Skip to content

Conversation

@sc-chathumikaalwis
Copy link
Collaborator

@sc-chathumikaalwis sc-chathumikaalwis commented Jan 26, 2026

Description / Motivation

Context & motivation
This PR optimizes the starter kits for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) so content is easy to discover, index, and reuse by AI agents and search engines.
Generative AI (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude, etc.) is changing how users find content. Traditional SEO alone is not enough. With GEO support, Sitecore’s starter kits are better positioned to appear in AI-generated answers, strengthening customer adoption, partner use cases, and our ability to showcase personalization and composability. By adding clear semantic structure, bot-friendly access, and retrievable content chunks, we keep Sitecore relevant in AI-first discovery.

Design & approach
Semantic structure: Semantic HTML where appropriate and JSON-LD blocks so AI and search engines can understand content and entities.
Bot & crawler access: robots.txt and selective noindex/nofollow so AI crawlers and hosting providers can be configured predictably; bot-access behavior is documented for hosts.
Discovery & crawling: sitemap.xml listing important URLs so crawlers and AI systems can discover all key pages.
Sharing & previews: Open Graph and Twitter Card tags in so shared links (and AI crawlers) get consistent, informative previews.
Canonical URLs: on all pages, canonical tags implemented consistently, and metadata aligned across templates to avoid duplicate/split signals.

Technical summary
Semantic tags/markup and JSON-LD for pages/content where it adds value.
robots.txt plus noindex/nofollow on selected pages (e.g. utility or low-value pages).
sitemap.xml built or configured with all important URLs.
Documentation for hosting providers on how AI/bot access is controlled.
OG and Twitter Card meta tags in layout/templates.
Canonical tags and shared metadata patterns applied across templates.

Testing Details

[ ] Unit Test Added
[x] Manual Test/Other (Please elaborate)
Validate robots.txt and sitemap.xml URLs in browser and with crawler/SEO tools.
Use crawlers, page speed insight and manual tests to test issue

Types of changes

[ ] Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
[x] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
[ ] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to change)
Terms

[ ] I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct.

sc-chathumikaalwis and others added 2 commits January 26, 2026 20:38
* Skatepark semantic fix (#271)

* refactor: replace <div> with semantic HTML elements <section>, <article>, <aside>, and <figure> in multiple components for improved accessibility and structure

* feat: add aria-label to mobile navigation toggle for improved accessibility

---------

Co-authored-by: ChathumikaSitecore <chathumika.alwis+sitecore@sitecore.com>

* Sync semantic fix (#270)

* Enhance structured data support across components

* Refactor JSON-LD structured data generation for articles and products in ArticleHeader and ProductListing components. Removed redundant code and improved clarity by consolidating schema generation logic.

* Refactor components to replace <h6> tags with <p> tags for tag lines and headings, enhancing semantic structure and accessibility across various sections including Contact, Features, Header, Newsletter, Stats, Team, and more.

* Add security headers and source maps configuration in Next.js setup

* Revert "Add security headers and source maps configuration in Next.js setup"

This reverts commit 55c6532.

---------

Co-authored-by: ChathumikaSitecore <chathumika.alwis+sitecore@sitecore.com>

* solterra semantic fix (#269)

* Enhance structured data integration across components

* Refactor GlobalFooter component to ensure type safety by filtering social link URLs with a type guard.

* Integrate StructuredData component and schema generators into various components for enhanced structured data support. Update component maps to include new imports and ensure proper usage across AccordionBlock, ArticleHeader, Breadcrumbs, and GlobalFooter components.

* Enhance Next.js configuration and components for improved functionality and SEO. Added production source maps support in next.config.ts, fixed Open Graph meta tags in Layout component, and implemented a custom robots.txt handler to ensure proper indexing. Updated ButtonComponent and various other components to support context-aware link text for better SEO. Improved error handling in video components and added graceful error handling for loading issues.

* Fix context title assignment in ArticleListing component to use the correct value property for improved data handling.

* Enhance Next.js configuration and components for improved image handling and SEO. Added modern image formats and responsive sizes in next.config.ts, implemented security headers, and refined link handling in various components for better SEO. Improved error handling in video components and ensured proper logging for expected network failures.

* Enhance link handling across multiple components to improve SEO by generating descriptive link text based on context. Updated ButtonComponent, Card, CtaBanner, PromoBlock, and TextBanner components to utilize enhanced link fields for better search engine visibility while preserving original text in editing mode.

