Documentation needs SEO — and that’s a good thing

Sorry to break it to you but your product documentation is leading a double life. Alongside its primary job — educating and instructing your users — your documentation is also playing an important role in your company’s SEO.

And here’s why: your documentation is one of the largest bodies of text available for search engines to index. It's just as likely as your marketing website to answer someone’s Google or Bing query.

So, like it or not, your documentation is a part of your marketing funnel. If the word “marketing” makes you uneasy, don’t worry. There’s no need to compromise or introduce “fluff” into your work. By building SEO into your documentation workflow, you can make your docs more discoverable. You'll serve existing users more effectively and answer prospective users’ questions.

Here’s how you can make a few small adjustments to improve both the discoverability and usefulness of your product documentation.

You’re already doing SEO for your documentation

Here’s the good news: if you’re already maintaining high-quality documentation, you’ve laid the groundwork for SEO. That means that search engine optimization for your docs doesn’t need to be a whole new layer of work.

That’s because SEO relies on the very things that define good documentation. The likes of Google and Bing prioritize content that is useful, relevant, and well-written. The old days of trying to trick search engines or stuffing keywords into content are over. In fact, search engines today tend to punish that type of activity. 

So, you’re already halfway there. To do even better, though, you’ll need to consider how search engines rank content. Some of the factors they consider include:

• Freshness: Search engines favor newer content, assuming it’s more relevant. While regularly updating your docs as part of your workflow helps, it’s also important to signal to search engines how recent your content is. This can be done through metadata and by showing clear update timestamps.

• Accessibility: Search engines favor content that’s accessible to all users, including those using screen readers or other assistive technologies. When your documentation meets accessibility standards, it helps your audience as well as boosting your SEO rankings.

• Relevance: How well does your content address the specific questions people are asking? You don’t necessarily need to change what your documentation covers. However, it’s worth checking if the terminology you use aligns with the language people search for. Don’t worry — we’ll explain how to discover what people are searching for below.

• Structure: Well-organized documentation with clear headings, subheadings, and internal links not only helps users navigate. It also makes it easier for search engines to understand and index your content. A logical, clear structure boosts both user experience and search visibility.

• Originality: Duplicate content can lead to penalties, as search engines view it as a sign of low-quality sites. If you need similar content in multiple places — like documentation for different product versions — be sure to use techniques like canonical tags to avoid being penalized.

• Performance: Pages that load quickly and are optimized for mobile devices provide a better user experience and improve your rankings. Even well-written content can suffer in search results if your pages are slow or difficult to view on mobile devices, which is why mobile-friendliness is critical.

Do those criteria look a little familiar? For a moment, forget we’re talking about SEO. If you saw that list elsewhere, you might think it was a description of what it takes to write useful, impactful documentation. And that’s kind of the point. 

SEO doesn’t mean you have to make compromises. Instead, it’s about being intentional in doing the things that lead to a great docs experience for your readers. And, as a bonus, you make your documentation more accessible to prospective users through search.

SEO techniques you can apply to your documentation

In return for relatively small adjustments to your workflow, you can see big improvements. This affects both how you serve existing users and those hoping to learn about your product for the first time. Let’s look at what those practical techniques are.

Carry out keyword research

Earlier, we touched on the idea that SEO comes as an added bonus of good documentation practice. Keyword research, though, can feel like something that’s only about SEO. After all, what do your existing users care about search terms?

The trick is to view keyword research as a way to better understand your users. It’s more than rankings; it's learning how they think and speak about their problems. The phrases people use when searching give you valuable insight into how they frame the challenges they face and the solutions they believe they need. 

As tech writers, we can sometimes become too familiar with the internal assumptions and language of the product, making it harder to empathize with users. Keyword research helps bridge the gap between how your team thinks about the product and how users perceive their problems.

How this helps your docs: Your documentation likely already uses many of the right terms, but keyword research provides valuable insight into how your users describe their challenges — and the language they use when searching. This understanding helps you tailor your content to better align with their needs.

