Every SEO tool I used gave me the same thing: a score out of 100 and a list of issues. "Fix this title tag. Add that alt text. Improve page speed by 0.3 seconds."
I'd fix everything, check the score, feel productive — and then watch the traffic graph stay flat.
The problem wasn't finding issues. It was knowing which ones mattered.
The Strategy Kernel Approach
I started applying Richard Rumelt's Strategy Kernel framework — originally designed for business strategy — to SEO:
- Diagnosis — What is actually going on?
- Guiding Policy — What approach addresses it?
- Coherent Actions — What specific steps follow?
Instead of treating all 47 issues equally, I classified findings as Threats (things hurting you now), Gaps (missed optimizations), and Opportunities (untapped potential). Then I scored each one: Severity x Scale x Page Importance.
The results were immediate. Instead of fixing everything, I fixed what mattered. Traffic moved.
So I Built DadSEO
DadSEO connects to Google Search Console (read-only), imports up to 16 months of historical data, and runs a strategic diagnosis using 7 specialized AI subagents in parallel.
What it does differently:
Traditional SEO tools:
- Numeric scores (73/100)
- Keyword density targets
- Critical/High/Med/Low severity
- Generic checklists
DadSEO:
- 6-dimension qualitative evaluation (Strong/Adequate/Weak/Missing)
- Semantic territory coverage
- Threats/Gaps/Opportunities with impact formula
- Strategy Canvas aligned with business goals
20+ specialized tools:
Full audit, content intelligence, AI visibility (GEO), technical SEO, schema, sitemap, competitors, programmatic SEO, hreflang, off-page, internal links, and more.
AI Visibility (GEO)
One tool I'm particularly excited about: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) checks how visible your site is to AI platforms — Google AIO, ChatGPT, Perplexity. As AI search grows, this becomes critical.
Developer-First Integrations
- REST API with Bearer token auth
- MCP server with 50+ functions (works with Claude, Cursor)
- RSS feed at /feed.xml
Tech Stack
- Frontend: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
- Database: PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM
- AI: Claude for analysis and chat
- Data: Google Search Console API (up to 16 months)
- Deployment: Docker on Coolify
Pricing
- Free: 1 site, 5 audits/month — forever
- Pro: $29/month — 5 sites, unlimited audits, all tools
- Business: $49/month — unlimited sites, API access
Check it out: https://getdadseo.com
I'd love feedback from the dev community. What do you look for in an SEO tool? What's missing from the current options?
Top comments (6)
This is a really interesting approach. I’ve had the same experience with many SEO tools — they show dozens of issues but it’s hard to know which ones actually matter. The “diagnosis first” idea makes a lot more sense, especially for small sites where fixing everything isn’t realistic. Curious to see how the GEO part works as AI search keeps growing.
Totally agree — that's the core problem. DadSEO already tackles this by classifying findings as Threats, Gaps, or Opportunities, then scoring each one: Severity × Scale × Page Importance. So a critical indexation issue on a high-conversion template surfaces way before a thin content warning on a low-traffic blog post. The impact formula tries to do exactly what you're describing — make it impossible to fix the wrong 40 things while the real blocker sits hidden. I'd love to hear more about how you'd want to see this communicated in the UI.
I like the idea of prioritizing issues based on impact instead of just listing everything.
From a UI perspective, something that helps a lot (at least for me) is seeing the top 3–5 issues that will move traffic the most, instead of a long list. Almost like a “fix these first” section.
Many small site owners don’t know where to start, so that kind of clear priority could make the tool much easier to act on.
This is a better framing than another 73/100 dashboard. Have you looked into possibly tying each diagnosis to page type and business impact? E.g. “indexation issue on templates that drive conversions” vs “cleanup issue on low-value pages.” That makes it easier to avoid fixing 40 low-impact findings while the real blocker is crawlability, internal linking, or thin template-level content.
Exactly. When you're running a small site or solo, the checklist approach is paralysis by spreadsheet. You fix what's easy, feel productive, then watch the graph stay flat. That's why I built DadSEO around the Strategy Kernel framework — diagnose the actual bottleneck first, then figure out the fix. GEO checks visibility across Google AIO, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. If you've got a site you'd like to test it on, run a free audit.
Indeed, I run our site apogeewatcher.com and got a lot of useful stuff to look into. Enough to keep us busy for a couple of weeks, thanks!
One very small note: I got a suggestion to use a HowTo schema on a page, but the HowTo schema has been dropped by Google.