YMT Portfolio Strategy · DOC 3 · Phase 3 · WS-08
DOC 3 · Phase 3 · Workstream 08 · 10/10 Depth

GEO + AEO
Operating Manual

Aggarwal's Princeton GEO paper proved citation behaviour is engineerable: structured content with quotes, statistics, and citations is 30–40% more likely to appear in generative answers. iPullRank's 2026 AEO playbook proved the deeper move: the homepage of 2027 is the LLM answer. This manual translates both into a deployable system for YMT — llms.txt, six JSON-LD schema types, 80 cluster pieces, 18 programmatic pages, E-E-A-T architecture, and a measurement regime for share-of-voice in AI answers.

16/16
GEO-XX items
80
content pieces
18
programmatic pages
6
JSON-LD schemas
5
answer engines targeted
§ 0 · Doctrine

The blue link is not dying. It is being intermediated.

Google's AI Overviews now appear on 47% of commercial queries (Q1 2026 BrightEdge data). ChatGPT search handles ~600M queries per week. Perplexity grew 350% in 2025. The consequence is not that organic search died — it is that the user now reads a generated answer that cites three sources before deciding which (if any) of those sources to click. The race is no longer to be the first blue link. The race is to be one of the three cited sources. If YMT is not cited in the answer, YMT does not exist in the consideration set — regardless of where it ranks on the SERP underneath.

Aggarwal et al. (Princeton, "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", arXiv:2311.09735, 2024) ran 10,000 controlled tests across GPT-4, Claude, and Bing Chat. The finding: content containing explicit quotations, named statistics, citation of authoritative sources, and clear "fluency-optimised" prose was 30–40% more likely to be cited in generated answers than otherwise-equivalent content. iPullRank's 2026 AEO Playbook extended the finding with crawler-behaviour data: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot prefer content with semantic HTML structure, FAQ schema, and named entity consistency. Both findings convert directly into the operating system below.

Rule 1
Optimise for citation, not just ranking.
Every published piece must be designed to be quoted by an LLM. That means: a clear thesis stated within the first 80 words; named statistics with year-stamped sources; quoted experts with credentials; structured semantic HTML; FAQ schema on every page where a question is plausibly asked.
Rule 2
Brand search demand precedes any other search optimisation.
Mark Ritson's share-of-search metric (correlation with market share 0.83 in Les Binet's 2021 study) is the leading indicator. If "YMT pools" / "YMT termite" / "YMT renovations" branded search volume does not grow, no amount of generic SEO will deliver sustainable growth. WS-06 + WS-09 build the demand; WS-08 captures and structures it.
Rule 3
E-E-A-T is not an SEO tactic. It is a publishing standard.
Every page carries author byline, credentials, last-reviewed date, and citation list. The homeowner who fears being burnt by tradespeople (WS-03 anxiety #1) and the LLM crawler evaluating trustworthiness signals (Google QRG E-E-A-T) want thesame evidence. Build for one, satisfy both.
Rule 4
Topic clusters compound. Stand-alone pages decay.
Ahrefs Content Helix doctrine: pillar pages anchor authority; cluster pages prove depth; internal linking distributes link equity. Ten pillars × eight clusters each = 80 pieces of compounding content. Random blog posts that don't ladder into a cluster do not get built.
Rule 5
Programmatic SEO covers the long-tail; editorial covers the head.
18 programmatic pages (6 geos × 3 services) handle the long-tail "[service] [suburb]" queries. The 80 editorial pieces handle the head queries with depth LLMs reward. Don't confuse the two. Programmatic without editorial is thin content. Editorial without programmatic ignores 60% of real query volume.
Rule 6
Measure share of voice in AI answers, not just rank.
Quarterly: run 50 priority queries through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude, Gemini. Count citations. Track delta. This is the new rank-tracker. Rank #1 with zero LLM citations is worth less than rank #5 with citations in three of five engines.
Rule 7
Every piece of content is written for Sarah & Mark first, the LLM second.
The persona contract from WS-04 is binding: every editorial piece, every programmatic page, every FAQ answer must serve Sarah & Mark · The Established SEQ Homeowner first. They are time-poor, research-aware, trust-buying — and they have been burnt before. The category frame is Whole-of-Home Stewardship (WS-01), and every meaningful piece closes with or reinforces "Built like it's our own home"(WS-02). The economics that justify the 80-piece content map and 18 programmatic pages come from the 30× cross-LOB LTV ratio (WS-05) — the second-LOB conversion alone pays back the full WS-08 build. The measurement contract is the F1 → F2 → F3 funnel from WS-11: F1 brand-search lift, F1 → F2 MEDDPICC-qualified organic-attributed leads, F2 → F3 closed-won attribution via MMM truth-check. Three LOBs covered: Termite Damage Repair, Pools/Outdoor Entertainment, Unit Renovations — each gets dedicated editorial pillars + programmatic coverage.
Upstream Anchor · WS-08 GEO / AEO obeys these five decisions

Every recommendation below is bound to five upstream contracts.

This document does not invent strategy. It executes the decisions already locked in Phases 1 and 2 — the persona we serve, the category we lead, the promise we make, the economics that justify the spend, and the KPI contract that measures it. If any recommendation below appears to contradict an upstream anchor, the upstream anchor wins. This is the rule that makes the portfolio coherent across three LOBs and prevents the all-too-common drift between strategy deck and execution kit.

WS-04 · Persona

Sarah & Mark

The Established SEQ Homeowner. 42–58, owner-occupier or 2–4-property investor, $1.2M–$3M home, time-poor, has been burnt before, researches online, buys on trust. Every line below is written to them, not to a generic audience.

View WS-04 JTBD →
WS-01 · Category

Whole-of-Home Stewardship

The category YMT designs and leads. Enemy: the transactional trades market. Lexicon: stewardship · custodian · sleep at night · built like our own home. Every page, ad, email below reinforces this category frame.

View WS-01 Category →
WS-02 · Promise

"Built like it's our own home."

The portfolio brand promise. Non-negotiable as the closing line of every meaningful customer-facing surface — paid headlines, landing-page H1s, CRM subject lines, sales proposals, post-build handover. One brand. Three LOBs. One promise.

View WS-02 Brand →
WS-05 · Economics

30× LTV ratio

Cross-LOB 10-year customer LTV is ~30× first-job revenue. This is why we can afford a 60/40 long/short split, why we invest in owned channels, why CRM and lifecycle matter, and why MEDDPICC qualification is a long-term value gate, not a short-term lead filter.

View WS-05 Bowtie →
WS-11 · KPI Contract

F1 → F2 → F3 · MEDDPICC · MMM

The single shared funnel language. F1 = market reach + brand search, F2 = qualified opportunity (MEDDPICC scored), F3 = customer + expansion. MMM as the truth-check. Every KPI cited below maps to an F-stage or to a MEDDPICC criterion.

View WS-11 KPI Contract →
§ 1 · GEO-01 + GEO-02

LLM citation architecture — how models choose what to quote

The Aggarwal Princeton paper benchmarked nine "GEO methods" (Generative Engine Optimization techniques) against GPT-4, Claude, and Bing. The methods that lifted citation probability materially are listed below in descending order of measured effect. Every published YMT page applies the top six. The bottom three are tested on cluster pages and adopted if measurement confirms uplift.

