Key takeaways
- Make sure search engines can crawl, render and index every important page.
- Give each page one canonical URL, a unique title and a unique description.
- Add JSON-LD structured data and keep it consistent with the visible content.
- Pass Core Web Vitals: LCP ≤ 2.5 s, INP ≤ 200 ms, CLS ≤ 0.1.
1. Crawlability and indexing
If a search engine cannot reach or understand a page, nothing else matters. Start here.
- robots.txt should allow real pages and point to your sitemap. Remember that it controls crawling, not indexing. To keep a page out of results, use a
noindexrobots meta tag and leave the page crawlable so the tag can be seen. - XML sitemap lists every page you want indexed, with accurate
lastmoddates. Submit it in Google Search Console. - Status codes: real pages return 200, moved pages return a 301 to the new address, and missing pages return a real 404 (not a “soft 404” with a 200 status).
- Internal links: every page should be reachable by normal
<a href>links within a few clicks of the homepage.
2. URLs, canonicals and duplicates
Choose one preferred version of each URL (HTTPS, one host name, one trailing-slash style) and declare it with <link rel="canonical">. Canonical tags tell Google which URL to show when the same content is reachable at several addresses. Redirect the other variants. Avoid publishing the same text on multiple pages; link to the full version instead.
3. Titles, descriptions and headings
- Title: unique per page, about 50–60 characters, with the main topic near the front.
- Meta description: unique, around 120–160 characters, written to earn the click. Google may rewrite it, but a good one still helps.
- Headings: one
<h1>that matches the page’s purpose, then logical<h2>/<h3>sections. - Open Graph and Twitter Card tags control how links look when shared. They don’t affect ranking directly, but they improve click-through from social platforms and chat apps.
4. Structured data (Schema.org JSON-LD)
Structured data describes who or what a page is about in a format machines can read. For a personal site, Person, WebSite, WebPage and BreadcrumbList are a good base; articles can add Article, and Q&A sections can add FAQPage. Two rules matter: the markup must match what visitors can actually see, and it should be validated with Google’s Rich Results Test. Structured data helps search engines understand a page and can enable richer results, but it is not a ranking guarantee.
5. Performance and Core Web Vitals
Google’s page-experience signals centre on three Core Web Vitals: LCP (loading, aim for 2.5 s or less), INP (responsiveness, aim for 200 ms or less) and CLS (visual stability, aim for 0.1 or less). Static sites start with an advantage because there is no server rendering step. Keep it by compressing and resizing images, setting width and height, loading fonts efficiently and avoiding heavy scripts. The image optimisation guide covers the biggest win in detail.
6. Verify and monitor
- Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit the sitemap.
- Use URL Inspection to see how Google fetches and renders key pages.
- Watch the Pages report for indexing problems and the Performance report for queries and clicks.
- Run PageSpeed Insights on your main templates after every big change.
Be realistic
None of this guarantees rankings. Content quality, relevance, links and trust still matter most, and results take weeks to months. Technical SEO removes obstacles; it doesn’t replace helpful content.
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take to work?
Typically weeks to months. New sites often need a few weeks just to be crawled and indexed, and competitive topics take longer.
Does robots.txt hide a page from Google?
Not reliably. A blocked URL can still appear in results if other pages link to it. Use a noindex meta tag on a crawlable page instead.
Do I need structured data?
It isn’t required to rank, but it helps search engines understand your pages and can make results richer. Keep it accurate and consistent with visible content.
Is a static site good for SEO?
Yes. Static pages are fast, easy to crawl and simple to keep consistent, which suits small portfolios and brochure sites.
Keep reading
Image Optimization for SEO and Speed
Images are usually the heaviest part of a page. Modern formats, responsive sizes, explicit dimensions and honest alt text cover most of the gain.
Read article →Why This Portfolio Is a Static Site (And What That Trade-off Buys)
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Read article →Getting Useful Results from AI Tools: A Practical Prompting Guide
Most weak AI answers come from under-specified prompts. Here are the habits, templates and before-and-after examples that make results more useful.
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