Tools & Infrastructure

Tools, Cloudflare & API Playbook

Use this page as your reference stack for every website in the portfolio: research, technical SEO, content, analytics, monetization, plus the full Cloudflare setup checklist with screenshot tasks.

1. SEO Tool Stack

Research and keyword tools

Purpose	Tools
Keyword research	Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, KWFinder, LowFruits, Keywords Everywhere
Free keyword signals	Google Search Console, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner
Questions / content ideas	AlsoAsked, AnswerThePublic, People Also Ask, Reddit, Quora
Competitor research	Ahrefs, Semrush, Similarweb, SpyFu
Content gaps	Ahrefs Content Gap, Semrush Keyword Gap
SERP analysis	Detailed SEO Extension, SEOquake, Ahrefs SERP Overview

Technical SEO tools

Purpose	Tools
Crawl audits	Screaming Frog, Sitebulb
Indexing data	Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools
Performance	PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, WebPageTest, GTmetrix
Core Web Vitals	CrUX, PageSpeed Insights, Search Console CWV report
Structured data	Google Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator
Log analysis	Screaming Frog Log Analyzer, JetOctopus, Oncrawl
Broken links	Screaming Frog, Ahrefs Site Audit

Content optimization tools

Purpose	Tools
Content briefs	Clearscope, SurferSEO, Frase, MarketMuse, NeuronWriter
Entity optimization	InLinks, MarketMuse
Writing / editing	Grammarly, Hemingway, ProWritingAid
AI assistance	ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity
Editorial ops	Notion, Airtable, Trello, Asana

Use AI for briefs, outlines, research organization, and editing — but add expert knowledge, sources, examples, and human review.

Analytics and CRO tools

Purpose	Tools
Traffic analytics	GA4, Plausible, Matomo
Search performance	Google Search Console
Dashboards	Looker Studio, BigQuery
Heatmaps	Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, Crazy Egg
A/B testing	VWO, Optimizely, Convert
Email analytics	Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Klaviyo

Monetization tools

Purpose	Tools
Display ads	Google AdSense, Ezoic, Mediavine, Raptive, NitroPay
Ad management	Google Ad Manager
Affiliate networks	Impact, CJ, ShareASale, PartnerStack, Awin
Lead generation	Typeform, Tally, HubSpot, Salesforce
Newsletter monetization	Beehiiv, SparkLoop, Passionfroot
Consent / privacy	CookieYes, OneTrust, Usercentrics, Termly

2. Cloudflare Stack

Use Cloudflare for:

1. DNS — connect your domain to hosting.
2. CDN — make pages faster worldwide.
3. SSL/TLS — HTTPS security.
4. WAF/security rules — protect forms and admin pages.
5. Turnstile — anti-spam CAPTCHA alternative.
6. Cloudflare Pages — host static sites.
7. Cloudflare Workers — build small APIs/tools/calculators.
8. Cloudflare R2 — store images, PDFs, downloads.
9. Cloudflare Web Analytics — privacy-friendly analytics.
10. Zaraz — manage third-party scripts with less performance damage.

3. SEO / API Tools

Need	Tools
Search performance	Google Search Console API
Analytics	GA4 Data API, Cloudflare Web Analytics
Speed testing	PageSpeed Insights API, WebPageTest
Keyword research	Ahrefs, Semrush, DataForSEO, Google Trends
Editorial workflow	Notion API, Airtable API, Trello, Asana
AI workflow	OpenAI API, Claude, Gemini
Newsletter	Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Mailchimp API
CMS publishing	WordPress REST API, Ghost API, Webflow API
Monetization tracking	Google Ad Manager, affiliate dashboards, Looker Studio

Important: the Google Indexing API is not for normal blog posts. It is mainly for specific content types like JobPosting and BroadcastEvent pages.

4. Cloudflare Setup Guide (with Screenshot Tasks)

Use this checklist for each of the 10 websites in your portfolio.

Step 1 — Add the domain to Cloudflare

1. Log in to Cloudflare.
2. Click Add a site.
3. Enter your domain.
4. Choose a plan.
5. Cloudflare will scan DNS records.
6. Confirm records.
7. Copy Cloudflare nameservers.
8. Go to your registrar.
9. Replace old nameservers with Cloudflare nameservers.

Screenshot: Cloudflare site overview showing status as active. Hide account ID, email, and any private info.

Step 2 — Configure DNS

1. Go to DNS > Records.
2. Add your hosting record: A record if your host gives an IP, or CNAME if your host gives a hostname.
3. Add www as CNAME.
4. Add email records if needed: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC.
5. Use Cloudflare proxy for web traffic where appropriate.

Screenshot: DNS records page. Blur origin IPs if visible.

Step 3 — Configure SSL/TLS

1. Go to SSL/TLS.
2. Use Full Strict if your origin server has a valid SSL certificate.
3. Enable Always Use HTTPS.
4. Enable automatic HTTPS rewrites if needed.
5. Test the site with https://.

Screenshot: SSL/TLS overview showing mode, and the HTTPS redirect setting.

Step 4 — Configure performance

1. Enable Brotli.
2. Enable HTTP/3.
3. Set browser cache TTL.
4. Create cache rules for static assets.
5. If using WordPress, consider Cloudflare APO.
6. Compress images before upload.
7. Use Cloudflare R2 or Cloudflare Images for assets if useful.

Screenshot: Speed/performance settings and cache rules page.

Step 5 — Configure security

1. Enable WAF managed rules.
2. Protect /wp-admin or CMS login.
3. Add rate limiting for forms if available.
4. Add Cloudflare Turnstile to contact forms, lead forms, and newsletter forms.
5. Block obvious spam patterns carefully.

Screenshot: WAF overview and Turnstile widget setup. Do not show secret keys.

Step 6 — Configure analytics

1. Add Google Search Console.
2. Add GA4.
3. Add Cloudflare Web Analytics.
4. Use Zaraz if you want to reduce heavy third-party scripts.
5. Track events: newsletter signup, affiliate click, lead form submit, calculator completed, download clicked.

Screenshot: GA4 property overview, Search Console verification, Cloudflare Web Analytics dashboard.

5. Screenshot SOP for Content

Some articles need screenshots. Use this process:

1. Decide why the screenshot is needed.
2. Use your own account, demo account, or official public source.
3. Do not expose personal data.
4. Check whether the website permits screenshots.
5. Capture the relevant section only.
6. Add arrows or highlights if helpful.
7. Export as WebP or compressed PNG.
8. Name the file clearly:

business-insurance-quote-form-example-2026.webp

9. Upload to CMS or Cloudflare R2.
10. Add alt text.
11. Add caption with source/date if needed.
12. Keep original screenshot in your media archive.
13. Review screenshots every 6–12 months.

6. API Workflows

Beginner workflow (Zapier / Make / Pipedream)

1. Pull weekly Google Search Console data.
2. Send low-CTR pages to Airtable/Notion.
3. Pull PageSpeed Insights data.
4. Create optimization tasks.
5. Notify yourself by email or Slack.

Advanced workflow (Cloudflare Workers / serverless)

1. After publishing, purge Cloudflare cache for the URL.
2. Store images/downloads in R2.
3. Use Workers Cron to check data sources.
4. Send update tasks to Notion/Airtable.
5. Do not auto-publish YMYL updates without review.

Screenshot: API workflow dashboard and Notion/Airtable task board. Hide API keys and tokens.