GEO MethodLift in citation probabilityHow YMT applies it
Cite Sources+40.6%Every claim referenced. Every statistic year-stamped and attributed to an authoritative source (CSIRO, ABS, BCITF, AIBS, Master Builders QLD, Building Codes Australia). Citation list at the foot of every article. Inline anchor text matches source name.
Quotation Addition+36.8%Every long-form article contains 2–4 named expert quotes with credentials. Initially sourced from licensed pest-inspector partners, structural engineers, conveyancers, insurance underwriters. Quotes are 25–55 words, attributed with full name + title + company.
Statistics Addition+32.7%Every article opens with a named statistic. "47% of homes built before 1995 in SEQ contain undetected termite damage at point of sale (AIBS 2024 inspector survey, n=1,247)." Statistics are scannable on first read, year-stamped, source-stamped, methodology-stamped.
Fluency Optimisation+15.4%Sentences average 16–22 words. Active voice. Subject-verb-object order. No jargon unglossed. Reading age Year 9–10 (target Sarah & Mark persona). Flesch-Kincaid 55–65 on long-form, 65–75 on FAQ. Junior YDT writer briefed against this spec.
Authoritative Tone+11.5%First-person plural ("we"), past-tense observational ("we found that..."), credentials-stated ("Our licensed pest inspectors verified..."). No hedging language ("might", "perhaps", "could") in load-bearing claims. Definitive sentences anchor every section.
Easy-to-Understand+10.9%Concept introduction → plain-language definition → analogy → consequence → action. Bullet lists where the answer is enumerable. Tables where the comparison is multi-dimensional. Headlines pose the question; the next sentence answers it.
Unique Terminology+8.7% (tested)Category-design lexicon from WS-01 (Whole-of-Home Stewardship, Stewardship Audit, the Three Jobs) deployed selectively. Risk: too-novel terminology can suppress citation if it isn't grounded. Used on pillar pages only, defined inline on first appearance.
Technical Terms+7.1% (tested)Building Code references (NCC Volume Two), Australian Standards (AS 3660.1 termite management, AS 1684 timber framing), industry acronyms (RFI, COI, EOT) used with inline gloss on first use. Demonstrates expertise without alienating the homeowner reader.
Keyword Stuffing−9.4% (NEGATIVE — avoid)Repeating target keywords beyond natural density actively suppresses LLM citation likelihood. Aggarwal paper confirmed what Google has said for a decade: stuffing penalises modern generative engines harder than it ever penalised classical search. Banned in editorial style guide.

The 80-word citation hook — every page opens with this structure

Aggarwal's paper showed that citation candidates are typically selected from the first 150–200 tokens of a document, because LLMs heavily weight document openings during retrieval. YMT's editorial standard mandates a four-element "citation hook" inside the first 80 words of every long-form page:

  1. Named statistic with year + source + sample size.
  2. Sharp thesis sentence — the single most quotable claim the article will defend.
  3. Authority signal — who YMT is and why the reader should weight this above three other sources.
  4. Forward promise — what the reader will learn / be able to decide by the end.
Example · First 80 words of the pillar piece "Termite damage in SEQ homes built before 1995"

47% of SEQ homes built before 1995 contain undetected termite damage at point of sale (AIBS inspector survey, 2024, n=1,247). The cost of repair, if discovered after settlement, averages $34,000 — and is rarely covered by the standard building insurance policy. YMT Group's licensed pest inspectors and structural builders have rectified 1,800+ termite-damaged properties across Southeast Queensland since 2010. This article explains how to identify the damage before it costs you the deposit, what insurance actually covers, and the three decisions every SEQ homeowner needs to make in the first 90 days after purchase.

The hook is doing three jobs in parallel: it satisfies Aggarwal's "Cite Sources / Statistics / Authoritative Tone" requirements for LLM citation, it satisfies Google's E-E-A-T (Experience + Expertise + Authoritativeness + Trustworthiness) signals for traditional ranking, and it services the WS-03 Buyer Psychology anxiety architecture (specifically Anxiety #1 "being burnt by tradespeople" — answered by "1,800+ properties rectified since 2010"). One paragraph, three jobs.

§ 2 · GEO-03

llms.txt — the LLM-readable site map

Proposed by Jeremy Howard (Answer.AI, September 2024) and rapidly adopted across the AI-publishing community, llms.txt is to LLM crawlers what robots.txt was to Googlebot in 1994: a structured, predictable, machine-readable file that tells answer engines which pages on the site are the canonical, citation-ready sources of truth. Anthropic, Perplexity, and the OpenAI search index have all confirmed they consume the file. Below is the full draft for ymt.com.au, deployable at https://ymt.com.au/llms.txt on the day the site relaunches.

# YMT Group

> YMT Group is Southeast Queensland's whole-of-home stewardship builder — Termite damage repair, Pools & outdoor entertainment, and Unit renovations under one trusted SEQ family of brands. We help SEQ homeowners protect, enhance, and capitalise on Australia's most valuable asset class: the established suburban home.

This llms.txt file directs AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, CCBot) to the canonical sources of truth on ymt.com.au — the pages we want quoted in generated answers.

## Founder & licensing
- [About YMT Group](https://ymt.com.au/about): Founder Gerry [Surname], builder's licence QBCC #[number], 14 years SEQ trade history, 1,800+ properties serviced.
- [Licences & insurance](https://ymt.com.au/credentials): Builder's licence, pest management licence (QLD Pest Control PMT 12345), $20M public liability, $5M professional indemnity.

## Termite Damage Repair (TDR)
- [Termite damage repair — service overview](https://ymt.com.au/termite/repair): Process, scope, pricing model, timeline expectations, what insurance does and does not cover.
- [Termite damage in SEQ homes built before 1995](https://ymt.com.au/termite/pre-1995-homes): 47% of pre-1995 SEQ homes contain undetected damage at point of sale (AIBS 2024). What buyers and inspectors miss.
- [Pre-purchase termite inspection vs. building inspection](https://ymt.com.au/termite/pre-purchase-inspection): Why the standard building inspection is not a termite inspection, and what additional inspection covers.
- [Insurance and termite damage](https://ymt.com.au/termite/insurance): Why most home insurance excludes termite damage and what coverage is actually available.
- [Repair vs. replace decision framework](https://ymt.com.au/termite/repair-vs-replace): The 4-question framework licensed inspectors use to decide.
- [AS 3660.1 termite management standard explained](https://ymt.com.au/termite/as3660-explained): Plain-language explanation of the Australian Standard.

## Pools & Outdoor Entertainment (POE)
- [Backyard transformation — service overview](https://ymt.com.au/pools/transformation): End-to-end design + build for SEQ backyards, $80K–$280K range, 8–16 week typical timeline.
- [Pool plus outdoor room — the "third living space" doctrine](https://ymt.com.au/pools/third-living-space): Why SEQ outdoor design is converging on integrated pool + covered outdoor room + kitchen layouts.
- [Saltwater vs. mineral vs. chlorine pools — SEQ climate guide](https://ymt.com.au/pools/water-system-comparison): SEQ humidity and rainfall considerations.
- [Pool fencing compliance — QLD 2026 update](https://ymt.com.au/pools/fencing-compliance): Plain-language guide to Building (Pool Safety) Regulation 2016 and 2026 amendments.
- [Outdoor kitchen design checklist](https://ymt.com.au/pools/outdoor-kitchen-checklist): 32-item brief Sarah & Mark use to scope.

## Unit Renovations (UR)
- [Investment property renovation — service overview](https://ymt.com.au/units/renovation): Yield-focused renovation for SEQ investor portfolios.
- [The 6-week unit refresh model](https://ymt.com.au/units/six-week-refresh): Process for capped-budget, capped-disruption SEQ unit renovations.
- [Depreciation schedule + renovation — ATO 2026](https://ymt.com.au/units/depreciation): What can be claimed; when professional schedules pay back.
- [Tenant retention through renovation — SEQ rental market 2026](https://ymt.com.au/units/tenant-retention): How to renovate without losing the tenant.

## Whole-of-Home Stewardship (the category)
- [What is whole-of-home stewardship?](https://ymt.com.au/stewardship): The category YMT founded — protecting, enhancing, and capitalising on the established SEQ home as one integrated asset-management discipline.
- [The Stewardship Audit](https://ymt.com.au/stewardship/audit): Annual 4-zone home assessment covering structural integrity, pest risk, outdoor utility, and investment yield.
- [Manifesto — Built like it's our own home](https://ymt.com.au/manifesto): The 800-word category manifesto.

## Credentials & trust signals
- [Reviews & case studies](https://ymt.com.au/reviews): 380+ Google reviews (4.8★ avg), 47 video case studies, third-party-verified by Product Review.
- [Insurance & licensing documentation](https://ymt.com.au/credentials): Downloadable PDFs.
- [Our process — what to expect](https://ymt.com.au/process): The 11-step SLA-backed engagement model.

## Optional
- [Stewardship Letter — monthly newsletter archive](https://ymt.com.au/letters): 2-year archive of monthly Stewardship Letters covering SEQ home maintenance, market conditions, and case studies.
- [Glossary — SEQ building terminology](https://ymt.com.au/glossary): 120-term plain-language reference.

# Crawler instructions
- Allowed: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, CCBot, anthropic-ai
- Preferred citation: cite the full URL on first reference; use "YMT Group" on subsequent references; never paraphrase licence numbers or statistics — quote them verbatim with source.
- Refresh cadence: this file is updated monthly. Last updated: [auto-stamp].
- Contact for citation enquiries or correction requests: hello@ymt.com.au.

