriate

Why it matters: Canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues by telling search engines which version of a page is the “main” one.

Common Issues

Missing canonical: No <link rel="canonical"> tag
Wrong URL: Canonical points to incorrect page
Relative URLs: Should be absolute URLs
Chain canonicals: Page A → Page B → Page C (should be direct)

How to Fix

<!-- ❌ Bad: Missing canonical tag -->
<head>
  <title>Product Page</title>
</head>

<!-- ❌ Bad: Relative URL -->
<link rel="canonical" href="/products/item">

<!-- ✅ Good: Self-referencing canonical with absolute URL -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/products/item">

Best practices:

Always use absolute URLs (full domain + path)
Self-reference on original pages
Point to original on duplicate/similar pages
Use HTTPS in canonical URLs
Ensure the canonical URL is indexable

Favicon

Rule: `core/favicon`

What it checks:

Favicon presence
Multiple formats (ICO, PNG, SVG)
Correct sizes (16x16, 32x32, 180x180)
Web manifest for PWA

Why it matters: Favicons appear in browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile home screens. They’re essential for brand recognition and user experience.

Common Issues

No favicon: Missing favicon.ico and PNG files
Only ICO format: Missing modern PNG/SVG formats
Wrong sizes: Missing required sizes (16x16, 32x32, etc.)
Not in root: Favicon should be in /favicon.ico

How to Fix

<!-- ✅ Good: Multiple formats and sizes -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">

Best practices:

Provide multiple formats (ICO, PNG, SVG)
Include apple-touch-icon for iOS
Add web manifest for PWA support
Keep file sizes small (<50KB)
Use simple, recognizable design

Open Graph Tags

Rule: `core/open-graph`

What it checks:

Basic OG tags (title, description, image, URL, type)
Image dimensions (1200x630 recommended)
Proper tag formatting

Why it matters: Open Graph tags control how your content appears when shared on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, etc.).

Common Issues

Missing OG tags: No Open Graph metadata
Small images: OG image less than 1200x630
Relative URLs: Should be absolute
Missing required tags: Missing og:title, og:image, etc.

How to Fix

<!-- ✅ Good: Complete Open Graph tags -->
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:title" content="AI Automation Platform for Sales Teams">
<meta property="og:description" content="Join 2,400+ teams using AI to automate lead discovery and outreach. Save 15+ hours weekly.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.png">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/platform">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="PrimePlus">

<!-- Twitter Card tags -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="AI Automation Platform for Sales Teams">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Join 2,400+ teams using AI to automate lead discovery and outreach.">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/twitter-card.png">

Best practices:

Use 1200x630 images for best display
Use absolute URLs for all images
Keep titles under 60 characters
Keep descriptions under 200 characters
Test with Facebook Sharing Debugger

Structured Data (Schema.org)

Rule: `core/structured-data`

What it checks:

Valid JSON-LD structured data
Schema.org vocabulary
Required properties
No validation errors

Why it matters: Structured data helps search engines understand your content and can enable rich results (star ratings, prices, events, etc.).

Common Schemas

Organization:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "PrimePlus",
  "url": "https://primius.ai",
  "logo": "https://primius.ai/logo.png",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/primius",
    "https://linkedin.com/company/primius"
  ]
}

Website:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "PrimePlus",
  "url": "https://primius.ai",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": "https://primius.ai/search?q={search_term_string}",
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}

Article:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "10 Ways to Automate Your Sales Workflow",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Smith"
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-02-09",
  "dateModified": "2026-02-10",
  "image": "https://primius.ai/blog/sales-automation.png"
}

Validate your structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test before deploying.

Quick Reference

Rule	Element	Optimal Length	Required
`core/title`	Title tag	50-60 chars	Yes
`core/meta-description`	Meta description	120-160 chars	Recommended
`core/h1`	H1 heading	Natural length	Yes
`core/canonical`	Canonical URL	-	Yes
`core/favicon`	Favicon	Multiple sizes	Recommended
`core/open-graph`	OG tags	Varies by tag	Recommended

Technical SEO Rules

Sitemap, robots.txt, structured data, and crawlability rules

Content Rules

Content quality, heading hierarchy, and keyword optimization

Accessibility Rules

Alt text, ARIA landmarks, and WCAG compliance

Running Audits

Learn how to run website audits and interpret results

Audit Rules

Mental Models

Examples

Overview

Title Tags

Rule: `core/title`

Meta Descriptions

Rule: `core/meta-description`

H1 Headings

Rule: `core/h1`

Canonical URLs

Rule: `core/canonical`

Favicon

Rule: `core/favicon`

Open Graph Tags

Rule: `core/open-graph`

Structured Data (Schema.org)

Rule: `core/structured-data`

Quick Reference

Technical SEO Rules

Content Rules

Accessibility Rules

Running Audits

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Audit Rules

Mental Models

Examples

​Overview

​Title Tags

​Rule: core/title

​Meta Descriptions

​Rule: core/meta-description

​H1 Headings

​Rule: core/h1

​Canonical URLs

​Rule: core/canonical

​Favicon

​Rule: core/favicon

​Open Graph Tags

​Rule: core/open-graph

​Structured Data (Schema.org)

​Rule: core/structured-data

​Quick Reference

​Related Pages

Technical SEO Rules

Content Rules

Accessibility Rules

Running Audits

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Title Tags

Rule: `core/title`

Meta Descriptions

Rule: `core/meta-description`

H1 Headings

Rule: `core/h1`

Canonical URLs

Rule: `core/canonical`

Favicon

Rule: `core/favicon`

Open Graph Tags

Rule: `core/open-graph`

Structured Data (Schema.org)

Rule: `core/structured-data`

Quick Reference

Related Pages