Build with DEX · 47 reference entries
Check titles, indexing signals, structured data, sharing previews and launch evidence against current search guidance.
Search visibility starts with useful public pages that can be discovered and understood. These notes explain the checks and their limits. Publishing a reference entry is separate from proving that a live URL passes its acceptance check.
Choose an entry or use Find on page to look for a term. Each number identifies an educational reference; production checks need their own recorded result.
WEB-SEO-001
Give a page a concise title that describes its actual content. Avoid repeating a generic site title across unrelated pages.
<title>HTML forms reference | Example Learning</title>Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-002
Write a useful summary that matches the visible page. Search snippets may use other page content depending on the query.
<meta name="description" content="Learn labels, input types and validation with practical HTML form examples.">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-003
Use a clear main heading and meaningful subsection headings. Structure the page for a reader looking for a particular answer.
H1: HTML forms
H2: Labels
H2: Validation
H3: Field error messagesDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-004
Use the terms readers use where they help explain the topic. Repetition or a keyword-density target does not improve an otherwise weak explanation.
Reader question: How do I label a form field?
Answer it directly, then provide an example.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-005
Add information that helps someone complete a task or make a decision. State assumptions and keep claims tied to evidence.
For a comparison: explain the criteria, identify the exact item, and show the date and source of changing facts.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-006
Use useful alt text and nearby context for informative images. Keep decorative images quiet and avoid filling alt text with repeated keywords.
<img src="/form-diagram.png" alt="A label connected to its email input" width="800" height="400">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-007
Use ordinary anchors and meaningful labels to connect important pages. Google can also discover a URL through sources such as sitemaps or external links, so an unlinked page is not necessarily undiscoverable.
<a href="/learning/web-reference/html">HTML examples</a>Documentation: Search and platform documentation · URL discovery through sitemaps
WEB-SEO-008
Use understandable URLs for new content and preserve existing destinations. A URL change needs an intentional redirect and link review.
Existing page → retained address
Approved moved page → permanent redirect → exact replacementDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-009
Identify the preferred URL for genuinely duplicate content and keep canonical signals consistent. A canonical link is a signal, not a guaranteed selection.
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/reference/html">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-010
Robots.txt controls crawler access. It is public and cannot protect private information or reliably remove a URL from search results.
User-agent: *
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xmlDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-011
Place noindex in an HTML robots meta tag or response header when a page must be excluded. A crawler must access the directive to read it.
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
For a non-HTML response: X-Robots-Tag: noindexDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-012
Protect account and administrative data with authentication and authorisation. Search directives only influence cooperating search engines.
Unauthenticated account request → authentication required
Authorised account response → private cache policyDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-013
List canonical public URLs and use accurate lastmod values. Google ignores priority and changefreq. A sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee that every listed URL will be crawled or indexed.
<url><loc>https://example.com/reference/html</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod></url>Documentation: Search and platform documentation · Sitemap discovery limits
WEB-SEO-014
Split a large sitemap when required and list the child sitemap files in a sitemap index. A page URL belongs in a urlset, not a sitemap index.
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"><sitemap><loc>https://example.com/sitemap-pages.xml</loc></sitemap></sitemapindex>Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-015
Give readers a useful route into a large content collection. A browsable directory complements crawlable navigation and XML discovery files.
Reference library → HTML → Forms → Label examplesDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-016
A missing page should return an appropriate error status with a helpful explanation and navigation. A success status can create a soft 404.
Unknown address → HTTP 404
Visible page → explanation + link to relevant navigationDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-017
Use a server-side redirect when a page has permanently moved. Check the destination and avoid chains, loops or unrelated replacement pages.
Old URL → HTTP 301 or 308 → relevant new URLDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-018
Give each page a usable URL and crawlable links. Each distinct page in a sequence normally points its canonical to itself.
Page 2: /reference?page=2
Canonical: https://example.com/reference?page=2
Next link: /reference?page=3Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-019
Decide which variants have useful standalone content. Check that filters do not create unlimited crawl paths or accidentally hide valuable pages.
Inventory: base collection, category page, sort variants, empty results, and invalid page numbers.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-020
Make important text and links available in the HTML that search engines can process. Inspect the rendered output of interactive pages.
Check the returned document for the main heading, body content, links and canonical metadata.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-021
Use hreflang for equivalent language or regional pages. Include reciprocal references and accurate language identifiers.
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/guide">
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/guide">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-046
Google targets this guidance at million-page sites with regular changes, 10,000-plus-page sites with daily changes, and sites with many URLs marked Discovered - currently not indexed. Diagnose the relevant condition before applying crawl-budget tactics.
Check: unique URL count, content-change rate, Crawl Stats, server capacity and the share of discovered URLs awaiting indexing.Documentation: Google crawl-budget scope
WEB-SEO-022
Describe the visible page with an appropriate schema type. Validate the markup and keep ratings, prices and claims aligned with real evidence.
Visible article title = structured-data headline
Visible offer amount = structured-data offer amountDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-023
Match structured breadcrumb names and URLs to a useful navigation path. Check that every destination exists.
Home → Learning → HTML referenceDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-024
Use product markup only for the relevant content and supported properties. Keep currency, price and availability current and consistent with the page.