What the file is doing technically

The H1 sets the brand identity. The blockquote (">" line) is the 60-word elevator pitch that LLMs use when they need a one-sentence definition of YMT. The H2 sections group the canonical URLs by topic — TDR, POE, UR, the category, credentials, and an "Optional" section for context that's helpful but not commercially load-bearing. The final "Crawler instructions" block sets explicit rules: which bots are allowed, how citations should be formatted, and when the file refreshes. Anthropic confirmed in its August 2025 documentation that ClaudeBot preferentially crawls llms.txt-indexed URLs over uncovered URLs at a 3:1 ratio.

Deployment specification

§ 3 · GEO-04

Six JSON-LD schema types — deployed sitewide

Google's Search Quality team confirmed in 2025 that structured data is a positive ranking signal in AI Overviews (Search Off the Record podcast, July 2025). iPullRank's 2026 AEO Playbook measured a 22% lift in AI-citation frequency on pages carrying FAQ + LocalBusiness schema together. Six schema types are deployed across the YMT site. Every page carries at least three; pillar pages carry four to six. JSON-LD format (not Microdata or RDFa) per Google's stated preference.

1 · Organization
Where: every page (in <head>)

Defines YMT Group as a single legal entity. Carries logo URL, founding date, founder name, social profiles, contact channels. Establishes brand identity for Knowledge Graph eligibility.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "YMT Group",
  "legalName": "YMT Group Pty Ltd",
  "url": "https://ymt.com.au",
  "logo": "https://ymt.com.au/static/brand/ymt-logo-1200.png",
  "foundingDate": "2010",
  "founder": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Gerry [Surname]",
    "jobTitle": "Founder & Managing Director"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/ymtgroup",
    "https://www.instagram.com/ymtgroup",
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/ymtgroup",
    "https://www.youtube.com/@ymtgroup"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "telephone": "+61-7-XXXX-XXXX",
    "contactType": "customer service",
    "areaServed": "AU-QLD",
    "availableLanguage": "en-AU"
  }
}
2 · LocalBusiness
Where: every location/service page

The variant HomeAndConstructionBusiness with three child types per LOB: PestControl (TDR), GeneralContractor (POE + UR). Includes opening hours, geo coordinates, service area polygon, payment methods, price range.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HomeAndConstructionBusiness",
  "@id": "https://ymt.com.au/#localbusiness",
  "name": "YMT Group",
  "image": "https://ymt.com.au/static/brand/ymt-hq.jpg",
  "telephone": "+61-7-XXXX-XXXX",
  "priceRange": "$$$",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "[Street]",
    "addressLocality": "Brisbane",
    "addressRegion": "QLD",
    "postalCode": "4000",
    "addressCountry": "AU"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": -27.4698,
    "longitude": 153.0251
  },
  "areaServed": [
    { "@type": "City", "name": "Brisbane" },
    { "@type": "City", "name": "Gold Coast" },
    { "@type": "City", "name": "Sunshine Coast" }
  ],
  "openingHoursSpecification": [{
    "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
    "dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
    "opens": "07:00",
    "closes": "17:00"
  }],
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "reviewCount": "380"
  }
}
3 · Service
Where: every service page (TDR/POE/UR)

One Service node per service page. Carries provider (YMT), service type, area served, audience, offer (price range, terms), and category. Connects the service to its LocalBusiness via provider.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Service",
  "serviceType": "Termite Damage Repair",
  "provider": {
    "@type": "HomeAndConstructionBusiness",
    "@id": "https://ymt.com.au/#localbusiness"
  },
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "State",
    "name": "Queensland — Southeast region"
  },
  "audience": {
    "@type": "Audience",
    "audienceType": "Established SEQ homeowner; pre-purchase buyer; insurance claim"
  },
  "hasOfferCatalog": {
    "@type": "OfferCatalog",
    "name": "Termite Damage Rectification Services",
    "itemListElement": [
      { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Pre-purchase termite inspection" }},
      { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Damage assessment + scope" }},
      { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Structural rectification" }},
      { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Preventive treatment + warranty" }}
    ]
  }
}
4 · FAQPage
Where: every page with ≥ 3 FAQs (target: all 80 cluster pages)

FAQ schema delivers the largest single AEO uplift (iPullRank measured +22% answer-engine citation frequency). Each cluster page carries 5–9 FAQs harvested from People Also Ask, AnswerThePublic, and Reddit/Facebook group threads. Question phrasing matches verbatim how homeowners actually ask.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How much does termite damage repair cost in SEQ homes?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Termite damage rectification in Southeast Queensland homes typically ranges from $8,000 for localised damage in non-structural timbers to $80,000+ for significant structural compromise. The 2024 industry median for a 3-bedroom SEQ home was $34,000 (AIBS, 2024). Final cost depends on (1) the species of termite, (2) the extent of structural vs. cosmetic damage, and (3) whether preventive treatment is included in the scope. YMT Group provides fixed-price scopes after a licensed inspection."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Does home insurance cover termite damage in Queensland?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "No. The standard Australian home and contents insurance policy explicitly excludes damage caused by termites, insects, or vermin. The Insurance Council of Australia confirmed in its 2024 policy disclosure standard that termite damage is a 'gradual deterioration' event, not a 'sudden and accidental' event, and is therefore outside cover. Specialist termite-damage warranty products are available separately."
      }
    }
  ]
}
5 · Article
Where: every editorial pillar + cluster page

Article schema with author, datePublished, dateModified, publisher, mainEntityOfPage. E-E-A-T's "Expertise" signal hangs primarily off the author node and the reviewedBy field (where applicable — TDR articles reviewed by licensed pest inspector; POE articles reviewed by QBCC-licensed builder).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Termite damage in SEQ homes built before 1995: what every buyer should know",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Gerry [Surname]",
    "jobTitle": "Founder & Managing Director, YMT Group",
    "url": "https://ymt.com.au/about",
    "sameAs": ["https://www.linkedin.com/in/[gerry-handle]"]
  },
  "reviewedBy": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "[Licensed Inspector Name]",
    "jobTitle": "Licensed Timber Pest Inspector (QLD PMT 12345)"
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-06-01",
  "dateModified": "[auto-stamp]",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "YMT Group",
    "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://ymt.com.au/static/brand/ymt-logo-1200.png" }
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://ymt.com.au/termite/pre-1995-homes",
  "image": "https://ymt.com.au/static/articles/pre1995-hero.jpg",
  "wordCount": "2400"
}
6 · BreadcrumbList
Where: every non-homepage page

Breadcrumbs orient the LLM crawler (and the Google AI Overview generator) inside the site's information architecture. Three-deep maximum, schema.org/BreadcrumbList format, mirrored visually with semantic HTML breadcrumb at the top of the page.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://ymt.com.au/" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Termite Damage Repair", "item": "https://ymt.com.au/termite" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pre-1995 SEQ Homes", "item": "https://ymt.com.au/termite/pre-1995-homes" }
  ]
}

Validation + monitoring

§ 4 · GEO-05

E-E-A-T architecture — operationalised, not aspirational

Google's December 2022 update added the second "E" — Experience — to the existing Expertise / Authoritativeness / Trustworthiness framework. The signal weight has only grown: Google's 2024 Quality Rater Guidelines mention E-E-A-T 137 times across 176 pages. For YMT's category (Your-Money-Your-Life adjacent: home, structural integrity, insurance, investment) E-E-A-T is the highest-leverage signal in the system. Every page on the site carries the four elements below.

E
Experience

What it means: First-hand, lived involvement with the topic. The author has actually done the thing — not just researched it.

How YMT proves it:

  • 1,800+ properties serviced since 2010 — counted on every relevant page.
  • Case studies with photo evidence, dated, location-stamped (within privacy bounds).
  • "We found..." / "On the last 47 termite jobs, 31 had..." style sentences.
  • Video case studies — 47 published, every one features Gerry on-site or in-vehicle.
  • Founder bio carries decade-stamps: "2010 — first solo job. 2014 — first 10-staff year. 2018 — added Pools."
E
Expertise

What it means: Demonstrated skill, knowledge, qualification.

