537 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
537 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
# SEO Best Practices Guide
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This guide helps you optimize your al-folio website for search engines so your research and work are discoverable.
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<!--ts-->
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- [SEO Best Practices Guide](#seo-best-practices-guide)
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- [Overview](#overview)
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- [Basic SEO Setup](#basic-seo-setup)
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- [Sitemap and Robots](#sitemap-and-robots)
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- [Site URL and Metadata](#site-url-and-metadata)
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- [Enabling Open Graph (Social Media Previews)](#enabling-open-graph-social-media-previews)
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- [What is Open Graph?](#what-is-open-graph)
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- [Enable in al-folio](#enable-in-al-folio)
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- [Schema.org Markup](#schemaorg-markup)
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- [What is Schema.org?](#what-is-schemaorg)
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- [Enable in al-folio](#enable-in-al-folio-1)
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- [What Gets Marked Up](#what-gets-marked-up)
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- [Search Console Setup](#search-console-setup)
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- [Google Search Console](#google-search-console)
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- [Bing Webmaster Tools](#bing-webmaster-tools)
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- [Publication Indexing](#publication-indexing)
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- [Google Scholar](#google-scholar)
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- [DBLP (Computer Science)](#dblp-computer-science)
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- [arXiv](#arxiv)
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- [Content Optimization](#content-optimization)
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- [Page Titles and Descriptions](#page-titles-and-descriptions)
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- [Heading Structure](#heading-structure)
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- [Image Optimization](#image-optimization)
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- [Internal Linking](#internal-linking)
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- [RSS Feed for Discovery](#rss-feed-for-discovery)
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- [Performance & Mobile](#performance--mobile)
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- [SEO Checklist](#seo-checklist)
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- [Resources](#resources)
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<!--te-->
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## Overview
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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) makes your website discoverable on Google, Bing, and other search engines. For academics, this means:
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- Your research becomes discoverable when people search for your work
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- Your CV/bio appears in search results
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- Your publications rank higher
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- More citations and collaborations
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al-folio includes SEO basics, but you can optimize further.
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---
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## Basic SEO Setup
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### Sitemap and Robots
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al-folio auto-generates a `sitemap.xml` and `robots.txt` for you. These tell search engines what pages exist.
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**Verify they exist:**
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- Visit `https://your-site.com/sitemap.xml` – Should show an XML list of pages
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- Visit `https://your-site.com/robots.txt` – Should show instructions for search engines
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If they're missing:
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1. Check `_config.yml` has a valid `url`
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2. Rebuild: `bundle exec jekyll build`
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3. Check `_site/` directory has both files
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**No configuration needed** – al-folio handles this automatically.
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---
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### Site URL and Metadata
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Ensure `_config.yml` has correct metadata:
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```yaml
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title: Your Full Name or Site Title
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description: > # Brief description (1-2 sentences)
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A description of your research and expertise.
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This appears in search results.
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author: Your Name
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keywords: machine learning, research, academia, etc.
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url: https://your-domain.com
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lang: en
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```
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All fields are important for SEO. **Avoid leaving fields blank.**
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---
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## Enabling Open Graph (Social Media Previews)
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### What is Open Graph?
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When someone shares your page on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., Open Graph controls what preview appears.
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**Without Open Graph:**
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- Generic title
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- No image
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- Ugly preview
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**With Open Graph:**
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- Your custom title
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- Your custom image (photo, diagram, etc.)
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- Custom description
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- Professional preview
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### Enable in al-folio
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Open Graph is disabled by default. To enable:
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1. **Edit `_config.yml`:**
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```yaml
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serve_og_meta: true # Change from false to true
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og_image: /assets/img/og-image.png # Path to your image (1200x630px recommended)
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```
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2. **Create your OG image:**
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- Size: 1200x630 pixels
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- Format: PNG or JPG
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- Content: Your name/logo + key info
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- Save to: `assets/img/og-image.png`
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3. **Commit and deploy**
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4. **Test it:**
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- Use [Facebook's Sharing Debugger](https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/sharing/)
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- Paste your site URL
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- You should see your custom image and title
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**Per-page OG images:**
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Add to the frontmatter of a blog post or page:
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```markdown
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---
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layout: post
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title: My Research Paper
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og_image: /assets/img/paper-diagram.png
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---
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```
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---
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## Schema.org Markup
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### What is Schema.org?
