Apply And Verify

# Phase 4 — Apply Fixes & Verify

**Goal:** work the backlog top-down, changing code safely and proving each fix.

## Loop (repeat until the backlog is empty)

1. **Pick the next item** (infra-first, then P1 → P2 → P3).
2. **Read before you edit.** Open the target file and the surrounding code; match the project's existing patterns, naming, and JSON-LD injection style. Reuse the central metadata helper — don't hand-roll a metadata object that drops canonical/hreflang.
3. **Make the smallest correct change.** One concern per edit. Preserve translations, styling, and SPA behavior.
4. **Verify — in this order, every time:**
   - **Typecheck** → **lint** → **build**. If any fail, fix before continuing.
   - **Observe the real output.** Grep the server-rendered HTML for the change (e.g. the JSON-LD `@type`, the `<a href="?page=2">`, the `<meta name="robots">`), or load the route and check. Static checks alone are not proof for render/indexability changes.
5. **Tick the item** in `SEO-AUDIT-PROGRESS.md` with a one-line note + evidence.

## Common fixes (recipes → see the cited doc)

- **CSR content invisible** → move the data fetch server-side and pass initial props (SSR/SSG/ISR). `docs/05`.
- **Pagination not crawlable** → render real `<a href="?page=n">` for prev/next; each page self-canonical; drop `rel=next/prev` reliance. `docs/03`.
- **Soft-404** → return a real 404 for missing entities, or `noindex` empty/placeholder pages. `docs/05`.
- **Internal search indexable** → `noindex` when a free-text search param is present (keep tag/sort/page indexable). `docs/03`.
- **UGC links** → `rel="ugc nofollow"` on user-generated links; `rel="sponsored"` on paid. `docs/03`.
- **Missing JSON-LD** → add the type-appropriate schema reflecting visible content; validate with the Rich Results Test. `docs/08`.
- **Duplicate tool/detail URLs** → set a cross-canonical to the primary URL. `docs/01`, `docs/02`.
- **Sitemap** → cover exactly the `public-index` set; remove disallowed URLs; accurate `lastmod`. `docs/06`.
- **Images/CLS** → add `width`/`height`; eager+`fetchpriority=high` for LCP, `loading=lazy` below the fold. `docs/07`.
- **hreflang** → bidirectional, self-referential, `x-default`, valid ISO codes. `docs/02`.

## Guardrails

- Don't chase rankings by removing content or keyword-stuffing. `docs/09`.
- Only mark up **visible** content in structured data. `docs/08`.
- Don't add AI-specific files (`llms.txt` etc.) expecting Google to use them — it doesn't. `docs/09`.
- If a "fix" would need a risky refactor for a non-ranking benefit, log it as a deliberate skip instead.

## Finish

When the backlog is empty and every "done" checkbox in `START.md` is satisfied, print a **final summary table**: `page/area | change | verification evidence`. Note remaining deliberate skips. Report the passing typecheck/lint/build output.