How this helps SEO: Search engines rely on keywords to connect queries with relevant content. By ensuring your documentation uses the same terms people are actively searching for, you improve your chances of ranking higher in search results. Incorporating related terms (semantic keywords) further strengthens your content’s relevance.

Practical advice: A quick win here is to start small by checking your existing documentation against basic keyword search tools like Google Search Console or a free keyword tool, like Ahrefs Keyword Generator. This can help you identify the key phrases your audience is already searching for. You might find that just tweaking a few terms in your headings or body text to match common search terms gives you an initial boost in visibility without having to make big changes.

For longer-term results, consider making keyword research a regular part of your documentation workflow. That could mean adding a step to your research and briefing process or working with your marketing team to make use of their existing SEO research. 

And just like your documentation, SEO is a moving target. Making keyword research a part of your update process can help you take account of changes in how people think and speak about the problems your product solves over time.

Write clear, actionable headings

Headings serve a dual function in documentation. They help readers quickly navigate content by signposting key sections, allowing them to jump straight to the information they need. And from an SEO perspective, headings communicate the structure of your content to search engines, highlighting the importance of different topics.

How this helps your docs: Instead of relying on vague headings like “Overview”, writing actionable, specific headings like “Making Your First API Call” will allow users to better understand the content at a glance. 

This also improves accessibility, as screen readers often read headings first, enabling users to skip to the most relevant sections. In contrast, generic headings strip away the context that screen readers — and all users — need to make sense of the content.

How this helps your SEO:
Search engines rely on headings to interpret the structure and meaning of your content. By using specific, keyword-rich headings that align with what users are searching for, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. Optimized headings not only help external search engines but also improve internal documentation search, making it easier for users to find the content they need.

Practical advice: Start by auditing your existing documentation for generic headings like “Introduction” or “Overview”, and replace them with specific alternatives that describe the content in that section.

For longer-term improvements, consider developing a heading strategy within your documentation process. This involves creating headings that are both descriptive and aligned with your keyword research, addressing user needs as well as SEO goals. You can also review your documentation analytics to identify patterns. 

Look for patterns, like whether specific headings lead to longer reading times or fewer support queries. One way to get this data is to use a documentation platform, such as GitBook, that has built-in analytics tooling. Use this data to further refine your headings, making your documentation more effective and user-friendly over time.

Write metadata

Metadata, like keyword research, might initially seem like it’s only relevant for SEO, but it’s actually an extension of the information architecture you’re already managing. It helps organize your content for search engines, similar to how headings and structure guide your readers.

Beyond SEO, metadata also plays a role in how your documentation is shared and previewed across platforms. Think about the last time you shared a link in a chat app like Slack or on social media. Instead of a bare URL, you likely saw a preview with an image and a short description — that’s metadata at work, specifically through Open Graph tags. Metadata enhances discoverability and usability, both for readers and search engines.

How this helps your docs: Metadata helps both search engines and readers quickly understand what each page is about — whether it appears in search results, internal searches, or social media previews.

A strong title tag, concise meta description, and properly implemented structured data give users a clear understanding of what to expect, increasing the likelihood they’ll click through. Internally, optimized metadata improves searchability, ensuring users can quickly find the most relevant pages. It also gives them a sense of content freshness through details like the last updated date.

How this helps SEO: Search engines use metadata to interpret the content, relevance, and freshness of your pages. Title tags, meta descriptions, and last updated dates help search engines decide where to rank your content.

Including relevant keywords in your metadata boosts your chances of appearing in search results. Effective metadata also drives click-through rates — users are more likely to click your link if the description directly addresses their needs, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable.

Practical advice: You might find it useful to familiarize yourself with the different types of metadata that search engines use and also check what your documentation platform supports.

• Title tag: This is the HTML <title> tag, which your documentation platform likely already implements. It’s the primary signal for relevance in search results and should be concise, include relevant keywords, and clearly communicate what the page is about.