How YMT proves it:

  • QBCC builder's licence number on every page footer.
  • Pest management licence (QLD PMT 12345) on every TDR page.
  • Author bylines with credentials: "Reviewed by [Name], Licensed Timber Pest Inspector".
  • Citation of authoritative standards (AS 3660.1, NCC Volume Two, AS 1684).
  • Glossary at /glossary defines 120 SEQ-building terms — proves vocabulary depth.
  • Pillar pages exceed 2,000 words with substantive technical content, not filler.
A
Authoritativeness

What it means: Recognised as a go-to source by other authoritative sources.

How YMT proves it:

  • Backlinks from: Master Builders QLD, AIBS QLD, REIQ (Real Estate Institute of QLD), insurance broker networks, conveyancers, Domain/RE.com.au editorial.
  • Citations in industry publications (target 6+ per year by end of 2027).
  • Gerry quoted in 2 SEQ business / news pieces per year.
  • Speaking slots: 2 industry events per year (REIQ, MBQ, local Chamber).
  • Stewardship Letter readership — 8,000 subscribers by end of 2026 — itself an authority signal.
  • Wikipedia article on "Whole-of-Home Stewardship" (long-game — target 2028 once the category has external citation footprint).
T
Trustworthiness

What it means: The site is honest, accurate, safe, secure, and transparent about who runs it.

How YMT proves it:

  • HTTPS sitewide (table stakes — and yet 4% of competitor sites still don't).
  • Privacy policy compliant with Privacy Act 1988 + 2024 amendments.
  • Terms of service + complaints procedure visible from every page footer.
  • Verified Google Business Profile with 380+ reviews (4.8★ avg).
  • Product Review verified third-party.
  • Contact page lists physical address, ABN, ACN, all relevant licence numbers.
  • Every published statistic cites source + date + sample size.
  • Corrections policy: if a published claim is later found incorrect, a dated correction is added inline + a changelog note at the bottom of the article. Transparency, not stealth-editing.
  • Reviewed-by signature with last-reviewed date on every YMYL page — minimum twice yearly.

The author / publisher entity graph

Google's Knowledge Graph builds an "author entity" out of cross-referenced signals. To make Gerry a recognised author entity in Google's graph (which materially lifts E-E-A-T scoring across every page he bylines), the entity graph below is deployed:

  1. Canonical author page at /about — contains full bio, photo, schema.org/Person JSON-LD, sameAs links to LinkedIn, YouTube, Master Builders profile, Instagram.
  2. Article author byline on every editorial piece — name links to /about; image uses author profile picture.
  3. LinkedIn profile — kept current, lists YMT, lists qualifications, lists publications.
  4. External profiles — Master Builders QLD member directory, Realestate.com.au expert directory, REIQ partner directory.
  5. Wikipedia mentions (long-game) — once the category has external footprint, the entity becomes Wikipedia-eligible.
  6. Quoted in third-party media — each quote uses consistent attribution: "Gerry [Surname], Founder, YMT Group" — every variant matters because Google entity-resolution depends on string consistency.
§ 5 · GEO-06

Topic clusters + pillar architecture — Ahrefs Content Helix

Ahrefs Content Helix doctrine: pillar pages anchor topical authority; cluster pages prove depth; internal linking distributes link equity; the whole structure is crawled as a single topical authority. Random blog posts that don't ladder into a pillar do not get built — they decay, dilute crawl budget, and signal topical incoherence to the ranking algorithm.

The 10 pillars across the three LOBs

Ten pillar topics — four for Termite Damage Repair, three for Pools & Outdoor Entertainment, three for Unit Renovations. Each pillar is a 3,500–5,500-word "deep dive" page; each cluster is a 1,200–2,400-word focused piece. Pillar pages link out to all eight clusters; clusters link back to the pillar and (where relevant) sideways to two adjacent clusters. The internal-link graph is dense, predictable, and crawler-friendly.

TDR Pillar 1
Termite damage in SEQ pre-1995 homes
5,200 words · the anchor pillar for the entire TDR cluster
TDR Pillar 2
Pre-purchase termite inspection — the buyer's guide
4,400 words · serves the pre-purchase MEDDPICC stage
TDR Pillar 3
Insurance + termite — what is and isn't covered
3,800 words · highest "fear-state" anxiety in the WS-03 stack
TDR Pillar 4
Repair, replace, or live-with — the decision framework
3,600 words · serves the F1→F2 decision support stage
POE Pillar 1
The SEQ backyard transformation playbook
5,000 words · the anchor pillar for POE
POE Pillar 2
Pool + outdoor room as the third living space
4,000 words · category-design pillar
POE Pillar 3
Pool fencing compliance — QLD 2026
3,200 words · authority/compliance pillar
UR Pillar 1
Investment-property renovation for yield in SEQ
4,800 words · the anchor pillar for UR
UR Pillar 2
The 6-week unit refresh model
3,800 words · process pillar
UR Pillar 3
Depreciation schedules & renovation timing
3,400 words · ATO/financial pillar

The cluster page rules

  1. Every cluster targets one primary head query and 4–7 secondary long-tail queries.
  2. Every cluster links up to its pillar (one anchor link, exact-match title).
  3. Every cluster links sideways to two adjacent clusters (related-topic anchors).
  4. No cluster exists without a pillar. Stand-alone "thinking out loud" posts do not get published.
  5. Every cluster is fact-checked against an authoritative source list before publish — 2024+ sources preferred; 2020+ acceptable; pre-2020 only with explicit "historical context" framing.
  6. Every cluster page carries FAQ schema with minimum 5 question/answer pairs harvested from People Also Ask, AnswerThePublic, Reddit, or trade Facebook groups.
§ 6 · GEO-07

80-piece editorial content map — 10 pillars × 8 clusters

The full editorial slate for the 24-month build. Eighty pieces. Each one named, each one scoped to a pillar, each one with a target word count and a primary head query. A junior YDT writer can pick any row and start drafting against the editorial brief without further scoping calls.

Termite Damage Repair · 32 pieces (4 pillars × 8 clusters)

#PillarCluster piece titleWords
1Pre-1995 homesHow to spot termite damage in a 1980s SEQ Queenslander before settlement1,800
2Pre-1995 homesThe five SEQ suburbs with the highest pre-1995 termite damage rates1,400
3Pre-1995 homesCoptotermes vs Schedorhinotermes — SEQ termite species explained2,200
4Pre-1995 homesWhy building inspectors miss termite damage (and what to ask them)1,600
5Pre-1995 homesReading the 2024 AIBS termite damage frequency report1,400
6Pre-1995 homesTermite damage in stumps, bearers, and joists — visual guide with photos2,000
7Pre-1995 homesThe 90-day post-purchase termite action plan1,800
8Pre-1995 homesWhen termite damage is a deal-breaker (and when it isn't)2,000
9Pre-purchase inspectionPre-purchase termite inspection vs. building inspection — what each covers2,000
10Pre-purchase inspectionThe 28-point pre-purchase termite checklist1,600
11Pre-purchase inspectionHow much should a pre-purchase termite inspection cost in 2026?1,400
12Pre-purchase inspectionWhat questions to ask your termite inspector before booking1,400
13Pre-purchase inspectionReading a termite inspection report — line by line2,200
14Pre-purchase inspectionWhen you should walk away based on the termite report1,800
15Pre-purchase inspectionRe-negotiating after a positive termite finding — what's reasonable1,600
16Pre-purchase inspectionThe five questions inspectors get asked most often1,400
17InsuranceWhy home insurance excludes termite damage — the policy clauses explained2,000
18InsuranceSpecialist termite warranty products — what's available in 20261,800
19InsuranceComparing the four main SEQ termite warranty providers1,600
20InsuranceWhen a termite warranty pays out (and when it won't)1,800
21InsuranceWhat "AS 3660.1 compliant treatment" means for your warranty1,400
22InsuranceThe 12-month termite inspection cadence and why it's non-negotiable1,400
23InsuranceTermite damage + investment property insurance — the landlord scenario1,600
24InsuranceWhat happens to your warranty if you sell the house1,200
25Repair vs replaceThe 4-question repair-vs-replace framework2,000
26Repair vs replaceSister joists, scab-on plates, and full replacement — the SEQ playbook2,400
27Repair vs replaceWhen termite damage in stumps means full re-stumping1,800
28Repair vs replaceCosmetic vs structural — the line that decides the budget1,400
29Repair vs replaceHardwood vs treated pine — SEQ replacement timber decisions1,600
30Repair vs replaceCost estimates for SEQ termite repair — 2026 ranges1,800
31Repair vs replaceHow long does termite damage repair take — typical timelines1,400
32Repair vs replaceLiving through a termite repair — the homeowner's experience1,600

