LRN · SEO STACK/REV. 2026-06
Sheet— 01 / 11 —SEO
001 ·

Earned visibility — technical health, useful content, links, now under AI answers.

Rank for the answer, not the link.

Here is the RGM SEO library — 830+ guides covering technical health, on-page content, link earning, local and ecommerce search, and the new front: generative engine optimization. Every guide is sourced and written by operators who run audits, not theorists. Start with a pillar, or filter the index below.

0+Guides in the SEO stack
0Disciplines, one stack
0%Google’s search share
0Gated PDFs

Claim: Google held a 90.0% global search share in April 2026. Source: Statcounter Global Stats. Context: desktop share fell to ~79% as AI search grew — which is why this stack now treats GEO as a first-class discipline.

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Load-bearing guidesSheet — 02 / 11

Six guides hold the roof.

Pick one. These six pillars carry the rest of the SEO library. Read technical health first, then content and links, then the AI-search front. Each is a working reference, not a checklist.
Start here
  1. F-01Technical SEOCrawlability, indexation, and the architecture rankings sit on.
  2. F-02On-page SEOTitles, intent, and the content structure that earns the click.
  3. F-03Link buildingHow authority is earned — and the tactics that get sites penalized.
  4. F-04Generative engine optimizationWinning citations inside AI Overviews and answer engines.
  5. F-05Local SEOThe map pack, profiles, and reviews that win local intent.
  6. F-06Ecommerce SEOFaceted navigation, product schema, and category-page math.
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The SEO indexSheet — 03 / 11

Every discipline, filed.

Look at the SEO library by discipline. Filter by name or pick a theme. The full stack runs 830+ pages; the marquee guides per discipline are below, and search opens the rest.

Showing 26 of 26 guides

No guide matches that filter. Search the full library — it reads every page.

This is the curated index. The full SEO stack holds 830+ pages — search the complete collection or jump to any discipline above.

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What actually ranks youSheet — 04 / 11

The periodic table of ranking factors.

Hover an element. Google uses hundreds of signals, but five carry ~75% of the weight. Here are the 38 that matter, grouped into seven families and weighted with public data. Filter by type, or hit ★ Top 10 — then read the full 100-plus in the deep guide.

Explore all 100+ ranking factors — the deep guide →

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SEO by the numbers — 2026Sheet — 05 / 11

What’s happening now.

Read the data. Search is mid-earthquake — AI answers are eating clicks, and most pages already get none. Here are the figures shaping SEO strategy in 2026, each sourced, each pointing to the RGM guide that responds to it.
0Google’s global search share

Still the front door to the open web, even as AI search grows.

Statcounter, 2026
Did you know? ↗
~0Searches ending without a click

The zero-click reality — the answer is the new battleground.

SparkToro / DatosWin the AI answer →
Did you know? ↗
0Searches with an AI Overview

And climbing — optimize to be the cited source.

Search Engine LandAI Overviews →
Did you know? ↗
~0CTR drop under an AI Overview

Ranking #1 matters less if the answer sits above it.

Search Engine LandDefend visibility →
Did you know? ↗
0Pages that get zero Google traffic

Most content never ranks — target keywords you can realistically win.

Ahrefs (14B pages)Keyword research →
Did you know? ↗
~0Avg CTR of the #1 organic result

Earn the click with a sharper title and meta description.

First Page SageOn-page SEO →
Did you know? ↗
Almost everything in SEO is downstream of one question: does this page deserve to be the answer?
— RGM analysis, 2026

SEO industry benchmarks, 2026 — current public data. Each figure links to the RGM guide that acts on it.

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RGM SEO toolsSheet — 06 / 11

Tools we built.

Use these. RGM ships free SEO calculators and generators — no signup. They turn the guides above into numbers you can act on today.
RGM ToolSEO Audit

A fast, prioritized technical-health scan you can run now.

 RGM ToolCrawl Budget Calculator

Model how much of your site Google can realistically crawl.

 RGM ToolCore Web Vitals Score

Grade loading, interactivity, and stability against thresholds.