• Meta description: A brief, 150–160 character summary of the page. Make sure it directly addresses common user queries and contains relevant keywords. A well-written meta description can improve click-through rates significantly.

• Canonical tag: When you have similar content across multiple URLs, the canonical tag tells search engines which page is the “original”, preventing duplicate content issues and ensuring the right page ranks.

• Last updated tag: This signals to search engines that your content is fresh, which can boost rankings — especially for time-sensitive topics. Keep this updated as part of your regular documentation reviews.

• Open Graph tags: Used for social sharing, these control how your content appears on platforms like Slack or LinkedIn. They don’t impact SEO rankings directly but improve engagement by making shared links more informative and appealing (e.g., og:title, og:description, og:image).

By optimizing these tags, you’ll not only improve your SEO but also boost the usability and shareability of your documentation across different platforms.

Link, link, link

Internal and external links are a powerful tool in your documentation toolkit. They not only improve the user experience but also help search engines understand how your content fits into the broader ecosystem of knowledge that your users rely on.

How this helps your docs: Internal linking is a core practice in technical writing, guiding users through related topics and helping them navigate your documentation more smoothly. But external links to trusted, authoritative sources are equally valuable.

While it’s tempting to keep users on your site, linking to respected external resources — like official documentation, standards, or relevant guides — can enhance the credibility of your own content.

How this helps SEO: Search engines look at both internal and external links to understand the structure and authority of your content. Internal links help search engines crawl and index your site more effectively, boosting the visibility of connected pages. 

External links to reputable sources also strengthen your content’s credibility, while backlinks from other sites can improve your search rankings even further, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and trusted.

Practical advice: Review your documentation for opportunities to strengthen both internal and external links. Start by ensuring that your key pages are well-connected to related content using descriptive anchor text. Then, identify places where linking to high-quality external resources (like industry standards or relevant tutorials) would add value for your readers.

For the long term, make internal and external linking a standard part of your documentation process, reviewing links periodically to ensure they’re still relevant and effective.

Make updates

Keeping your documentation up to date with each product release is probably already part of your workflow. And that’s good news for your SEO because search engines prioritize fresh content.

How this helps your docs: Really, there’s not going to be much change to your documentation. So long as you’re already updating docs as the product changes or as you learn more about user needs, then this is really just about making sure search engines know that your content is up to date.

How this helps SEO: Search engines will prioritize newer content. That’s why you see articles with tiles like, “Best hosted docs platforms in October 2024”.

Practical advice: Ensure your update process includes revisiting both the content and its metadata. Always add 'last updated' dates visibly on the page to signal freshness to users, and in the metadata to inform search engines.

Make it fast and mobile-friendly

Page speed and mobile optimization directly impact both user experience and search rankings. Google prioritizes fast-loading, mobile-friendly pages, and a significant portion of your audience might be accessing your docs on mobile devices.

How this helps your docs: Regardless of the device, readers expect fast, responsive documentation. Optimizing images, compressing files, and minifying scripts can reduce load times and prevent users from abandoning slow pages—critical when competing products offer faster experiences.

How this helps SEO: Google cares about these factors because they improve user engagement. When pages load quickly and are easy to navigate on mobile, users are more likely to stay on the page, reducing bounce rates. Google interprets this as a sign of high quality content and boosts rankings accordingly. 

Practical advice: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify slow-loading pages. Quick wins include compressing images, optimizing scripts, and ensuring your content is responsive. Make sure your layout adapts well to smaller screens, with touch-friendly menus, buttons, and layouts. 

For an even faster solution, consider using a documentation platform like GitBook, which handles many of these optimizations automatically.

Make it accessible

Accessible documentation ensures that everyone can use it, including people with disabilities. Search engines reward accessible content — plus, it’s the right thing to do.

How this helps your docs: Accessible docs make your content more inclusive, improving the experience for a wider audience. Properly structured headings, descriptive alt text for images, and other accessibility features enhance usability for everyone.