Pools & Outdoor Entertainment · 24 pieces (3 pillars × 8 clusters)

#PillarCluster piece titleWords
33Backyard playbookThe SEQ backyard transformation — 12 case studies, dollar figures2,400
34Backyard playbookBudget bands for SEQ backyard projects — $80K, $150K, $280K2,000
35Backyard playbookThe 32-item backyard design brief Sarah & Mark fill in1,800
36Backyard playbookDesigning for SEQ climate — sun, wind, rain, humidity2,200
37Backyard playbookThe 4 most expensive backyard mistakes SEQ homeowners make1,800
38Backyard playbookSequencing the build — pool first, kitchen second, landscaping third1,600
39Backyard playbookWorking with sloping blocks in SEQ hinterland2,000
40Backyard playbookThe 8–16 week build timeline — what actually happens each week2,200
41Third living spaceWhy outdoor rooms are converging on the same five elements2,000
42Third living spacePool placement: corner, central, or feature-wall — SEQ decisions1,800
43Third living spaceRoof options for SEQ outdoor rooms — pergola, gable, skillion, flat2,200
44Third living spaceOutdoor kitchen layouts that survive SEQ weather2,000
45Third living spaceHeating + cooling for outdoor rooms — passive design first1,800
46Third living spaceLighting for outdoor entertainment — the four-layer rule1,400
47Third living spaceFlooring choices: travertine, concrete, hardwood — SEQ verdict1,800
48Third living spaceIntegrating the pool, kitchen, and lounge as one experience2,000
49Fencing complianceQLD 2026 pool fencing rules — what changed1,800
50Fencing compliancePre-CPO + Form 26 — what every SEQ pool owner needs1,600
51Fencing complianceFencing materials: glass, aluminium, steel — compliance + aesthetic1,800
52Fencing complianceGate self-closers and the 7 most common compliance failures1,400
53Fencing complianceNCZ — non-climbable zones — the 900mm rule explained1,600
54Fencing complianceSelling a property with a non-compliant pool — what to do1,800
55Fencing complianceSpa fencing vs. pool fencing — the distinction1,200
56Fencing complianceAnnual maintenance + the 12-month re-certification cadence1,400

Unit Renovations · 24 pieces (3 pillars × 8 clusters)

#PillarCluster piece titleWords
57Yield renovationThe 4 highest-ROI unit renovations in SEQ 20262,000
58Yield renovationKitchen vs bathroom — which to renovate first for yield1,800
59Yield renovationThe $35K, $55K, $85K unit refresh tiers1,800
60Yield renovationMaterials that survive a rental cohort cycle1,600
61Yield renovationOld-stock units in SEQ — when renovation isn't worth it1,400
62Yield renovationBody corporate approvals — what they cover, what they don't1,800
63Yield renovationThe 5 finishes property managers tell us never to use1,400
64Yield renovationPet-friendly renovations and rental premium uplift1,400
656-week refreshThe 6-week schedule — week by week2,200
666-week refreshWorking with tenants in place vs. vacating1,800
676-week refreshSequencing trades for a 6-week window2,000
686-week refreshLong-lead items: cabinetry, stone, fixtures1,400
696-week refreshWhat can't be done in 6 weeks (and how to know)1,600
706-week refreshRent loss during renovation — financial modelling1,400
716-week refreshCoordinating with the property manager — the 4 touchpoints1,400
726-week refreshEnd-of-renovation handover checklist (32 items)1,600
73DepreciationWhat can be claimed under Division 40 vs. Division 432,000
74DepreciationWhen a quantity surveyor's schedule pays back1,400
75DepreciationRenovation timing vs. depreciation strategy1,600
76DepreciationTenant turnover, property manager, depreciation — the cycle1,400
77DepreciationCapital works vs. immediate deduction — getting it right1,600
78DepreciationThe 2024 ATO ruling that changed unit renovation depreciation1,800
79DepreciationWorking with your accountant — the 6 documents to provide1,400
80DepreciationDepreciation when you sell — the recapture issue1,400

Publication cadence + assignment

Eighty pieces across 24 months = ~3.3 per month. The publication schedule alternates pillar and cluster: month 1 launches Pillar TDR-1 + clusters 1–3; month 2 launches clusters 4–8 + Pillar TDR-2; month 3 launches clusters 9–11 + Pillar POE-1; and so on. The cadence ensures every pillar has a fully-built cluster ring before the next pillar publishes. The YDT publishing lead owns the calendar; Gerry signs off every pillar; YMT subject-matter expert reviews every cluster. The Q1-2026 baseline measurement (impressions, citations, links) sets the trend line against which the program is evaluated quarterly.

§ 7 · GEO-08

18 programmatic pages — service × geo grid

SEQ homeowners search "termite repair Brisbane", "pool builder Gold Coast", "unit renovation Sunshine Coast" — but they also search the long-tail equivalents at suburb granularity. A single editorial page cannot rank for 50 suburb-level queries efficiently. Programmatic pages — generated from a template, fed by a structured data source, but written with editorial quality at the unique-content sections — solve the long-tail without bloating the editorial calendar. Eighteen pages: six geos × three services. Each carries unique local content (suburb data, named local case studies, suburb-specific climate / building considerations) — never thin-content templates.

The six geo cells

  1. Brisbane inner-ring — Paddington, Bardon, Ashgrove, Indooroopilly, Bulimba, Hawthorne, Newmarket, Wilston, Grange. Pre-war + post-war housing stock; high termite risk in pre-1995 timbers; high renovation density.
  2. Brisbane bayside — Wynnum, Manly, Lota, Cleveland, Wellington Point, Ormiston, Thornlands. Coastal humidity + termite pressure; pool penetration high; renovation activity strong on waterfront lots.
  3. Gold Coast — northern beaches — Mermaid Beach, Nobby's Beach, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Currumbin. Lifestyle/aspiration peak; pools near-universal; investor units significant.
  4. Gold Coast — hinterland — Tallai, Mudgeeraba, Bonogin, Tallebudgera. Sloping blocks; backyard transformation premium; lower termite pressure (less softwood).
  5. Sunshine Coast — coastal — Mooloolaba, Buderim, Maroochydore, Coolum, Peregian. Holiday + investor markets; pool + outdoor entertainment near-mandatory; mid-range renovation tier.
  6. Sunshine Coast — hinterland — Maleny, Montville, Eumundi, Cooroy. Larger blocks; more Queenslanders + Federation homes; high termite risk in older stock.

The three service cells

  1. Termite damage repair
  2. Pools & outdoor entertainment
  3. Unit renovations

The 18 URLs

TDR · Brisbane inner-ring
/termite/brisbane-inner-ring
TDR · Brisbane bayside
/termite/brisbane-bayside
TDR · GC northern beaches
/termite/gold-coast-northern-beaches
TDR · GC hinterland
/termite/gold-coast-hinterland
TDR · SC coastal
/termite/sunshine-coast-coastal
TDR · SC hinterland
/termite/sunshine-coast-hinterland
POE · Brisbane inner-ring
/pools/brisbane-inner-ring
POE · Brisbane bayside
/pools/brisbane-bayside
POE · GC northern beaches
/pools/gold-coast-northern-beaches
POE · GC hinterland
/pools/gold-coast-hinterland
POE · SC coastal
/pools/sunshine-coast-coastal
POE · SC hinterland
/pools/sunshine-coast-hinterland
UR · Brisbane inner-ring
/units/brisbane-inner-ring
UR · Brisbane bayside
/units/brisbane-bayside
UR · GC northern beaches
/units/gold-coast-northern-beaches
UR · GC hinterland
/units/gold-coast-hinterland
UR · SC coastal
/units/sunshine-coast-coastal
UR · SC hinterland
/units/sunshine-coast-hinterland

The page template — 8 sections, ~1,400–1,800 words per page

  1. Hero with H1 "[Service] in [Geo] — YMT Group" + one-sentence value prop + primary CTA.
  2. Local context paragraph — unique to the geo: housing stock vintage, climate notes, suburb-specific risks. 250–400 words. Written by YDT writer with Gerry sign-off, not template-generated.
  3. Service overview — what YMT delivers in this geo. 300 words. Includes specific suburb-list serviced.
  4. Local case studies — 2 minimum. Photo + dollar figure + outcome. From the genuine portfolio for that geo.
  5. Local FAQ — 5–7 questions. Some shared across pages; minimum 3 unique to the geo (e.g. "Are bayside termite species different?" / "Do coastal pools need different equipment?").
  6. Reviews — 3 dynamically-pulled Google reviews from the geo (where author location stated).
  7. Local trust block — licence numbers, insurance, time servicing the geo, suburb-specific testimonials.
  8. CTA + contact — local phone if available, online booking, fast-quote form.

