---
type: concept
title: Search Engine Optimization
tags: [seo, web-design, marketing, typo3, web-development, accessibility]
related: [typo3-instructions, machine-readable-content, typo3-backend]
created: 2026-07-01
updated: 2026-07-01
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_webdienste_typo3_webseiten_typo3_anleitungen.md", "output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_webdienste_typo3_webseiten_typo3_anleitungen_allgem.md"]
---

# Search Engine Optimization

**Search Engine Optimization (SEO)** is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of web pages in search engine results through the optimization of content and metadata. 

In the context of the Universität Greifswald's web presence, SEO refers to the techniques used to optimize university web pages to increase their visibility and accessibility in search engine results, specifically for pages managed via [[typo3-backend]].

The [[universitatsrechenzentrum-urz]] provides specific guidance on SEO as part of the "General" category of its [[typo3-instructions]], ensuring that editorial work aligns with best practices for discoverability.

## Indexing Process
The process of making a page discoverable involves "Crawlers," "Spiders," or "Bots" that analyze the site. This process is not immediate; it can take several days to a week for changes to be reflected in the search engine's index.

## Core Optimization Strategies
According to URZ guidelines for [[typo3-backend]] users, SEO involves several key technical and content-based strategies:

### 1. Content Structure and Machine-Readability
Search engines rely on the HTML source code to index information.
- **Text over Images**: Critical information must be provided as [[machine-readable-content]] (clear text) rather than inside images to ensure it is indexed by crawlers. Information contained within images is generally not indexed, making it invisible to search engines.
- **Accessibility Synergy**: Prioritizing text over images not only aids SEO but also ensures that screen readers can access the content, improving accessibility for visually impaired users.
- **Heading Hierarchy**: The use of structured HTML headings (H1 $\rightarrow$ Hn) is critical as it provides a structural map for search engines. Higher-order headings (e.g., H1) have a stronger influence on how search engines weight the importance of the page content and influence the search result ranking more significantly than lower-order headings.

### 2. Metadata Optimization
Metadata provides structured information that helps search engines categorize and display a page. In TYPO3, these are managed in the page properties:
- **Meta-Description**: A concise summary (approx. 150 characters) that often appears as the snippet in search results.
- **Meta-Keywords**: Comma-separated terms used for cataloging. In the university's TYPO3 implementation, keywords are inherited by child pages if not explicitly defined/overridden for the sub-page.