Tag
SEO
15 posts with this tag.
Test your search with what people actually type
Your site search only works if it returns results for the words users choose, not the terms you wish they'd use.
Link previews show what you chose to highlight
When you share a URL, the preview card pulls from your meta tags. Control what shows up before someone else does it for you.
Decide your URL structure before you create content
Your URL pattern shapes how users navigate, how search engines index, and how you maintain your site. Choose it once, early, and stick to it.
Write the redirect before you delete the page
Deleting a page without planning the redirect means broken links and lost traffic. Decide where visitors should land before you hit delete.
Search result snippets aren't auto-generated magic
Most CMSs let search engines pick whatever text they want for your result snippet. That's a choice you made by leaving the meta description field empty.
Write meta descriptions people actually click
Meta descriptions don't affect rankings, but they affect whether your ranked page gets the click. Write them like you're competing for attention, not keyword density.
Page titles for people who don't read your nav
A page title needs to work when someone lands there from search, a link, or a bookmark — without any surrounding context. Here's how to write titles that orient people instantly.
Redirects are documentation your future self will need
Every redirect you set up is a tiny piece of institutional memory. Treat them like the load-bearing infrastructure they are, not cleanup tasks.
Breadcrumbs that actually tell users where they are
Most breadcrumb trails break at the worst moment—when users need orientation. Here's how to build navigation that survives real content sprawl.
Metadata inheritance saves hours you're currently wasting
Stop filling the same fields on every page. Let parent pages pass values down and override only what changes.
URL structure you can maintain for ten years
Good URL patterns survive redesigns and organizational changes. Plan them with durability, not cleverness.
Alt text audit in fifteen minutes
A systematic sweep through image descriptions that actually helps search and screen readers, without overthinking or AI slop.
One H1 per page is not a rule
The single-H1 myth survives because it used to matter and now it's just cargo cult. Current HTML and search care about hierarchy, not counting.
Write for scanners without lying
Scannability is not clickbait. It is honest labeling of useful sections.
Images that earn their kilobytes
A hero image is not decoration. It is either evidence, atmosphere with intent, or dead weight.