Playbook updates
Your playbook is always current. We continuously monitor SEO industry changes and update each chapter when the advice needs refreshing. Every purchase includes all future updates — for life.
Current Version
V5.2
Last Reviewed
March 15, 2026
Chapter Status
58 under review
Under Review
Chapter 3 — The Technical Foundation Layer™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “core web vitals”
“### 3. Core Web Vitals: Site-Wide Aggregated Assessment Now Active”
Chapter 3 — The Technical Foundation Layer™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “cwv”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** Category 2 Technical SEO scores CWV on the pages under audit, not site-wide. This is not technically wrong for a per-page audit but agents should flag site-wide CWV risk”
Chapter 3 — The Technical Foundation Layer™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “crawl”
“- **Recommended update:** Add a note to SKILL.md Category 2 that site-wide CWV aggregation means high-scoring individual pages can still drag down the domain's ranking signal if other pages are poor. ”
Chapter 3 — The Technical Foundation Layer™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “sitemap”
“- **Category 2 (Technical SEO):** Added "Site-wide CWV aggregation (added 2026-05-19)" callout between the Category 2 scoring signals and the Rule 240 sitemap reconciliation gate. Explains the March 2”
Chapter 3 — The Technical Foundation Layer™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “mobile”
“- **Technical section:** Added `INP (Interaction to Next Paint) ≤ 200ms` line between TBT and Mobile-Friendly items, with dated comment explaining the March 2026 equal-weight ranking signal status and”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “ai overview”
“### 1. AI Overviews / GEO / AEO: Now Structural Category — Official Google Guide Published (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 3)”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “ai overviews”
“### 1. AI Overviews / GEO / AEO: Now Structural Category — Official Google Guide Published (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 3)”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “llm”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “citation”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “ai citation”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “gemini”
“- **GBP AI-Powered Review Authenticity Detection (May 2026):** Google's May 2026 GBP update introduces Gemini-powered review authenticity detection before reviews go live, and adds direct email notifi”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “chatgpt”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 4 — The AI Citation & Answer Engine Method™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “perplexity”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 6 — The Voice Search Authority System™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 6 — The Voice Search Authority System™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “faq schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 6 — The Voice Search Authority System™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “structured data”
“- **Recommended update:** Add an "AEO/GEO Readiness" note block to SKILL.md Category 4 (Structured Data & AI Readiness) that: (a) cites Google's official position (AEO = still SEO), (b) explicitly lis”
Chapter 6 — The Voice Search Authority System™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “rich results”
“- **Rich results (beyond FAQ):** No new rich result types added or deprecated this week beyond the FAQ deprecation already processed (2026-05-12).”
Chapter 8 — The E-E-A-T Authority Blueprint™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “llm”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 8 — The E-E-A-T Authority Blueprint™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “experience”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 8 — The E-E-A-T Authority Blueprint™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “e-e-a-t”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 10 — The Video Authority Engine™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 10 — The Video Authority Engine™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “faq schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 10 — The Video Authority Engine™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “structured data”
“- **Recommended update:** Add an "AEO/GEO Readiness" note block to SKILL.md Category 4 (Structured Data & AI Readiness) that: (a) cites Google's official position (AEO = still SEO), (b) explicitly lis”
Chapter 10 — The Video Authority Engine™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “rich results”
“- **Rich results (beyond FAQ):** No new rich result types added or deprecated this week beyond the FAQ deprecation already processed (2026-05-12).”