Product evidence: exact item identifier, visible price, currency, source and availability.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-025
Use valid JSON inside a script of type application/ld+json. Escape embedded data safely and avoid trailing commas or undefined values.
<script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","name":"HTML reference"}</script>Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-026
Provide a page-specific title, URL, description and image for sharing. Use absolute image URLs that a public preview crawler can retrieve.
<meta property="og:title" content="HTML reference">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/reference/html">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/share.png">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-027
Provide dimensions and useful alternative text for a sharing image. Verify the actual image format and response rather than trusting its filename.
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="HTML reference cover">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-028
Choose the supported card type that fits the content and provide a working image. Inspect the resulting preview rather than assuming every platform renders identically.
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="HTML reference">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/share.png">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-029
Keep important content and metadata available on small screens. The Mobile-Friendly Test retired in December 2023. Use current tools such as PageSpeed Insights and browser device emulation, alongside real interaction checks.
Check a narrow viewport: all controls reachable; text wraps; primary content remains available.Documentation: Search and platform documentation · Mobile-Friendly Test retirement · Chrome device emulation
WEB-SEO-030
Find the main content element that finishes loading late. Measure its request timing, rendering delay and competing resource work before changing it.
Record the LCP element and timing, then compare the same page after the change.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-031
Reserve media space and avoid inserting unexpected content above a reader's position. Compare layout-shift measurements on representative pages.
<img src="/image.webp" width="800" height="600" alt="A reference diagram">Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-032
Measure Interaction to Next Paint (INP) to assess responsiveness. INP replaced First Input Delay (FID) as a Core Web Vital in March 2024. Inspect long tasks around slow real interactions.
Measure the search, filter and menu interactions; inspect long tasks around a slow response.Documentation: Search and platform documentation · INP replaced FID
WEB-SEO-033
Use appropriately sized images and load only required font resources. Check visible quality and text rendering while reducing transfer and rendering work.
Compare the displayed image width with the downloaded dimensions; inspect font requests in the network panel.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-034
Serve pages and required resources securely. Check redirects and embedded assets for HTTP references that cause browser warnings or failed loads.
Page: https://example.com/
Required image: https://example.com/image.webpDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-035
Inspect indexing, canonical selection and crawl results in the verified property. A recrawl request does not guarantee immediate crawling or inclusion in search results. Record observed results separately from a submitted request.
Record inspected URL, last crawl date, index status, selected canonical and any reported issue.Documentation: Search and platform documentation · Recrawl request limits
WEB-SEO-036
Check the public deployment's canonical host and metadata. Keep access controls appropriate for private previews and avoid preview URLs in public sitemaps.
Production canonical → production hostname
Public sitemap → production URLsDocumentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-037
After publication, inspect representative live pages and real error states. Record the version, URL and observed result for each test.
Home, detail, collection, learning page, unknown route, sitemap and robots response.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-038
Google does not use the meta-keywords tag for indexing or ranking. Spend the effort on useful page content and accurate supported metadata.
Review title, description and canonical before considering any legacy metadata.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-039
Google no longer uses link rel next and prev to identify pagination. Keep working page URLs and ordinary navigation links.
<a href="?page=2">Next page</a>Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-040
Evaluate AMP only when it serves a real publishing need. AMP itself is not a ranking factor; responsive, useful pages remain the core task.
Decision record: publishing requirement, maintenance cost and measurable reader benefit.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-041
A reference to ads.txt or a paid tool does not make it a required SEO feature. Apply only the requirements of services actually used.
Inventory the active service and its approved configuration before adding a vendor file or subscription.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-047
Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in May 2026 and removed the feature documentation. Keep useful question-and-answer content for readers, and check the current supported search features before promising a rich result.
Visible FAQ content can still help readers. FAQPage markup does not create a Google FAQ rich result.Documentation: Google Search documentation updates · Currently supported structured-data features
WEB-SEO-042
Build material others can use and cite. Avoid buying links for ranking or turning forum participation into repeated promotional posting.
Useful contribution: answer the question, disclose relevant affiliation, and link only when it adds evidence.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-043
A local listing needs a business that meets the platform's eligibility rules. An online-only reference site should not invent a storefront or service area.
Check eligibility and real customer contact arrangements before creating a Business Profile.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-044
Where local profiles are appropriate, keep the actual business name, contact information and opening hours accurate across the maintained listings.
Record the real address or service area, telephone, hours, official website and date checked.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
WEB-SEO-045
Invite feedback only through the relevant platform's permitted process. Never create ratings, edit the meaning of a customer's review or attach invented review schema.
Publish a review only with its genuine source and applicable permission; keep structured claims consistent.Documentation: Search and platform documentation
Reviewed . Send a correction through contact and corrections, including the entry number and supporting documentation.
Explore offers, save a shortlist and buy with the retailer.
Confirm current prices and offer terms with the retailer. Device saves start in this browser. Account sync is optional.
Read what recorded checks establish and what remains unconfirmed.
Country labels do not confirm delivery or convert prices.
Prepare a report to review and send yourself. Preparing it does not send it.
Open the tour on the guide page when you choose. You can skip or close it at any time.