Direct answer
A useful SEO requirement states the user and system problem, scope, expected behavior, acceptance evidence, owner, dependencies, and rollback or monitoring plan.
Practical steps
- Describe current evidence.
- Define affected templates and states.
- Write observable acceptance tests.
- Assign release and monitoring responsibility.
Common mistakes
- Submitting vague 'SEO fixes'.
- Prescribing implementation without constraints.
- Omitting error and empty states.
Limitations
- Requirements cannot replace collaboration.
- Search behavior remains partly external.
Primary sources
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — Google Search Central; 2025-12-10; 2026-08-14.