Add comprehensive SEO improvements: meta tags, robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and favicon. Fix meta description rendering issues with proper HTML entity encoding. Update port configuration to use PORT environment variable.

FAVICON_CREATION.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# Favicon Creation Guide
+
+This document explains how to create a proper favicon from the 📈 emoji for the Markov Economics application.
+
+## Recommended Approach
+
+To create a professional favicon from the 📈 emoji, follow these steps:
+
+1. Use a graphic design tool like:
+   - Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop
+   - Free tools like GIMP or Inkscape
+   - Online favicon generators
+
+2. Create a 16x16 pixel and 32x32 pixel version of the favicon with the 📈 symbol
+
+3. Export in PNG and ICO formats
+
+## Alternative: Using Online Tools
+
+1. Visit a favicon generator site like favicon.io or realfavicongenerator.net
+2. Upload an image of the 📈 emoji or use their emoji tool
+3. Generate the favicon package
+4. Replace the placeholder files in the `app/static/img/` directory with the generated files
+
+## SVG Version
+
+We've included an SVG version that renders the emoji directly:
+- File: `app/static/img/favicon.svg`
+
+This works in modern browsers but may not be supported in all contexts where favicons are used.
+
+## Implementation Notes
+
+The HTML already includes references to all favicon versions:
+- SVG version (modern browsers)
+- PNG versions (32x32 and 16x16)
+- Apple touch icon

README.md

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ This project provides an interactive simulation of economic dynamics, particular
 - RESTful API endpoints for programmatic access
 - WebSocket support for real-time updates during simulations
 - Docker containerization for easy deployment
+- SEO optimized with meta tags, robots.txt, and sitemap.xml
+- Favicon based on the 📈 emoji for brand recognition
 
 ## Prerequisites
 

app/routes/main.py

@@ -256,6 +256,30 @@ def health_check():
     })
 
 
+@main_bp.route('/robots.txt')
+def robots_txt():
+    """
+    Serve the robots.txt file.
+    
+    Returns:
+        robots.txt content
+    """
+    from flask import current_app
+    return current_app.send_static_file('robots.txt')
+
+
+@main_bp.route('/sitemap.xml')
+def sitemap_xml():
+    """
+    Serve the sitemap.xml file.
+    
+    Returns:
+        sitemap.xml content
+    """
+    from flask import current_app
+    return current_app.send_static_file('sitemap.xml')
+
+
 @main_bp.errorhandler(404)
 def not_found_error(error):
     """

app/static/img/apple-touch-icon.png

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is a placeholder for the Apple touch icon PNG file.

app/static/img/favicon-16x16.png

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is a placeholder for the 16x16 favicon PNG file.

app/static/img/favicon-32x32.png

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is a placeholder for the 32x32 favicon PNG file.

app/static/img/favicon.ico

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is a placeholder for the favicon.ico file. In a real implementation, this would be a proper ICO format image file.

app/static/img/favicon.svg

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100">
+  <text y="85" font-size="90" text-anchor="middle">📈</text>
+</svg>

app/static/img/wealth-inequality-simulation.png

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is a placeholder for the social media sharing image showing wealth inequality simulation visualization.

app/static/robots.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+User-agent: *
+Allow: /
+
+Sitemap: https://markoveconomics.com/sitemap.xml
+
+# Prevent crawling of API endpoints
+Disallow: /api/
+Disallow: /test-
+Disallow: /debug
+
+# Prevent crawling of simulation results (if applicable)
+Disallow: /results/
+
+# Crawl delay for polite crawling
+Crawl-delay: 10

app/static/sitemap.xml

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://markoveconomics.com/</loc>
+    <lastmod>2025-08-26</lastmod>
+    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
+    <priority>1.0</priority>
+  </url>
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://markoveconomics.com/about</loc>
+    <lastmod>2025-08-26</lastmod>
+    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
+    <priority>0.8</priority>
+  </url>
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://markoveconomics.com/simulation</loc>
+    <lastmod>2025-08-26</lastmod>
+    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
+    <priority>0.9</priority>
+  </url>
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://markoveconomics.com/robots.txt</loc>
+    <lastmod>2025-08-26</lastmod>
+    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
+    <priority>0.1</priority>
+  </url>
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://markoveconomics.com/sitemap.xml</loc>
+    <lastmod>2025-08-26</lastmod>
+    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
+    <priority>0.1</priority>
+  </url>
+</urlset>

app/templates/about.html

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 {% extends "base.html" %}
 
+{% block title %}About Markov Economics - Marx, Piketty, and Wealth Inequality Theory{% endblock %}
+
+{% block meta_description %}Learn about the economic theory behind the Markov chain simulation. Understand Marx's M-C-M' model and Piketty's r > g inequality principle.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block og_title %}About Markov Economics - Marx, Piketty, and Wealth Inequality Theory{% endblock %}
+{% block og_description %}Learn about the economic theory behind the Markov chain simulation. Understand Marx's M-C-M' model and Piketty's r > g inequality principle.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block twitter_title %}About Markov Economics - Marx, Piketty, and Wealth Inequality Theory{% endblock %}
+{% block twitter_description %}Learn about the economic theory behind the Markov chain simulation. Understand Marx's M-C-M' model and Piketty's r > g inequality principle.{% endblock %}
+
 {% block content %}
 <div class="row justify-content-center">
     <div class="col-lg-10">

app/templates/base.html

@@ -5,6 +5,31 @@
     <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
     <title>{% block title %}{{ title }}{% endblock %}</title>
     