Chapter 12 — The Local Map Pack Domination Framework™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “review”
“- **What changed:** Multiple May 2026 GBP sources confirm that profiles without a new photo, post, or update in 30+ days see meaningful drops in GBP impressions. Google's 2026 algorithm factors profil”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “ai overview”
“### 1. AI Overviews / GEO / AEO: Now Structural Category — Official Google Guide Published (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 3)”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “ai overviews”
“### 1. AI Overviews / GEO / AEO: Now Structural Category — Official Google Guide Published (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 3)”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “llm”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “citation”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “ai citation”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “gemini”
“- **GBP AI-Powered Review Authenticity Detection (May 2026):** Google's May 2026 GBP update introduces Gemini-powered review authenticity detection before reviews go live, and adds direct email notifi”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “chatgpt”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 13 — The Citation & Directory Authority System™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “perplexity”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 18 — The Authority Metrics Dashboard™ & Strategic Tools
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 18 — The Authority Metrics Dashboard™ & Strategic Tools
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “core web vitals”
“### 3. Core Web Vitals: Site-Wide Aggregated Assessment Now Active”
Chapter 18 — The Authority Metrics Dashboard™ & Strategic Tools
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “perplexity”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 16 — The Experience Optimization Framework™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “cro”
“- **What changed:** Core Web Vitals are no longer evaluated purely page-by-page. Google now aggregates performance data across the entire domain to produce a site-level assessment. A site with 30% of ”
Chapter 16 — The Experience Optimization Framework™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “mobile”
“- **Technical section:** Added `INP (Interaction to Next Paint) ≤ 200ms` line between TBT and Mobile-Friendly items, with dated comment explaining the March 2026 equal-weight ranking signal status and”
Chapter 17 — The Competitive Intelligence Framework™
IV — Expansion & Conversion
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 21 — The AI Content Engine™ & Complete Prompt Library
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “llm”
“- **What changed:** Google published its first official guide on "Optimizing for Generative AI in Google Search" on May 15, 2026. Key statements: (a) Google defines AEO/GEO as "still SEO — optimizing ”
Chapter 21 — The AI Content Engine™ & Complete Prompt Library
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “chatgpt”
“- **Semrush One AI Visibility Toolkit update:** Now tracks 100M+ prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and AI Overviews in 6 regions. Ahrefs Brand Radar remains $199/mo add-on. Moz still”
Chapter 23 — The GBP Q&A Management System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 1 — The Service Intent Authority Model™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 1 — The Service Intent Authority Model™
I — Foundation
May need review — industry report mentions “cro”
“- **What changed:** Core Web Vitals are no longer evaluated purely page-by-page. Google now aggregates performance data across the entire domain to produce a site-level assessment. A site with 30% of ”
Chapter 7 — The Machine Understanding Layer™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 7 — The Machine Understanding Layer™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “faq schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 7 — The Machine Understanding Layer™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “structured data”
“- **Recommended update:** Add an "AEO/GEO Readiness" note block to SKILL.md Category 4 (Structured Data & AI Readiness) that: (a) cites Google's official position (AEO = still SEO), (b) explicitly lis”
Chapter 7 — The Machine Understanding Layer™
II — Content Authority
May need review — industry report mentions “rich results”
“- **Rich results (beyond FAQ):** No new rich result types added or deprecated this week beyond the FAQ deprecation already processed (2026-05-12).”
Chapter 9 — The Proof Layer™
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “review”
“- **What changed:** Multiple May 2026 GBP sources confirm that profiles without a new photo, post, or update in 30+ days see meaningful drops in GBP impressions. Google's 2026 algorithm factors profil”
Chapter 11 — The Local Authority Engine™ & Advanced GBP Mastery
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 11 — The Local Authority Engine™ & Advanced GBP Mastery
III — Trust & Visibility
May need review — industry report mentions “review”
“- **What changed:** Multiple May 2026 GBP sources confirm that profiles without a new photo, post, or update in 30+ days see meaningful drops in GBP impressions. Google's 2026 algorithm factors profil”
Chapter 22 — The GBP Weekly Activity Cadence™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “faq schema”
“- **Current SEO agent state:** SKILL.md and references mention E-E-A-T and FAQ schema as AI citation signals, but the agent has no AEO/GEO guidance section and no myth-busting framework. Clients askin”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “structured data”
“- **Recommended update:** Add an "AEO/GEO Readiness" note block to SKILL.md Category 4 (Structured Data & AI Readiness) that: (a) cites Google's official position (AEO = still SEO), (b) explicitly lis”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “gbp”
“### 2. GBP 30-Day Freshness Decay: Confirmed as Active Ranking Signal (ESCALATED from WATCH — Week 2)”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “gemini”
“- **GBP AI-Powered Review Authenticity Detection (May 2026):** Google's May 2026 GBP update introduces Gemini-powered review authenticity detection before reviews go live, and adds direct email notifi”
Chapter 24 — The Gemini Intelligence Readiness System™
V — Execution & Momentum
May need review — industry report mentions “rich results”
“- **Rich results (beyond FAQ):** No new rich result types added or deprecated this week beyond the FAQ deprecation already processed (2026-05-12).”
Up to Date (6 of 23)
Version History
Added Chapter 24 (Gemini Intelligence Readiness System) — Android OS-level surfacing checklist additive to AI Overview resilience
Chapters reviewed: 24
Added Chapter 22 (GBP Weekly Activity Cadence) and Chapter 23 (GBP Q&A Management System)
Chapters reviewed: 22, 23
Initial V5 release — full 21-chapter framework with AI citation methodology.
Chapters reviewed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
More updates as SEO evolves — you'll always have the latest.
Report generated: May 22, 2026 — Powered by the SEO Intelligence Scanner from the AI Workforce. Scans run weekly every Tuesday at 9 AM CST.