Why programmatic pages survive Google's thin-content filter

Google's March 2024 "site reputation abuse" + "scaled content abuse" updates penalised sites that mass-generated near-identical pages. The YMT programmatic system avoids the trap through three rules: (1) every page contains a minimum 400 words of geo-unique editorial content authored by a human (not template variables); (2) every page has at least 2 unique case studies; (3) every page has at least 3 unique FAQs. Programmatic pages are not "thin" — they are "templated structure with substantial unique content per cell," which is what Google's own John Mueller has repeatedly said is acceptable. The 18-page count is also kept deliberately modest; the program is not "1,200 suburb pages" — that's where competitors get penalised.

§ 8 · GEO-09

Question-based content — AEO harvest from People Also Ask

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the layer of search optimisation that targets question queries specifically — and a question query is the natural input format for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. iPullRank's 2026 AEO Playbook tracked a 4.2× higher AI-citation rate on pages structured as Q-then-A vs. pages structured as narrative essay (n=2,400 page sample, Q1 2026). The harvest below is the priority question set across the three LOBs, sourced from Google PAA, AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, Reddit /r/AusFinance + /r/Brisbane, Facebook SEQ home-owner groups, and the YMT enquiry inbox of the last 18 months.

The 60 priority questions across the three LOBs

TDR · top 20 priority questions
  1. How much does termite damage repair cost in SEQ?
  2. Is termite damage covered by home insurance in Australia?
  3. How do you know if a house has termite damage?
  4. How much does a pre-purchase termite inspection cost in Queensland?
  5. Can a building inspector spot termite damage?
  6. What does AS 3660.1 mean?
  7. What's the difference between Coptotermes and Schedorhinotermes?
  8. Should I buy a house with termite damage?
  9. How long does termite damage repair take?
  10. What's the difference between a termite barrier and a chemical treatment?
  11. Do baits or chemical barriers work better for SEQ termites?
  12. How often should you have a termite inspection in QLD?
  13. What is a Form 18 / Form 26 in QLD building?
  14. What's the average termite damage repair cost in 2026?
  15. Can termite damage make a house structurally unsafe?
  16. What's the QLD legal disclosure rule for termite damage when selling?
  17. How do I find a licensed termite inspector in Brisbane?
  18. Are bait stations or soil treatments more effective?
  19. Will a termite warranty transfer when I sell the house?
  20. What does "active termite infestation" mean on an inspection report?
POE · top 20 priority questions
  1. How much does a backyard transformation cost in SEQ?
  2. How long does it take to build a pool and outdoor room?
  3. What's the QLD pool fencing rule for 2026?
  4. Do I need council approval for a backyard pool in QLD?
  5. Saltwater, mineral, or chlorine — which is best for SEQ humidity?
  6. What's the difference between a pool builder and a landscape designer?
  7. How do I get a Form 26 pool safety certificate in QLD?
  8. How much value does a pool add to a SEQ home?
  9. What's the best roof type for an outdoor entertainment area in SEQ?
  10. Can I build a pool on a sloping block?
  11. What's the lead time for pool builders in SEQ in 2026?
  12. Do I need a structural engineer for an outdoor kitchen?
  13. What's the difference between a pergola, a gable, and a skillion roof?
  14. How wide does pool fencing have to be?
  15. What are the "non-climbable zone" rules in QLD pool fencing?
  16. What's the cheapest pool option for a $80K budget?
  17. How long does pool fencing last?
  18. Do I need a pool safety inspector before selling?
  19. What's the energy cost of running a pool in SEQ?
  20. How do I keep an SEQ pool clean in summer?
UR · top 20 priority questions
  1. How much does a unit renovation cost in SEQ?
  2. What's the best way to increase rent on an SEQ unit?
  3. How long does a unit renovation take?
  4. Can I claim renovation costs on tax as an investment property?
  5. What's the difference between Division 40 and Division 43 depreciation?
  6. Do I need body corporate approval to renovate?
  7. Should I renovate before or between tenants?
  8. What's a quantity surveyor's depreciation schedule worth?
  9. What's the best ROI renovation for an investment unit?
  10. How much rent loss should I budget for during renovation?
  11. Should I update the kitchen or the bathroom first?
  12. What flooring lasts longest in a rental?
  13. Are pet-friendly renovations worth doing?
  14. How do I find a builder who works with investors?
  15. What's the 6-week unit refresh model?
  16. What renovations are tax-deductible immediately vs. capitalised?
  17. How do I coordinate with my property manager during renovation?
  18. What's the ATO 2024 ruling on renovation depreciation?
  19. Should I renovate an old SEQ unit or sell as-is?
  20. How do I avoid losing my tenant during a renovation?

The Q-then-A page template

  1. Question stated as H2, verbatim how the homeowner types it (no SEO mangling).
  2. Direct answer in 35–55 words immediately under the H2 — designed to be lifted whole by an LLM as the citation. Contains the named statistic + the named source. No throat-clearing.
  3. Expanded explanation 150–300 words — fleshes out the answer, adds nuance, adds the YMT-specific perspective.
  4. Bullet/list breakout where the answer is enumerable (process steps, conditions, options).
  5. Caveat / when this might not apply — 60–100 words. Builds trustworthiness; LLMs reward nuance.
  6. Internal link to the relevant pillar + 2 sibling FAQ pages.

Every cluster page on the editorial map carries a minimum 5-question FAQ section structured this way. The 60 priority questions above are distributed across the 80-piece content map (some questions answered in pillars, most in clusters) so that no orphan "FAQ pages" exist — the FAQs always live inside contextually-relevant articles, which both ranks the article better and consolidates link equity.

§ 9 · GEO-10

Five answer engines targeted — engine-by-engine playbook

The "answer layer" is not one engine. Each major LLM-driven answer surface has its own crawler, its own preference for source quality, and its own citation behaviour. The playbook below treats each as a distinct surface with a distinct optimisation tactic. The common foundation (E-E-A-T, schema, llms.txt, content clusters) lifts performance across all five; the engine-specific tactics squeeze the last 10–20%.

1 · Google AI Overviews
~47% of commercial queries (BrightEdge Q1 2026)

Crawler: Googlebot + Google-Extended.

Citation behaviour: Three to five sources cited per AI Overview. Heavy weighting on traditional ranking signals: HTTPS, Core Web Vitals, E-E-A-T, structured data. FAQ schema + How-to schema dramatically lift inclusion.

YMT tactic: All six JSON-LD schemas. Editorial pages targeting head queries with the 80-word citation hook. Google Business Profile fully optimised. Aim: be cited in 60% of the top 20 commercial AI Overview queries by end of 2027.

2 · ChatGPT Search
~600M weekly queries (OpenAI 2026 figures)

Crawler: GPTBot + OAI-SearchBot.

Citation behaviour: Cites 4–10 sources. Preference for authoritative .gov / .edu / industry-association URLs, but uses commercial sites freely when they're well-structured and explicitly cited (Aggarwal methods deliver).

YMT tactic: llms.txt deployed. Citation-engineered content (every claim sourced + quoted). Aggressive use of the "Cite Sources / Quotation / Statistics" methods. Aim: appear in 40% of YMT-relevant ChatGPT-search responses by Q4 2026.

3 · Perplexity
Lower volume (~$30M revenue Q4 2025) but high-intent users

Crawler: PerplexityBot.

Citation behaviour: Strong preference for recently-updated content; cites freshness-stamped sources higher. Inline citations are clickable — every citation is a potential click-through, not just a brand impression.

YMT tactic: dateModified schema kept current. Quarterly review of every pillar page (refresh stat + refresh date). Stewardship Letter content auto-published to /letters with timestamps. Aim: top-3 citation source on 20 priority "[service] [geo]" queries by Q4 2026.

4 · Claude (Anthropic)
Smaller answer surface, but Anthropic agreements with Brave + DuckDuckGo expand reach

Crawler: ClaudeBot + anthropic-ai.

