# SEO + Distribution Checklist

This checklist defines the minimum setup to make your GitBook discoverable, scannable, and conversion-ready.

### Indexing

* Custom domain enabled
* Verify domain ownership in Google Search Console (TXT record)
* Verify sitemap loads: `https://<your-docs-domain>/sitemap.xml`
* Submit sitemap: `/sitemap.xml`
* GA4 enabled and verified in Realtime
* Link Search Console to GA4

### Page standards (required)

* One intent per page
* H1 matches the keyword/topic
* First sentence states a non-proprietary promise
* Page description added in GitBook
* Add **Next steps** links at the bottom of each page
* Alt text on every image/diagram

### Meta tags (recommended)

GitBook generates most meta tags for you. Your main job is to set the fields that power them.

**Must-have tags (GitBook-managed):**

* **`<title>`**: driven by the page title.
* **`meta name="description"`**: driven by the page description.
* **Canonical URL (`rel="canonical"`)**: should point at your custom domain.
  * Avoid publishing the same content on multiple domains.

**Social preview tags (strongly recommended):**

* **Open Graph**: `og:title`, `og:description`, `og:image`
* **Twitter/X**: `twitter:card`, `twitter:title`, `twitter:description`, `twitter:image`

Add a consistent social image for your space. Use a simple 1200×630 image with product name + 3–6 words.

**Indexing controls (don’t forget):**

* **`meta name="robots"`**:
  * Public docs: `index,follow`
  * Internal/private spaces: `noindex,nofollow`

{% hint style="info" %}
GitBook doesn’t typically require custom HTML to manage these. If you need advanced tags (custom JSON-LD, hreflang, etc.), do it at the domain/CDN layer.
{% endhint %}

### UX standards

* Welcome page routes by audience using cards
* One diagram near the top of key pages
* Use hint blocks for scope and guarantees
* Use tabs for Local vs Hybrid vs Cloud-hosted

### Conversion

* Add a **Contact / Book demo** block to:
  * Welcome
  * System overview
  * Acceptance tests
* Maintain 5 “money URLs” used in outreach:
  * Welcome
  * System overview
  * Reliability & degradation (safe degradation)
  * Evidence & retention policy
  * Acceptance tests & rollout gates

### Distribution

* Link key docs pages from your main site footer
* Include 1 relevant doc link in every outbound email
* Post 1 diagram + link weekly on LinkedIn

### Notes

* GitBook publishes a sitemap automatically for published content.
* Sitemap submission in Google requires a custom domain property.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://intelfactor.gitbook.io/doc/internal-not-for-public/seo-+-distribution-checklist.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.