* Refactor button handling in AlertBanner, Hero, MultiPromoItem, and PromoAnimated components to utilize EditableButton and enhance context title support for improved SEO and user experience.

* Code refactor

* Add semantic HTML checklist summary for improved structured data implementation

* refactor checklist

* Implement structured data enhancements across multiple components by integrating JsonLdScript for improved SEO. Added new schema generators for WebSite and WebPage, and updated AccordionBlock, ArticleHeader, Breadcrumbs, and GlobalFooter components to utilize these enhancements. Refactored robots.txt handling for better indexing compliance.

---------

Co-authored-by: ChathumikaSitecore <chathumika.alwis+sitecore@sitecore.com>

* Alaris semantic fixes (#273)

* implement semantic HTML and schema.org optimizations - Alaris site

* Remove custom alt text configuration

* Refactor components to improve semantic HTML and accessibility

---------

Co-authored-by: sc-krishanthakumara <sc-krishanthakumara@users.noreply.github.com>

* Refactor structured data integration across components

* Remove unused schema generators import from component map to streamline structured data integration.

* Refactor schema generation functions to improve clarity and maintainability. Introduced conditional properties for description, logo, and address fields, enhancing flexibility in structured data output. Updated BreadcrumbList schema mapping for better handling of optional URLs.

* Refactor Navigation component for improved structure and accessibility. Simplified the rendering logic by consolidating the details and summary elements into a single div, enhancing click handling for navigation items. Updated the navigation markup to use a div instead of a nav element for better semantic clarity.

---------

Co-authored-by: ChathumikaSitecore <chathumika.alwis+sitecore@sitecore.com>
Co-authored-by: Naveen Hedalla Arachchi <nvhd@sitecore.net>
Co-authored-by: sc-krishanthakumara <sc-krishanthakumara@users.noreply.github.com>
* Enhance AI crawler access configuration across examples

* Add detailed sitemap configuration section to AI Crawler Access guide

* Scb 282 ai crawler access (#37)

* Enhance AI crawler access configuration across examples

* Add detailed sitemap configuration section to AI Crawler Access guide

---------

Co-authored-by: sc-naveenhedallaarachchi <nvhd@sitecore.net>

* AI Crawler Access guide update

---------

Co-authored-by: sc-naveenhedallaarachchi <nvhd@sitecore.net>
Co-authored-by: Pamodith Maduwantha <pamo@sitecore.net>
@vercel
Copy link

vercel bot commented Jan 26, 2026

The latest updates on your projects. Learn more about Vercel for GitHub.

Project Deployment Review Updated (UTC)
xmcloud-starter-js Ready Ready Preview, Comment Jan 28, 2026 5:58am

Request Review

* Enhance metadata handling and layout structure across examples

* Refactor canonical URL construction in metadata generation to remove trailing slash for home page across multiple examples

* Refactor canonical URL construction in metadata generation to use public-facing path across multiple examples

---------

Co-authored-by: Nipuna Abeywickrama <nipu@sitecore.net>
@github-actions
Copy link

github-actions bot commented Jan 27, 2026

🔍 PR Validation Results

Status:FAILED

Base Branch Check: ✅ Based on latest main

Validated Starters: kit-nextjs-skate-park kit-nextjs-article-starter kit-nextjs-location-finder kit-nextjs-product-listing

Checks Performed:

  • ✅ Linting and formatting
  • ✅ TypeScript type checking
  • ✅ Build verification
  • ✅ Test execution

Next Steps:

  • ❌ Please fix the issues above before merging

  • If not based on latest main: git fetch origin main && git rebase origin/main && git push --force-with-lease

  • If formatting issues: Run npm run prettier

  • Check the build logs for specific errors


    This comment will be updated on each validation run

…tjs-location-finder example (#294)

Co-authored-by: Nipuna Abeywickrama <nipu@sitecore.net>
…social sharing. Enhanced descriptions, titles, and keywords for Solterra, Alaris, and SYNC sites, ensuring accurate representation across platforms. (#289)

Co-authored-by: pamo_sitecore <pamo@sitecore.net>
…m Next.js setup in kit-nextjs-article-starter example.
* Update dependencies in package.json and package-lock.json for kit-nextjs-location-finder example (#292)

* fix: Enable dynamic rendering to resolve SSR issues with client-side hooks (#293)

---------

Co-authored-by: Nipuna Abeywickrama <nipu@sitecore.net>
Co-authored-by: Naveen Hedalla Arachchi <nvhd@sitecore.net>
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

None yet

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

1 participant