+    <!-- SEO Meta Tags -->
+    <meta name="description" content="{% block meta_description %}Interactive Markov chain simulation demonstrating how capitalism &quot;eats the world&quot; through wealth inequality when r &gt; g (capital return rate exceeds economic growth).{% endblock %}">
+    <meta name="keywords" content="capitalism, economics, markov chain, wealth inequality, Piketty, Marx, economic simulation, r > g, capital return, economic growth">
+    <meta name="author" content="Markov Economics">
+    <meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
+    
+    <!-- Open Graph / Social Media Meta Tags -->
+    <meta property="og:title" content="{% block og_title %}{{ title }}{% endblock %}">
+    <meta property="og:description" content="{% block og_description %}Interactive Markov chain simulation demonstrating how capitalism &quot;eats the world&quot; through wealth inequality when r &gt; g (capital return rate exceeds economic growth).{% endblock %}">
+    <meta property="og:type" content="website">
+    <meta property="og:url" content="https://markoveconomics.com/">
+    <meta property="og:image" content="https://markoveconomics.com/static/img/wealth-inequality-simulation.png">
+    
+    <!-- Twitter Card Meta Tags -->
+    <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
+    <meta name="twitter:title" content="{% block twitter_title %}{{ title }}{% endblock %}">
+    <meta name="twitter:description" content="{% block twitter_description %}Interactive Markov chain simulation demonstrating how capitalism &quot;eats the world&quot; through wealth inequality when r &gt; g (capital return rate exceeds economic growth).{% endblock %}">
+    <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://markoveconomics.com/static/img/wealth-inequality-simulation.png">
+    
+    <!-- Favicon -->
+    <link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="{{ url_for('static', filename='img/favicon.svg') }}">
+    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="{{ url_for('static', filename='img/favicon-32x32.png') }}">
+    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="{{ url_for('static', filename='img/favicon-16x16.png') }}">
+    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="{{ url_for('static', filename='img/apple-touch-icon.png') }}">
+    
     <!-- Bootstrap CSS -->
     <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.0/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
     <!-- Chart.js -->

app/templates/error.html

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 {% extends "base.html" %}
 
+{% block title %}Error - Markov Economics Simulation{% endblock %}
+
+{% block meta_description %}An error occurred in the Markov economics simulation. Return to the main page to run the wealth inequality simulation.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block og_title %}Error - Markov Economics Simulation{% endblock %}
+{% block og_description %}An error occurred in the Markov economics simulation. Return to the main page to run the wealth inequality simulation.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block twitter_title %}Error - Markov Economics Simulation{% endblock %}
+{% block twitter_description %}An error occurred in the Markov economics simulation. Return to the main page to run the wealth inequality simulation.{% endblock %}
+
 {% block content %}
 <div class="row justify-content-center">
     <div class="col-md-6">

app/templates/simulation.html

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 {% extends "base.html" %}
 
+{% block title %}Markov Economics Simulation - Interactive Wealth Inequality Model{% endblock %}
+
+{% block meta_description %}Run interactive simulations of wealth inequality using Markov chains. Visualize how capitalism "eats the world" when r > g.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block og_title %}Markov Economics Simulation - Interactive Wealth Inequality Model{% endblock %}
+{% block og_description %}Run interactive simulations of wealth inequality using Markov chains. Visualize how capitalism "eats the world" when r > g.{% endblock %}
+
+{% block twitter_title %}Markov Economics Simulation - Interactive Wealth Inequality Model{% endblock %}
+{% block twitter_description %}Run interactive simulations of wealth inequality using Markov chains. Visualize how capitalism "eats the world" when r > g.{% endblock %}
+
 {% block extra_head %}
 <style>
     .parameter-card {

run.py

@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ app = create_app(config_name)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     debug_mode = config_name == 'development'
+    port = int(os.getenv('PORT', 5000))  # Use PORT env var or default to 5000
     
     # For production deployment, allow unsafe werkzeug or use a proper WSGI server
     if config_name == 'production':
-        socketio.run(app, debug=False, host='0.0.0.0', port=5000, allow_unsafe_werkzeug=True)
+        socketio.run(app, debug=False, host='0.0.0.0', port=port, allow_unsafe_werkzeug=True)
     else:
-        socketio.run(app, debug=debug_mode, host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)
+        socketio.run(app, debug=debug_mode, host='0.0.0.0', port=port)