 RGM ToolHreflang Tag Generator

Build error-free hreflang for international and multilingual sites.

 RGM ToolSERP CTR by Position

Estimate clicks by rank — recalibrated for the AI-Overview era.

 RGM ToolBacklink Velocity Calculator

Sanity-check link growth against a natural, penalty-safe pace.

 RGM ToolKeyword Intent Tiering

Sort keywords by intent so you target the winnable ones first.

 RGM ToolContent Investment ROI

Model the payback on a content program before you fund it.

 RGM ToolPage Speed Impact

Turn load-time gains into projected conversion and revenue lift.

 RGM ToolKeyword Density

Check term frequency without slipping into keyword stuffing.

 RGM ToolKeyword Prominence

Score where your terms sit on the page — title, H1, first 100 words.

 RGM ToolKeyword Multiplier

Expand one seed term into a full, structured keyword set.

Browse every calculator on the RGM tools floor.

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The tool stackSheet — 07 / 11

The tool stack.

Pick your stack. No tool ranks you — but the right ones make the work faster. These are the platforms working SEOs actually run, each with an RGM deep dive.
Tool guideAhrefs

Backlinks, keywords, and site audits — the all-rounder.

 Tool guideSemrush

Broad toolkit spanning SEO, PPC, and competitive research.

 Tool guideMoz

The original SEO suite — DA, Link Explorer, and local.

 Tool guideScreaming Frog

The desktop crawler every technical SEO opens first.

 Tool guideSurfer SEO

Data-driven on-page and content optimization.

 Tool guideClearscope

Content grading built on real SERP term analysis.
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The shelf — top 12Sheet — 08 / 11

The shelf — top 12.

Read one. Tactics expire; principles compound. Our twelve essential SEO books — ranked foundational to current — each with an honest RGM review of what holds up and what to read with a 2026 eye.
01FoundationalThe Art of SEOEnge, Spencer & Stricchiola

The ~776-page reference. The closest thing SEO has to a textbook.

Read the RGM review → 02StrategyProduct-Led SEOEli Schwartz

SEO as product strategy, not a tactics checklist. Ages well.

Read the RGM review → 03ContentThey Ask, You AnswerMarcus Sheridan

Answer real buyer questions — an SEO strategy in disguise.

Read the RGM review → 04Beginner3 Months to No.1Will Coombe

The best first SEO book — jargon-free, ~140 pages.

Read the RGM review → 05CurrentSEO 2026Adam Clarke

The annually updated primer that stays close to today.

Read the RGM review → 06BusinessSEO for GrowthJantsch & Singleton

SEO framed for owners and marketing leaders.

Read the RGM review → 07PracticalThe SEO WorkbookJason McDonald

A do-it-yourself SEO course in workbook form.

Read the RGM review → 08BeginnerHow to Get to the Top of GoogleTim Cameron-Kitchen

Friendly, frequently-updated starter for owners.

Read the RGM review → 09ContentContent ChemistryAndy Crestodina

Where content marketing and SEO finally meet.

Read the RGM review → 10ExplainerSEO Like I’m 5Matthew Capala

The gentlest possible on-ramp for total beginners.

Read the RGM review → 11ProgramThe SEO BattlefieldAnne Ahola Ward

Run SEO as a campaign, not a checklist — the operational view most tactic books skip.

Read the RGM review → 12IntegratedOptimizeLee Odden

SEO, content, and social planned as one system — frameworks that still hold up.

Read the RGM review →
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The voices — top 10Sheet — 09 / 11

The voices — top 12.