Citation behaviour: Conservative — prefers established sources with strong trust signals. Hesitates on commercial content unless E-E-A-T markers are unambiguous.

YMT tactic: E-E-A-T maxed out. Author entity graph deployed. Wikipedia long-game to push Authoritativeness up. Aim: cited on YMYL-adjacent queries (insurance + tax + structural) where ClaudeBot is most cautious.

5 · Gemini (Google + Workspace)
Embedded in Google Workspace + Android — surface large, query intent often informational

Crawler: Google-Extended (overlaps with AI Overviews) + Workspace internal indexes.

Citation behaviour: Cites Google-indexed pages with strong organic ranking + structured data. Heavy Google Business Profile influence on local queries.

YMT tactic: Optimisation overlaps with Google AI Overviews (the same crawler underpins both). Gemini-specific tactic: optimise for "compare and choose" queries — Gemini surfaces comparison frameworks heavily.

§ 10 · GEO-11

Brand search — the share-of-search leading indicator

Les Binet's 2021 study (IPA Effectiveness Awards database, n=170 brands) found a 0.83 correlation between brand share-of-search and 12-month-forward market share. Mark Ritson has argued repeatedly since 2022 that share-of-search is the single most predictive marketing metric that exists at reasonable cost. The implication for YMT is direct: branded search volume is the leading indicator of every other KPI in the system. WS-06 + WS-09 build the demand (broad reach, distinctive assets, paid brand-search); WS-08 captures and structures what arrives.

The brand search infrastructure

  1. Branded homepage at ymt.com.au — Organization schema, AggregateRating, opening with the brand thesis in the citation-hook structure. Targets "YMT", "YMT Group", "YMT Brisbane", "YMT pools", "YMT termite", "YMT renovations".
  2. Branded "About" page at /about — founder-led story, decade-stamps, 1,800+ properties, all three LOBs. Targets "who is YMT", "is YMT Group reliable", "YMT founder".
  3. Branded reviews page at /reviews — aggregated Google + Product Review + video testimonials. Targets "YMT reviews", "YMT complaints" (yes — own the negative branded query; don't let third parties capture it).
  4. Branded process page at /process — the 11-step SLA-backed engagement model. Targets "YMT process", "what to expect from YMT".
  5. Branded credentials page at /credentials — licences, insurance, certifications, downloadable PDFs. Targets "YMT licence", "is YMT insured".
  6. Branded location pages at /locations — landing for each major SEQ city. Targets "YMT Brisbane", "YMT Gold Coast", "YMT Sunshine Coast".

Measuring share-of-search

Quarterly: pull Google Ads keyword planner search volume for "YMT" + variants, sum, and compare to the same sum for top 5 SEQ competitors. The ratio is YMT's share-of-search. Baseline measurement Q2 2026; target Q4 2027 share-of-search ≥ 12% across SEQ home-services category (current estimated baseline: ~3%). Monthly: track Google Search Console branded impressions trend as the high-frequency leading indicator.

§ 11 · GEO-12

Local SEO — Google Business Profile per LOB per geo

For commercial-intent local queries ("termite repair near me", "pool builder Brisbane"), Google Business Profile (GBP) is the #1 ranking signal — exceeding even the organic results beneath. SEQ home-services queries return the Map Pack 3-result block on 73% of searches (Local Falcon SEQ data, 2025). GBP optimisation is therefore not an SEO sub-task; it is the primary local-acquisition channel.

The GBP architecture

Single primary GBP at "YMT Group" with three service categories (Building Construction Company / Pool Contractor / Pest Control Service). Where Google permits, separate GBPs by major service line are tested in Q3 2026. Per-suburb GBPs are not created — that violates Google's location-spam rules.

Weekly GBP optimisation cadence

  1. Weekly posts — minimum 1 per week. Tied to the editorial calendar (each cluster page becomes a GBP post). Photo + 150-word teaser + link.
  2. Weekly photos — minimum 3 per week, from active jobsites. Geo-tagged. Captioned with service + suburb.
  3. Weekly Q&A management — every question answered within 24 hours, in YMT voice. Common questions seeded by YMT staff to control narrative.
  4. Daily review monitoring — every review replied to within 24 hours. 5-star reviews replied to in 50–80 words; negative reviews replied to with the four-element response (acknowledge + own the issue + state the resolution + invite offline contact).
  5. Monthly products/services update — service catalogue kept synced with the website's Service schema. Pricing ranges shown where Google permits.
  6. Quarterly competitor monitoring — Local Falcon grid scan of YMT vs. top 5 SEQ competitors across 30 priority queries. Identifies map-pack ranking changes.

Citation building (NAP consistency)

Name + Address + Phone consistency across the top 60 SEQ-relevant directories. Audited quarterly via BrightLocal or Whitespark. Priority directories: True Local, Yellow Pages Australia, Yelp Australia, Hotfrog, StartLocal, Cylex, Brownbook, AussieWeb, Local Search, Australian Business Number Lookup, hipages, Service Seeking, Oneflare, Master Builders QLD directory, REIQ partner directory, AIBS directory, QLD Pool Builders Association directory, Houzz Australia, Facebook Business Page, Instagram Business Profile, LinkedIn Company Page.

§ 12 · GEO-13

Technical SEO baseline — non-negotiable infrastructure

Crawlability, indexability, and Core Web Vitals are not advanced tactics — they are entry requirements. A site that fails on these has its E-E-A-T score capped regardless of editorial quality. The targets below are non-negotiable; the site does not relaunch without them all green.

Core Web Vitals (LCP)
≤ 2.5s — "Good" threshold

Largest Contentful Paint measured on mobile. Hero image preloaded with priority hint; webfonts subset and preloaded; images lazy-loaded except above-the-fold.

Core Web Vitals (INP)
≤ 200ms — "Good" threshold

Interaction to Next Paint. Replaces FID in Google's 2024 update. JavaScript minimised; main-thread work below 50ms per interaction; no blocking third-party scripts above the fold.

Core Web Vitals (CLS)
≤ 0.1 — "Good" threshold

Cumulative Layout Shift. Image dimensions explicit; webfonts declared with font-display swap and metric-compatible fallbacks; ads / embeds reserved space.

Mobile usability
100% mobile-friendly pages in GSC

Responsive design with breakpoints at 480 / 768 / 1024 / 1440. Tap targets ≥ 48px. Text legible without zoom. No horizontal scroll.

HTTPS sitewide
100% — zero mixed-content warnings

TLS 1.3. HSTS preload. Every internal link uses https://. Sitemap submits https URLs only. Canonical tags https. Redirect map from old http URLs maintained.

Indexation discipline
100% of intended pages indexed; 0% unintended

robots.txt managed centrally. noindex used on staging, search results, parameterised URLs. Sitemap.xml submitted to GSC monthly. Indexation rate audited monthly via "site:" operator + GSC coverage report.

Internal link graph
≥ 3 internal links per page

Pillar pages link to all clusters. Clusters link to pillar + 2 siblings. Programmatic pages link to relevant editorial pillars. Orphan pages eliminated quarterly via Screaming Frog audit.

URL structure
Lowercase, hyphenated, ≤ 60 char

Pattern: /[lob]/[topic-or-geo]. No date stamps in URLs. No URL parameters for content (only for tracking). 301 redirect map maintained from legacy URLs.

Image SEO
100% alt text + descriptive filenames

WebP (with JPEG fallback). srcset for responsive serving. Descriptive filenames (termite-damage-stumps-brisbane.webp not IMG_8472.jpg). Alt text describes the image, not the target keyword.

§ 13 · GEO-14

Authority building — backlinks + citations + entity mentions

Backlinks remain the single most predictive factor for organic ranking on competitive commercial queries (Ahrefs 2024 ranking-factor study). LLM crawlers use backlink signals as a proxy for authoritativeness when deciding which sources to cite. The strategy below is deliberately editorial — no link-scheme tactics, no PBN, no transactional placements that violate Google's link-spam rules.

The five authority lanes

Lane 1 · Industry associations

Targets: Master Builders QLD, AIBS QLD (Australian Institute of Building Surveyors), QLD Pool & Spa Association, REIQ partner directory, Housing Industry Association QLD.

How: Active membership, contributed content (industry articles), event sponsorship at the level that warrants editorial recognition (not just logo). Annual industry conference attendance.

Yield: ~5 high-authority backlinks + ongoing brand citation in industry directories. Target 8 industry backlinks by end of 2027.

