Rules
Rules & principles
The scannable do/don't list plus the core principles that govern everything.
The fast-reference rules. When in doubt, this page wins. Depth lives in the manuals + workflows linked throughout.
Core principles
- 10 good links beat 1,000. Competitors brute-force because their on-page is broken. Get on-page + schema + headings right and 10 properly-anchored links move the needle. Then another 10. See Anchor text.
- On-page + schema before links. "I only care about referring-domain count when first publishing. After that it's on-page schema, then 10 at a time." Don't spend a dollar on links until on-page is clean.
- One URL per run; RD100 or cloud. A cloud-template / RD100 run targets exactly one URL, and you run one or the other — both only for a hard keyword.
- Internal links are a publish step. Link out from the new page, then link in from old content, every time. No links = a deindex signal. See On-page.
- External links only to genuinely cited sources. Generic external linking does nothing; an all-Wikipedia profile reads as manipulation.
- The map absorbs aggression your site can't. Single-keyword anchor blitzes are a GBP tactic only — never on the money site, or you over-optimize and tank.
- Own the racecourse. Own your platform; never take a client's domain/hosting. See Network safety.
- Schema aids understanding, not citation. "AI loves schema because it's JSON" has zero empirical proof. Test claims; don't inherit them.
- Trigger the entity first. Social ring + DAS to socials before money pages will lift. See DAS.
The Don't-Do list
| Don't | Why |
|---|---|
| Repeat DAS on the same property | One-time setup, period. |
| Trust the GBP grid color legend | Click in. Colors are jacked. |
| Use the Authority Links node on Mac | Burns captcha credits. Strip it from RD100. |
| Use NEO's Keyword Buckets feature | Clint doesn't use them. Skip entirely. |
| Use one content bucket per keyword | One per client/niche. Adjacent topics together is fine. |
| Generate articles without Spin Rewriter on HIGH | Default = garbage. Can't retroactively spin. |
| Use plain text in the NAP block | Use HTML paragraph + break tags. |
| Point Social Bookmarking Low Quality at client sites | Plague sites. Never. |
| Run RD100 AND cloud on the same page by default | One or the other. Both only for hard keywords. |
| Point a run at multiple URLs | One URL per run. |
| Default-link to Wikipedia (body or schema) | Reads as manipulation. Cite real sources. |
| Treat internal linking as a monthly cleanup | It's a publish-time step. |
| One-shot a coding task | Build in stages or chase rabbits all day. See Build stack. |
| Take control of a client's domain or hosting | The Sesame trap. |
| Build 200-page sites for a link network | You can't link all those pages well. |
| Believe "AI cites you because you have schema" | No empirical proof. |
| Run a domain network without WHOIS privacy + Cloudflare name servers | Same-IP/registrar networks get caught. |
| Use GSA on client sites | Point it at cloud sites / YouTube / Pinterest only. |
| Build an AEO program | Run standard SEO + the Q&A format; citations come. |
| Aggressively anchor-blitz the money site | Maps can absorb it; money pages can't. |
| Pay Omega rates for Tier 2/3 links | Coalindexer is enough. |
| Buy 100 links in one push | 10 at a time, watch, another 10. |
| Buy links from sites that don't internally link their guest posts | Google devalues them. |
| Run NEO on your daily-driver Mac while working | It hijacks your clipboard mid-run. |
| Price below $1,500/mo for home services | Cheap clients always complain. |
| Promise a national NEO-only campaign under a year | Plan for paid links if faster. |