Follow these. SEO moves weekly, and these twelve practitioners move with it — testing, documenting, and calling out nonsense. Each name links to a profile; the full roster lives in the leaders index.
01Rand FishkinFounder, Moz & SparkToro; zero-click research 02Aleyda SolisInternational & technical SEO; Learning SEO 03Brian DeanBacklinko; link building & content 04Neil PatelUbersuggest; high-volume SEO content 05Lily RayE-E-A-T & algorithm-update analysis 06Barry SchwartzSearch Engine Roundtable; the news desk 07Cyrus ShepardZyppy SEO; on-page & title experiments 08Wil ReynoldsSeer Interactive; “Real Company Stuff” 09Glenn GabeAlgorithm-update forensics 10Marie HaynesGoogle quality & AI-search guidance 11Ann SmartyContent distribution & digital PR 12Eric EngeData-driven SEO research; The Art of SEO

Browse all marketing thought leaders →

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Off the pressSheet — 10 / 11

Off the press.

Start here for current. The fastest-moving corner of SEO is AI search, and these are the freshest, most-updated guides in the stack — the ones we revise as Google ships.
Generative Engine Optimization2026 · Flagship

Win citations inside AI Overviews and answer engines.

 Google AI Overviews: GEO2026

Optimize specifically for Google’s AI Overviews.

 Answer-Engine Optimization2026

Be the source AI answers cite, not the link they skip.

 Keyword Research 20262026 · Updated

Intent-first research for the AI-answer era.

 Link Building Strategy 20262026 · Updated

What earns authority now — and what gets penalized.

 AI Search Visibility2026

Track and defend presence across AI surfaces.

Looking for something specific and current? Search the library or filter the full index above.

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Quick answersSheet — 11 / 11

Asked & answered.

Here is the short version. SEO earns visibility through technical health, useful content, and credible links — and now through being the source AI answers cite. The stack holds 830+ free guides; filter the index or search.
What is SEO?
SEO — search engine optimization — is the practice of earning visibility in search results without paying for placement. It spans three classic disciplines (technical health, content relevance, and link authority) and a fourth, fast-growing one: generative engine optimization for AI answers.
Is SEO still worth it with AI Overviews?
Yes — but the goal shifts. With roughly 69% of searches now ending click-free, ranking #1 matters less than being the source an AI Overview cites. The disciplines that earn citations (clear answers, structured data, real authority) are the same ones that always earned rankings.
What is SEO?

SEO is the practice of earning unpaid visibility in search engines. It rests on technical health (can engines crawl and index you), content relevance (do you answer the query), and authority (do credible sites link to you). The technical SEO guide is the place to start.

How long does SEO take to work?

Most sites see meaningful movement in three to six months, with compounding gains over a year or more. New domains and competitive queries take longer. Technical fixes can move things in weeks; content and link authority compound slowly. There is no paid shortcut that lasts.

What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

GEO is optimizing to be cited inside AI answers — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity — rather than only ranking in blue links. It rewards clear, structured, well-sourced answers. Start with the GEO ultimate guide.

Do backlinks still matter?

Yes. Links remain one of the strongest signals of authority, but quality and relevance beat volume, and manipulative link schemes draw penalties. The link building guide covers what earns durable authority versus what gets sites burned.

What are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are Google’s page-experience metrics for loading, interactivity, and visual stability. They are a real but modest ranking factor — and a strong conversion factor. The Core Web Vitals guide shows how to measure and fix them.

How is local SEO different?

Local SEO targets map-pack and “near me” intent, where the Google Business Profile, citations, proximity, and reviews drive ranking more than classic backlinks. The local SEO guide covers the full local stack.

Can I cite or share these guides?

Yes. Cite freely with attribution and a link to the page. Every guide ships a markdown twin so AI assistants can read it directly, and copied text appends its source automatically.

Where should an ecommerce site start?

With crawl control and product schema. Large catalogs live or die on faceted-navigation handling and structured data. The ecommerce SEO guide covers the category-page and indexation math specific to stores.

Sources & provenance

  1. Statcounter Global Stats — search engine market share — gs.statcounter.com.
  2. SparkToro / Datos — 2026 zero-click search study — sparktoro.com.
  3. Search Engine Land — Google zero-click searches reach 68% in early 2026 — searchengineland.com.
  4. Bill Gates, “Content is King” (1996) — essay text — archived copy.
  5. Library census — RGM analysis, June 2026; SEO stack page count is a live total from the deployed tree.