SEO audit + AI search (GEO/AEO) strategy · Media localization studio (NYC)
An SEO and AI search roadmap for a NYC localization studio
A New York media localization studio (subtitling, dubbing, voice-over and translation) had a fast site but weak on-page SEO. The audit found the gaps, benchmarked three national competitors and turned it all into a 100-keyword plan and an 8-week roadmap.
- 58
- pages missing meta descriptions
- 45
- pages with only one internal link pointing to them
- 100
- keywords across 5 service clusters, incl. AI-search questions
- 8 weeks
- week-by-week implementation roadmap
The challenge
Speed was already good (mobile 85, desktop 92), so the real problems were on the page: missing metadata, thin internal linking and nothing prepared for AI search engines.
| Area | Finding | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | 58 pages without meta descriptions, 2 duplicates | High |
| Titles | 29 pages with overlong title tags; 1 page with duplicate H1 and title | High |
| Internal links | 45 pages with only one incoming internal link | High |
| AI search (AEO) | No llms.txt; 6 pages need content optimization; 3 non-descriptive anchors | Medium |
| Security / links | 1 HTTPS page linking to HTTP; 1 internal nofollow link | Low |
| Local | Google Business Profile and listing audit completed | Medium |
| Backlinks | Backlink audit, with toxic domains recently disavowed | Done |
What I did
Competitor benchmark
Three competitors, two national translation brands and one NYC-focused provider, were analyzed for organic keywords, paid keywords and backlinks, with a full keyword gap, missing-keyword list and backlink gap delivered. Two of the three bid on Google Ads; the NYC competitor relied on organic search only.
100 keywords in 5 clusters
| Cluster | What it targets | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Media & CCSL | Film delivery documents and scripts | CCSL creation for film distribution |
| Subtitling | Captions, SDH and subtitle files | SDH subtitling for hearing impaired |
| Voice-over & dubbing | Studio and talent services in NYC | Professional dubbing services Manhattan |
| Niche translation | Legal, technical and software localization | Software UI localization services |
| AEO / Q&A | Questions buyers ask Google and AI assistants | 20 question-style queries for FAQ and AI answers |
20 keywords per cluster, each tagged by intent and difficulty.
8-week roadmap
- Weeks 1-2 · Fix and connect: write the 58 missing meta descriptions, trim 29 titles, fix duplicates, then rebuild internal links to the 45 under-linked pages.
- Weeks 3-4 · Speed and content: final speed tweaks, content review of the 6 weak pages and stronger internal linking between service pages.
- Weeks 5-6 · On-page and local: advanced on-page work on service pages, then Google Business Profile and local listing improvements for NYC searches.
- Weeks 7-8 · Track and adjust: analytics and rank tracking set up, results reviewed and the plan adjusted for the next quarter.
Starting point and what was delivered
| Area | Starting point (audit) | Delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Meta descriptions | 58 pages missing, 2 duplicates | Weeks 1-2: write all 58, fix duplicates |
| Title tags | 29 overlong | Weeks 1-2: trim all 29 |
| Internal links | 45 pages with one incoming link | Weeks 1-2: rebuild links to all 45 |
| AI search | No llms.txt | 20-question AEO cluster, llms.txt and FAQ content |
| Keywords | - | 100 keywords in 5 clusters, tagged by intent and difficulty |
| Competitors | - | 3 benchmarked: keyword gap, missing keywords, backlink gap |
Why it worked
Services, not generic terms
Each cluster maps to a real service page the studio already sells.
Ready for AI search
A dedicated question cluster, llms.txt and FAQ content so AI assistants can cite the studio.
An order of work
A week-by-week plan the in-house team could follow without guessing what comes first.
Problems found where they were
Speed was already good, so the plan focused on the on-page gaps: metadata, internal links and AI readiness.
Questions about this project
What is an AEO keyword cluster?
In this plan it is a group of 20 question-style queries that buyers ask Google and AI assistants, written up as FAQ content so AI answers can cite the studio.
Why focus on on-page SEO instead of speed?
Speed was already good (mobile 85, desktop 92). The audit showed the real problems were missing metadata, thin internal linking and nothing prepared for AI search engines.
What did the competitor benchmark show?
Two of the three competitors bid on Google Ads; the NYC-focused competitor relied on organic search only.
Client and competitor names withheld. Audit data from Semrush and PageSpeed Insights, Feb 2026.
