Content-negotiated markdown on canonical URLs
Serve markdown from the same canonical URL when an agent requests `Accept: text/markdown`, instead of forcing a separate docs-only experience.
Why this can grow a startup
This keeps humans and agents anchored to the same source URL while giving each the format they can actually use. Browsers still get rich HTML, but assistants get clean markdown with less token waste and cleaner citations. That reduces retrieval friction without splitting authority across parallel pages.
Source-backed example
Vercel's agent-readability guidance recommends returning markdown for canonical docs URLs when agents send `Accept: text/markdown`, with separate cache treatment via `Vary: Accept`.
Source details
Source: Vercel Knowledge Base · Browse Vercel Knowledge Base tactics
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
Source discovered: May 24, 2026
When to use it
Use this when SEO, AI Search, Website is relevant to seo, ai-discovery, trust and you can run a bounded test with a low budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to SEO and AI Search, using evidence from Vercel Knowledge Base as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Qualified search visitors who complete the intended next action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
Compare a stack for your situation
Compare source-backed tactics against your product, stage, budget and channel strengths, then choose one experiment to test.
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Apply this with an operator
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