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Schema.org is structured data that tells search engines what kind of content is on your page:
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- "This is a Person" (your bio page)
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- "This is a Publication" (your paper)
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- "This is a BlogPosting" (your article)
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Benefits:
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- Rich snippets in search results
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- Better knowledge graph information
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- Schema validation helps Google understand your site
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### Enable in al-folio
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Enable in `_config.yml`:
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```yaml
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serve_schema_org: true # Change from false to true
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```
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That's it! al-folio automatically marks up:
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- **Author info** (Person schema with name, URL, photo)
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- **Blog posts** (BlogPosting schema with date, title, description)
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- **Publications** (CreativeWork/ScholarlyArticle schema)
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### What Gets Marked Up
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**Homepage (Person):**
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- Your name, photo, description
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- Links to your profiles (LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.)
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**Blog posts (BlogPosting):**
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- Title, date, author, description
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- Content
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- Publication date and modified date
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**Publications (ScholarlyArticle):**
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- Title, authors, abstract
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- Publication date, venue
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- URL and PDF links
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---
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## Search Console Setup
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### Google Search Console
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**Google Search Console** lets you monitor how your site appears in Google search results.
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**Setup:**
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1. Go to [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console)
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2. Add your website:
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- Click **"URL prefix"**
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- Enter your site URL: `https://your-domain.com`
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3. Verify ownership (choose one method):
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- **HTML file upload** – Download file, add to repository root
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- **HTML tag** – Copy meta tag to `_config.yml` → redeploy
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- **Google Analytics** – If you already use Google Analytics
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- **DNS record** – Advanced (if you own the domain)
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**Add to `_config.yml`:**
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```yaml
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google_site_verification: YOUR_VERIFICATION_CODE
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```
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(Replace `YOUR_VERIFICATION_CODE` with the code from Search Console.)
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**Monitor in Search Console:**
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- **Performance** – Which queries bring traffic, your ranking position
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- **Coverage** – Any indexing errors
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- **Enhancements** – Schema.org validation
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- **Sitemaps** – Your sitemap status
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---
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### Bing Webmaster Tools
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Similar to Google Search Console but for Bing search:
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1. Go to [Bing Webmaster Tools](https://www.bing.com/webmasters)
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2. Add your site
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3. Verify (usually auto-verifies if you verified Google)
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4. Add to `_config.yml`:
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```yaml
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bing_site_verification: YOUR_BING_CODE
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```
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**Note:** Bing commands are optional but recommended. Check both console dashboards regularly.
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---
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## Publication Indexing
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### Google Scholar
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**Goal:** Get your publications listed on Google Scholar so they show up in scholar search results.
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**Google Scholar auto-crawls:**
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- Your website automatically (if publicly accessible)
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- Your publications page if it has proper markup
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- PDFs linked from your site
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**To improve Scholar indexing:**
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1. **Ensure BibTeX has proper format:**
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```bibtex
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@article{mykey,
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title={Your Paper Title},
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author={Your Name and Co-Author},
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journal={Journal Name},
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year={2024},
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volume={1},
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pages={1-10},
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doi={10.1234/doi}
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}
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```
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2. **Add PDFs to BibTeX:**
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```bibtex
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@article{mykey,
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# ... other fields ...
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pdf={my-paper.pdf} # File at assets/pdf/my-paper.pdf
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}
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```
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3. **Submit to Google Scholar (optional):**
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- Go to [Google Scholar Author Profile](https://scholar.google.com/citations)
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- Create a profile
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- Google will find your papers automatically within weeks
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4. **Wait 3-6 months** – Google Scholar takes time to index
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---
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### DBLP (Computer Science)
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If your research is computer science related:
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1. Go to [DBLP](https://dblp.org/)
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2. Search for yourself or your papers
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3. If missing, [Submit via DBLP](https://dblp.org/db/contrib/) (requires account)
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4. DBLP will verify and add your work
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---
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### arXiv
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If you have preprints:
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1. Go to [arXiv.org](https://arxiv.org/)
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2. Submit your preprint
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3. Once listed, arXiv automatically indexes it across search engines
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**Add arXiv link to BibTeX:**
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```bibtex
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@article{mykey,
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# ... other fields ...
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arxiv={2024.12345} # arXiv ID
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}
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```
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---
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## Content Optimization
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### Page Titles and Descriptions
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Every page needs a title and description. These show in search results.
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**In `_config.yml`:**
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```yaml
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title: Jane Smith - Computer Science Researcher
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description: >
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Academic website of Jane Smith, focusing on machine learning and AI ethics.
