# Search engine optimization

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://falconer.com/docs/llms.txt).

What every build does for search engines out of the box, and the settings that tune it.


What every build does for search engines out of the box, and the settings that tune it.

A published site is built to rank without extra work. Every build is a set of static pages with the metadata and files search engines look for, so a new site is crawlable the day you publish it.

## What every build includes

| Built in | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `sitemap.xml` | Lists every public page for crawlers, so a site is discovered in one request instead of page by page. Pages marked `noindex` are left out. |
| `robots.txt` | Points crawlers at the sitemap and keeps the Markdown mirrors of the site out of search results. |
| Canonical URLs | Every page declares its own address, so the same page reached through a redirect or an old link isn't counted twice. |
| Page metadata | The page title and description go into the title tag, meta description, and Open Graph and Twitter tags. |
| Social images | A branded preview image is generated for every page, with your logo and colors, for links shared on Slack, X, LinkedIn, and elsewhere. |
| Structured data | Each page carries schema.org JSON-LD describing the site, the article, and its breadcrumb trail, which search engines use for rich results. |
| Heading anchors | Every heading has a stable link, so search results and shared links can land on a section. |
| Redirects for moved pages | When a page moves, the old address keeps working with a permanent redirect, so rankings follow the page. See [Redirects](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/redirects.md). |

## Settings that tune it

Open **Site configuration** and choose **Search and sharing**. See [Customize your site](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/customize-your-site.md#search-and-sharing).

| Setting | Use it for |
| --- | --- |
| **Search description** | The site-wide description used when a page has none of its own. |
| **Allow search engines** | Turn off to add `noindex` to every page. The site stays reachable by link; it just isn't listed. |
| **SEO meta tags** | Site verification tags for Google Search Console and similar tools, or any other meta tag. |

Per page, set `description` in the frontmatter for a page-specific summary, and `noindex: true` to keep one page out of search engines and the sitemap. See [Page settings](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/navigation-sections.md#page-settings).

## Your own domain

Serving the site on your domain keeps the ranking with your brand. Both forms work: a subdomain such as `docs.example.com`, or a path such as `example.com/docs` that shares your main domain's authority. See [Serve the site on your own domain](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/custom-domain.md).

## Password-protected sites

A [password-protected](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/password-protection.md) site shows search engines only the password page, so nothing behind it is indexed.