Improve results
SEO and GEO optimization
Make your apps discoverable by search engines and AI systems with sitemaps, metadata, structured data, Open Graph tags, and performance tuning.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) determine how easily people and AI systems can find your app. Startbase projects are React SPAs, which means search engines index them in two passes. Follow this guide to make sure both passes produce great results.
Make your site crawlable
Before anything else, search engines need to discover all your pages. These three elements form the foundation:
XML Sitemap
Ask Startbase to generate a sitemap.xml listing every public route with lastmod dates and priorities. Submit it via Google Search Console. Update it whenever you add or remove pages.
robots.txt
Create a robots.txt that allows all crawlers and references your sitemap. Never block CSS, JS, or /assets/. Control AI bot access (GPTBot, PerplexityBot) based on your visibility strategy.
Canonical tags
Add a canonical tag on every page pointing to its own URL. This prevents duplicate content issues, especially important if you serve content on both a custom domain and the default .startbase.app URL.
On-page SEO essentials
- Page titles: unique, descriptive, under 60 characters. Include primary keyword + brand name.
- Meta descriptions: 140-160 characters per page. Highlight benefits and a soft call to action.
- Heading structure: one H1 per page, then H2 → H3 in logical order. Never skip levels.
- Semantic HTML: wrap content in <main>, navigation in <nav>, footers in <footer>.
- Image optimization: descriptive alt text, WebP format, under 200 KB, width/height attributes to prevent layout shift.
Rich results and social previews
Structured data (JSON-LD)
Add schema markup to key pages (Product, Article, FAQPage, Organization) so search engines can show rich results like ratings, prices, and FAQ dropdowns.
Open Graph & Twitter Cards
Set unique og:title, og:description, og:image (1200×630px), and twitter:card for every important page. Social platforms do not execute JavaScript, so these tags must be in the initial HTML.
Performance and mobile
Page speed is a confirmed ranking factor. Target a Lighthouse Performance score of 90+ and keep Core Web Vitals healthy:
| Metric | Target | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | < 2.5 s | Time until the main content is visible |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | < 200 ms | Responsiveness to user interactions |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | < 0.1 | Visual stability while loading |
Over 60% of searches happen on mobile. Ensure tap targets are at least 48×48px, text is minimum 16px, and there is no horizontal scrolling on any screen size.
GEO: AI and LLM visibility
Generative engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude extract information differently from traditional search. Many do not execute JavaScript, so they rely on static HTML and schema.
- Put key facts in plain HTML with clear headings, not behind JS-rendered modals.
- Write in short, quotable sentences. "X is [clear definition]" patterns get cited more.
- Add comprehensive schema (Organization, Product, FAQPage).
- Consider a dedicated /llm.html summary page with your company's key facts, included in sitemap.xml.
- Control AI bot access via robots.txt; allow GPTBot and PerplexityBot if you want citations.
Maintenance schedule
| Cadence | Actions |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Check Google Search Console for errors. Glance at search performance trends. Inspect newly published pages. |
| Monthly | Update sitemap.xml if pages changed. Refresh low-CTR titles and descriptions. Run a Lighthouse audit. |
| Quarterly | Full technical audit: canonicals, robots.txt, schema, internal links, mobile usability. Refresh declining content. |