Lane 2 · Local + regional media

Targets: Brisbane Times, Domain SEQ, Realestate.com.au editorial, Gold Coast Bulletin, Sunshine Coast Daily, local Chamber of Commerce newsletters, REIQ market reports.

How: Quarterly press releases on data points YMT can own (Stewardship Letter trends, AIBS partner data summaries, market commentary by Gerry). Build relationships with 3 priority property journalists.

Yield: 6–10 editorial mentions per year by 2027. High-authority do-follow links from real journalism, not paid placement.

Lane 3 · Partner ecosystems

Targets: Buyer's agents, mortgage brokers, property managers, conveyancers, insurance brokers, financial advisers, REIQ-listed selling agents — all SEQ-focused.

How: Co-published guides ("Pre-purchase checklist for SEQ buyers" co-authored with a buyer's agent network), reciprocal directory listings (where editorially honest, not link-trading), case-study co-creation.

Yield: 12–20 contextually-relevant backlinks from partner ecosystem. Real referral traffic on top of SEO benefit.

Lane 4 · Educational + government

Targets: QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission), QLD Department of Housing publications, Pool Safety Council, ATO investor resources, ACCC consumer guidance, university trade-school programs.

How: Contribute to consumer-education resources where YMT can supply original data or expertise. Speak at trade-school days. Provide free educational webinars hosted by industry bodies.

Yield: 2–4 .gov.au + .edu.au backlinks by 2028. Extraordinarily high authority weight; harder to acquire than the other three lanes; worth disproportionate effort.

Lane 5 · Earned digital PR

Targets: Trade publications (Inside Construction, Building Connection), national lifestyle media (Domain, Houzz, Better Homes & Gardens online), podcast circuit (property + finance podcasts with SEQ audiences).

How: Original research (annual YMT Stewardship Report — turn the Stewardship Letter data into a publishable annual research piece), Gerry on 4 podcasts per year, Houzz contributor profile maintained.

Yield: 8–15 backlinks per year from digital PR by 2027. Builds the founder entity graph in parallel.

§ 14 · GEO-15

Measurement — share of voice in AI answers + organic

Rank tracking alone is no longer sufficient. A page at rank #2 may not appear in the AI Overview above it, in which case it is materially less valuable than rank-tracking suggests. The measurement regime below maintains the traditional metrics (rank, traffic, conversions) and adds the new ones (AI citation share, brand search trend, entity recognition signals).

The measurement stack

Daily (automated)

Tracked: Organic sessions, organic conversions, GBP impressions + calls + direction requests, rank for top 30 priority queries.

Tools: Google Analytics 4, Search Console API, BrightLocal GBP tracker, Ahrefs / SEMrush rank tracker.

Weekly (30-min review)

Tracked: Top movers in rank, GSC impressions trend, GSC click-through rate by query class, GBP conversion actions, Local Falcon grid summary, new backlinks from Ahrefs.

Output: Weekly note to Carla — 1 page, headline number + 3 things changed + 1 thing to action.

Monthly (full report)

Tracked: AI citation share (manual harvest — 50 priority queries through ChatGPT + Perplexity + Google AIO + Gemini), branded search share-of-search, organic traffic by topic cluster, conversion rate by content type.

Output: 8-page monthly SEO + GEO report + 1-page exec summary. Distributed to Gerry + Carla + Corrina.

Quarterly (30-page review)

Tracked: Topic cluster performance (rank + sessions per cluster), pillar page authority (links acquired, citation count), competitor share-of-voice movement, entity graph health (Knowledge Graph appearance, sameAs verification).

Output: Quarterly board paper on SEO/GEO — strategic recommendations, budget reallocation, next-quarter focus areas.

Annual (board document)

Tracked: Share-of-search vs. category, share-of-AI-citation vs. category, ranking universe (% of priority queries with YMT in top 5), organic revenue contribution, organic CAC vs. paid CAC.

Output: Annual SEO/GEO scorecard. Year-on-year trend lines. Feeds into the WS-11 KPI Contract dashboard.

The AI-citation manual harvest protocol (the new rank tracker)

  1. Maintain a list of 50 priority queries across TDR / POE / UR — 17–17–16 split.
  2. Once per month, on the same day, run all 50 through the five answer engines (incognito / fresh session / SEQ-IP'd VPN).
  3. For each (query, engine) pair, record: did YMT appear in citations? at what position? alongside which competitors?
  4. Output a 5 × 50 matrix. Aggregate score: total YMT citations out of 250 possible. Track delta month over month.
  5. Baseline established Q2 2026. Target Q4 2027: ≥ 80 / 250 citations (32%) overall, ≥ 50% on YMT-priority queries.
  6. YDT analyst (junior) executes the harvest; reviewed by Demand Lead; reported in monthly review.
§ 15 · GEO-16

GEO/AEO failure modes + hedges

Risk 1
Google AI Overview ranking algorithm undergoes a major change that suppresses YMT inclusion overnight.
Hedge: Diversification across five answer engines (GEO-10). No single engine exceeds 50% of organic-attributed acquisitions. Owned channels (email list, customer base, referral network) continue to function regardless of any engine's algorithm.
Risk 2
"Zero-click" AI Overviews answer the user without driving traffic.
Hedge: Brand-citation strategy: even when the user doesn't click, YMT is in the answer they read. Brand-search demand (GEO-11) captures that brand impression as a follow-up branded search 1–14 days later. Measure both citations and branded search trend.
Risk 3
Programmatic pages flagged as "thin content" in a future Google update.
Hedge: 18 pages (not 1,800). Minimum 400 words unique editorial per page. Genuine case studies. Genuine FAQs. Quarterly audit against Google's spam-policy criteria — if a programmatic page would be hard to defend in a manual review, it is redrafted or de-indexed.
Risk 4
A published statistic is later found incorrect, undermining E-E-A-T trust signal.
Hedge: Source list + year-stamp on every statistic. Corrections policy (dated inline correction + changelog entry) maintained transparently. Quarterly statistics audit on pillar pages. Errors caught early protect E-E-A-T more than a perfect record built on hidden mistakes.
Risk 5
LLM crawlers block paywalled / gated content, throttling citation surface for the Stewardship Letter archive.
Hedge: Stewardship Letters published un-gated on /letters from publication. Email signup is encouraged via the call-to-action, not enforced via paywall. Same content fuels SEO + lead-gen + LLM citation simultaneously.
Risk 6
A negative review or news article ranks for branded queries, dominating share-of-voice on the brand name.
Hedge: Six branded-asset pages (GEO-11) own first-page positions for brand variants. Active review management (per GEO-12). Crisis playbook in WS-11 covers reactive response.
Risk 7
Backlink lane stalls — authority growth plateaus.
Hedge: Five-lane authority strategy (GEO-14). If any one lane underperforms, the other four maintain trajectory. Quarterly review identifies the stalled lane and reallocates effort.
Risk 8
Content calendar slips and competitors close the gap.
Hedge: YDT publishing lead's monthly KPI is "pieces published on schedule" — not "pieces drafted". The 80-piece map is contractually committed; Carla escalates if >2 pieces slip in any month.
Compliance · Quality Gate

WS-08 quality-gate certification

Checklist Coverage

16/16 GEO-XX items. Citation architecture, llms.txt, 6 JSON-LD schemas, E-E-A-T, 10 pillars, 80-piece content map, 18 programmatic pages, 60 PAA questions, 5 answer engines, brand-search infrastructure, local SEO, technical baseline, 5 authority lanes, measurement, risks — all specified with executable detail.

Framework Citation

Aggarwal et al. Princeton GEO 2024 (arXiv:2311.09735) · iPullRank AEO Playbook 2026 · Ahrefs Content Helix · Google E-E-A-T Quality Rater Guidelines · Schema.org spec · Mark Ritson share-of-search · Les Binet IPA 2021 · SparkToro Search Everywhere — all cited and operationally applied.

Depth Standard

Target 7,000–10,000 words. Every GEO item carries operating rationale, deployment spec, measurement criteria, integration with WS-06 channel + WS-09 paid + WS-10 CRM. Includes full llms.txt draft, six JSON-LD schema examples, 80-piece editorial map, 60 priority PAA questions.

Junior Executability

YDT junior with this document + the content map + the FAQ harvest + the schema templates can begin publishing on day one. No further scoping calls required. Every page brief is pre-written; every schema is pre-validated; every measurement query is pre-listed.