Broken down into categories for easier management. Note that many checklists exist online, and this combines best practices with additional considerations:
Here is our comprehensive 102 SEO checklist for 2024
Table of Contents
Technical SEO Checklist
- Crawlability & Indexability: Ensure search engines can easily crawl and index your pages. Check your robots.txt file and sitemap.
- Site Speed: Optimise page loading times, as this is a significant ranking factor.
- Mobile-Friendliness: Your site must render perfectly on all mobile devices. Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly tool.
- Secure Website (HTTPS): Install an SSL certificate to ensure secure browsing.
- Clean Code: Keep your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript well-structured and free of errors.
- Structured Data: Implement schema markup to help search engines better understand your content.
- Resolve 404 Errors: Find and fix broken links (dead ends for visitors and search engines).
- Redirect Management: Properly manage 301 redirects when changing URLs to preserve link value.
- Canonicalisation: Use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.
- Optimised URL Structure: Create short, descriptive, and keyword-rich URLs.
Keyword Research
- Target Keyword Identification: Determine the search terms your ideal customers use.
- Search Intent Analysis: Understand the purpose behind each keyword (informational, transactional, etc.).
- Long-Tail Keyword Targeting: Focus on longer, more specific phrases for less competition.
- Keyword Difficulty: Analyze the competition for your chosen keywords.
- Local Keywords: Include location-based terms if you’re a local business.
- Competitor Keyword Analysis: Spy on your competitors to find keyword gaps and opportunities.
- Keyword Mapping: Assign target keywords to specific pages on your website.
- Regular Keyword Review: Revise your keyword strategy as search trends change.
On-Page SEO Checklist
- Compelling Title Tags: Write clickable title tags that include target keywords.
- Meta Descriptions: Create enticing summaries of your pages for search results.
- Strategic Heading Structure (H1-H6): Organise content with clear headings, using keywords naturally.
- Target Keyword in First Paragraph: Include your main keyword early in your content.
- Keyword Density: Use target keywords naturally, avoiding overstuffing.
- LSI Keywords: Include related terms (Latent Semantic Indexing) to add context.
- Image Optimisation: Use descriptive file names and alt text with relevant keywords.
- Video Integration: Embed videos with optimised titles and descriptions.
- Internal Linking: Create a strong internal link structure to guide users and search engines.
- User Experience (UX): Focus on making your site navigation, design, and content easy to use.
- Calls to Action (CTAs): Clearly guide users to the next step.
- Fresh & Updated Content: Regularly offer new and valuable information.
Content Optimisation SEO Checklist
- High-Quality Content: Create in-depth, informative content that answers users’ questions.
- Long-Form Content: Longer articles (1,000+ words) tend to do better in search.
- Content Originality: Avoid copying content from other sites.
- Topic Clusters: Build content around pillar pages and relevant sub-topics.
- Visual Content: Include images, videos, infographics to make content more engaging.
- Keyword-Focused Content: Ensure each page aligns with a specific target keyword.
- E-A-T: Demonstrate Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness in your content.
- Readability: Make your content easy to read and understand.
- Shareability: Include social sharing buttons to promote your content.
Off-Page SEO Checklist
- Quality Backlinks: Earn backlinks from reputable websites in your niche.
- Broken Link Building: Find broken links on relevant sites and offer your content as a replacement.
- Guest Posting: Write high-quality articles for other blogs.
- Infographic Outreach: Create compelling infographics and promote them.
- Social Media Engagement: Engage with followers and share content on social platforms.
- Local Citations (NAP): Ensure your business is listed in local directories with accurate information.
- Positive Reviews: Encourage online reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp.
- Brand Mentions: Monitor online mentions of your brand, even without a link.
- Directory Submissions: Submit your site to high-quality directories.
- Disavow Toxic Links: Remove links from low-quality or spammy sites.
Technical Analysis SEO Checklist
- Google Search Console: Set up and monitor your site’s performance in search results.
- Google Analytics: Install Google Analytics to track website traffic and behaviour.
- Regular Sitemap Submission: Submit updates to your XML sitemap to search engines.
- Fix Crawl Errors: Identify and fix issues reported in Google Search Console.
- Hreflang Tags: Use hreflang tags for multi-lingual websites to specify language targeting.
- XML Sitemap: Create an XML sitemap to help search engines discover your pages.
- Pagination Optimisation: Properly handle pagination to avoid duplicate content issues.
- Server Log Analysis: Look for patterns or errors that might hinder SEO performance.