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```
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**In page/post frontmatter:**
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```markdown
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---
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layout: post
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title: Novel Deep Learning Architecture for Climate Modeling
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description: A new approach to improving climate model accuracy with deep learning
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---
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```
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**Checklist:**
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- [ ] Title under 60 characters (so it doesn't get cut off)
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- [ ] Description 120-160 characters
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- [ ] Include your name in the site title
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- [ ] Include keywords naturally
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---
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### Heading Structure
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Use proper HTML heading hierarchy for both SEO and accessibility:
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```markdown
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# H1: Main Page Title
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Use one H1 per page, usually your blog post or page title
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## H2: Section Heading
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### H3: Subsection
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### H3: Another subsection
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## H2: Another Section
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```
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**Benefits:**
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- Search engines understand your content structure
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- Screen readers can navigate better
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- Visitors can scan your content
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---
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### Image Optimization
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**For SEO:**
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- Use descriptive filenames: `neural-network-architecture.png` (not `img1.png`)
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- Add alt text (also helps accessibility):
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```markdown
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```
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**For performance:**
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- Optimize image file size (use tools like TinyPNG)
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- Use modern formats (WebP instead of large JPGs)
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- Responsive images (different sizes for mobile vs desktop)
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---
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### Internal Linking
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Link between your own pages strategically:
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```markdown
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See my [publication on climate AI](./publications/) or my [blog post on neural networks](/blog/2024/neural-networks/).
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```
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**Benefits:**
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- Search engines crawl through your links
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- Users discover more of your content
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- Distributes "authority" across your site
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---
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## RSS Feed for Discovery
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al-folio auto-generates an RSS feed at `/feed.xml`.
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**Why RSS matters:**
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- Content aggregators pick up your posts
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- Researchers can subscribe to your updates
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- Improves discoverability
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**Ensure your feed works:**
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```yaml
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# In _config.yml
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title: Your Site
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description: Your site description
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url: https://your-domain.com # MUST be complete URL
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```
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**Test your feed:**
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- Visit `https://your-site.com/feed.xml`
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- Should show XML with your recent posts
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- Try subscribing in a feed reader (Feedly, etc.)
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---
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## Performance & Mobile
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Search engines favor fast, mobile-friendly sites.
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**Check your site:**
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- Use [Google PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/)
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- Enter your site URL
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- Review recommendations
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- al-folio already optimizes for performance, but you can improve further:
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- Compress images
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- Minimize CSS/JS (enabled by default)
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- Use lazy loading (already enabled)
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**Mobile optimization:**
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- al-folio is responsive by default
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- Test on phones/tablets
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- Ensure buttons are large enough to tap
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- Check readability on small screens
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---
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## SEO Checklist
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Before considering your site "SEO optimized":
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**Basic Setup:**
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- [ ] `_config.yml` has `title`, `description`, `author`, `url`
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- [ ] Sitemap accessible at `/sitemap.xml`
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- [ ] `robots.txt` accessible at `/robots.txt`
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- [ ] Mobile-friendly (test on phone)
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**Search Console:**
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- [ ] Google Search Console linked
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- [ ] Bing Webmaster Tools linked (optional but recommended)
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- [ ] No major indexing errors
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- [ ] Sitemaps submitted
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**Schema/Open Graph:**
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- [ ] `serve_og_meta: true` (for social sharing)
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- [ ] `serve_schema_org: true` (for structured data)
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- [ ] Test OG with [Facebook Debugger](https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/sharing/)
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- [ ] Validate schema at [Schema.org Validator](https://validator.schema.org/)
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**Content:**
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- [ ] Every page has unique title (under 60 chars)
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- [ ] Every page has description (120-160 chars)
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- [ ] Blog posts have proper dates
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- [ ] Images have descriptive alt text
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- [ ] Headings follow proper hierarchy
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**Publications:**
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- [ ] BibTeX entries have proper format
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- [ ] PDFs linked from BibTeX
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- [ ] Submitted to Google Scholar (optional)
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- [ ] Indexed on DBLP or arXiv (if applicable)
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**Performance:**
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- [ ] Site loads under 3 seconds (check PageSpeed)
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- [ ] No broken links (use lighthouse or similar)
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- [ ] RSS feed works (check `/feed.xml`)
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---
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## Resources
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- **[Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search)** – Official SEO guide
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- **[Moz SEO Checklist](https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo)** – Beginner-friendly guide
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- **[Google PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/)** – Performance analysis
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- **[Schema.org](https://schema.org/)** – Structured data reference
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- **[WebAIM](https://webaim.org/)** – Accessibility (helps SEO too)
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- **[Lighthouse Audit](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lighthouse/blipmdconlkpombljlkpstvnztVTNyZe)** – Browser extension
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---
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**Next Steps:**
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1. Enable Open Graph and Schema.org in `_config.yml`
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2. Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
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3. Optimize your page titles and descriptions
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4. Add alt text to images and PDFs to your BibTeX
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5. Monitor search console regularly for indexing issues
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Your research will be more discoverable with these optimizations! 🔍
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