How this helps SEO: Search engines prioritize accessibility, so ensuring your documentation follows accessibility guidelines can boost your rankings. Accessible content also improves engagement and reduces bounce rates.

Practical advice: It’s likely that you’re already doing the basics, such as adding alt text to all images. But there are more advanced steps you can take to make your documentation fully accessible. Consider using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and landmarks to help users with screen readers navigate your content more effectively. Here are a few expert tips:

• ARIA landmarks: Add ARIA landmark roles to sections like navigation bars, footers, and main content areas to help screen readers easily identify and navigate between sections. For example, use role="navigation" for nav bars and role="main" for the main content area.

• Skip links: Implement “skip to content” links at the top of your pages. These allow keyboard users and screen readers to bypass repetitive navigation elements and go straight to the main content. This improves usability and ensures your docs are quicker to navigate.

• ARIA labels: For interactive elements like buttons, links, or form fields, use aria-label to provide additional context. For example, instead of just labeling a button Submit, you might use aria-label="Submit your form" to give more context about what happens next.

• Semantic HTML: Ensure you’re using semantic HTML wherever possible, such as <header>, <footer>, <nav>, and <section>. These tags help screen readers understand the structure of the page, which makes navigation more intuitive for users with disabilities.

• Focus management: Manage focus appropriately for modal dialogs or other dynamic content changes. Use the aria-hidden attribute to hide non-relevant content from screen readers when a modal or other focus-stealing element is open.

For longer-term improvements, regularly audit your documentation using tools like WAVE. You can also test your content by navigating it using only the keyboard to ensure it’s fully usable without a mouse. By making accessibility testing a standard part of your documentation review process you’ll serve more readers for very little additional effort.

How GitBook can help improve your documentation SEO

Optimizing your documentation for search engines also optimizes your documentation for your readers. And, as we’ve seen, a great deal of SEO builds on what you’re already doing as a documentation professional.

However, “everything is urgent, everything is important” is situation-normal for most documentation projects. This might mean you’re reluctant to add even relatively small steps to your process, despite the benefits they can offer.

At GitBook, we’ve made it our mission to improve the world’s product and technical documentation. That’s why our documentation platform manages SEO fundamentals for you, improving your workflows and giving your readers quick access to the information they need. So you can focus on your documentation, confident that GitBook is taking care of:

• Mobile-friendly design: GitBook automatically optimizes your content for devices of any size.

• SEO-friendly URLs: URLs are set based on each page’s title, but you have the option to customize them if needed. 

• Canonical URLs: GitBook automatically manages canonical URLs to prevent search engines marking you down for duplicate content.

• Metadata: The HTML title and Open Graph tags (including og:title and og:description) are generated from your page and project titles, while meta descriptions are pulled from your page descriptions.

• Alt text for accessibility: You can add alt text to all images, improving accessibility and helping search engines understand the context of your visuals.

• Automatic sitemap generation: When you publish a documentation project, GitBook automatically generates a sitemap.xml file, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.

• Insights: Track the performance of your documentation, with data on page traffic, which keywords are used the most by users searching your documentation, and how readers rate each guide.

• Global CDN: All published content is cached and delivered via GitBook’s global CDN, so search engines and your readers get the best speeds possible.

Optimizing your documentation for SEO isn’t about adding extra layers of complexity — it’s about making your content more useful and discoverable. By using a few simple techniques, you ensure your docs support current users while reaching new ones. 

With small, intentional adjustments, you can improve both the accessibility and the visibility of your documentation, benefiting your users without compromising the quality or purpose of your content. It’s a win-win for your documentation and your users.

Ready to streamline your documentation and optimize it for SEO? GitBook makes it easy, so you can focus on what you do best — creating great docs.

→ Get started with GitBook for free

→ Read more about SEO in GitBook

→ 7 tips for making your docs more useful for your users