Competitive Analysis SEO Checklist
- Benchmarking: Compare your website’s performance to competitors.
- Competitor Backlink Analysis: Understand where your competitors get their backlinks.
- Content Gap Analysis: Identify topics your competitors rank for that you don’t.
- Traffic Analysis: Track competitor website traffic estimates.
Link Building Strategies SEO Checklist
- Resource Page Link Building: Find resource pages and pitch your content to be included.
- HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Respond to journalist queries for potential backlinks.
- Testimonial Link Building: Offer testimonials to companies and subtly ask for a link back.
- Link Reclamation: Find unlinked mentions of your brand and request a link.
- Skyscraper Technique: Create better content than your competitors and promote it for links.
- “Moving Man” Method: Find outdated competitor pages and offer your updated version as a replacement.
- Podcast & Webinar Guest Appearances: Participate in these for awareness and links.
- Sponsorships: Sponsor events or relevant content in exchange for a link.
Content Promotion SEO Checklist
- Social Media Distribution: Share your content across all relevant social platforms.
- Email Outreach: Promote new content to your email list with engaging subject lines.
- Content Repurposing: Turn articles into videos, infographics, etc., for wider reach.
- Community Engagement: Actively participate in forums and communities related to your niche.
- Influencer Outreach: Collaborate with influencers in your industry.
- Quora & Reddit: Answer questions and subtly promote your content where relevant.
- Paid Promotion: Consider paid ads, especially to boost new content.
Local SEO Checklist (If Applicable)
- Google My Business: Claim and optimise your profile.
- NAP Consistency: Ensure your Name, Address, Phone number are the same across all listings.
- Local Business Schema: Implement Local Business schema markup on your website.
- Local Review Generation: Proactively generate reviews on Google and other platforms.
- Geo-targeted Content: Include location-specific information on your website.
- Chamber of Commerce & Local Directories: Get listed in these authoritative sources.
Reporting and Analytics
- Goal Setting: Define clear goals for your SEO campaign.
- KPI Tracking: Monitor key metrics (organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rate, etc.).
- Regular Reporting: Generate reports to track progress and identify improvement areas.
- A/B Testing: Test different on-page elements to see what drives better results.
- Attribution Modeling: Understand which channels contribute to conversions.
Staying Updated
- Google Algorithm Updates: Follow updates to adjust your SEO strategy.
- SEO Industry News: Stay informed on trends and best practices.
- SEO Training: Invest in your SEO knowledge or team development with courses/resources.
Additional Considerations
- Voice Search Optimisation: Consider how people search using voice assistants.
- Accessibility: Make your website accessible to users with disabilities.
- International SEO: Optimise for different languages and countries if targeting a global audience.
Important Notes
- Prioritisation: Not all of these items will apply to every website. Prioritise based on your goals and resources.
- Ethical Practices: Focus on white-hat SEO techniques. Avoid anything that violates search engine guidelines.
- SEO Blogs & Communities: Follow reputable SEO blogs and participate in online communities for continuous learning.
- SEO Tools: Utilise SEO tools (like Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc.) to streamline tasks and gain insights.
Ethical Considerations
- Avoid Black Hat SEO: Steer clear of tactics that try to manipulate search rankings, like keyword stuffing and spammy link building. These can get you penalised.
- Transparency: Be transparent in your practices, especially when partnering with influencers or guest posting.
- Original Content: Prioritise creating unique, valuable content. Never plagiarize.
Evolving Your SEO Checklist Strategy
- Regular Audits: Perform regular SEO audits to find areas of improvement.
- Adaptability: SEO is a constantly evolving field. Be prepared to adapt your strategy as needed.
- Patience: SEO can be a long-term game. Don’t expect overnight results.
- Continual Learning: Dedicate time to expanding your SEO knowledge for greater success.
Important Reminders:
- SEO is not a one-time fix: It requires continuous effort and refinement.
- The user is paramount: Focus on creating a great user experience, which aligns with search engine preferences.
- Track what matters: Use analytics to understand what’s working and what needs tweaking.
A Few Notes on Tools:
While there are many SEO tools available, here are a few essentials to explore:
- Keyword Research: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Keywordtool.io
- Site Audits & Technical SEO: Screaming Frog, DeepCrawl, SEO by Geeklab
- Backlink Analysis: Ahrefs, Majestic
- Search Visibility Tracking: Google Search Console
- Overall Analytics: Google Analytics
