Comprehensive 102 SEO checklist for 2024

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

Technical SEO Checklist

1. Crawlability & Indexability: Ensure search engines can easily crawl and index your pages. Check your robots.txt file and sitemap.
2. Site Speed: Optimise page loading times, as this is a significant ranking factor.
3. Mobile-Friendliness: Your site must render perfectly on all mobile devices. Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly tool.
4. Secure Website (HTTPS): Install an SSL certificate to ensure secure browsing.
5. Clean Code: Keep your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript well-structured and free of errors.
6. Structured Data: Implement schema markup to help search engines better understand your content.
7. Resolve 404 Errors: Find and fix broken links (dead ends for visitors and search engines).
8. Redirect Management: Properly manage 301 redirects when changing URLs to preserve link value.
9. Canonicalisation: Use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.
10. Optimised URL Structure: Create short, descriptive, and keyword-rich URLs.

Keyword Research

11. Target Keyword Identification: Determine the search terms your ideal customers use.
12. Search Intent Analysis: Understand the purpose behind each keyword (informational, transactional, etc.).
13. Long-Tail Keyword Targeting: Focus on longer, more specific phrases for less competition.
14. Keyword Difficulty: Analyze the competition for your chosen keywords.
15. Local Keywords: Include location-based terms if you’re a local business.
16. Competitor Keyword Analysis: Spy on your competitors to find keyword gaps and opportunities.
17. Keyword Mapping: Assign target keywords to specific pages on your website.
18. Regular Keyword Review: Revise your keyword strategy as search trends change.

On-Page SEO Checklist

19. Compelling Title Tags: Write clickable title tags that include target keywords.
20. Meta Descriptions: Create enticing summaries of your pages for search results.
21. Strategic Heading Structure (H1-H6): Organise content with clear headings, using keywords naturally.
22. Target Keyword in First Paragraph: Include your main keyword early in your content.
23. Keyword Density: Use target keywords naturally, avoiding overstuffing.
24. LSI Keywords: Include related terms (Latent Semantic Indexing) to add context.
25. Image Optimisation: Use descriptive file names and alt text with relevant keywords.
26. Video Integration: Embed videos with optimised titles and descriptions.
27. Internal Linking: Create a strong internal link structure to guide users and search engines.
28. User Experience (UX): Focus on making your site navigation, design, and content easy to use.
29. Calls to Action (CTAs): Clearly guide users to the next step.
30. Fresh & Updated Content: Regularly offer new and valuable information.

Content Optimisation SEO Checklist

31. High-Quality Content: Create in-depth, informative content that answers users’ questions.
32. Long-Form Content: Longer articles (1,000+ words) tend to do better in search.
33. Content Originality: Avoid copying content from other sites.
34. Topic Clusters: Build content around pillar pages and relevant sub-topics.
35. Visual Content: Include images, videos, infographics to make content more engaging.
36. Keyword-Focused Content: Ensure each page aligns with a specific target keyword.
37. E-A-T: Demonstrate Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness in your content.
38. Readability: Make your content easy to read and understand.
39. Shareability: Include social sharing buttons to promote your content.

Off-Page SEO Checklist

40. Quality Backlinks: Earn backlinks from reputable websites in your niche.
41. Broken Link Building: Find broken links on relevant sites and offer your content as a replacement.
42. Guest Posting: Write high-quality articles for other blogs.
43. Infographic Outreach: Create compelling infographics and promote them.
44. Social Media Engagement: Engage with followers and share content on social platforms.
45. Local Citations (NAP): Ensure your business is listed in local directories with accurate information.
46. Positive Reviews: Encourage online reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp.
47. Brand Mentions: Monitor online mentions of your brand, even without a link.
48. Directory Submissions: Submit your site to high-quality directories.
49. Disavow Toxic Links: Remove links from low-quality or spammy sites.

Technical Analysis SEO Checklist

50. Google Search Console: Set up and monitor your site’s performance in search results.
51. Google Analytics: Install Google Analytics to track website traffic and behaviour.
52. Regular Sitemap Submission: Submit updates to your XML sitemap to search engines.
53. Fix Crawl Errors: Identify and fix issues reported in Google Search Console.
54. Hreflang Tags: Use hreflang tags for multi-lingual websites to specify language targeting.
55. XML Sitemap: Create an XML sitemap to help search engines discover your pages.
56. Pagination Optimisation: Properly handle pagination to avoid duplicate content issues.
57. Server Log Analysis: Look for patterns or errors that might hinder SEO performance.

Competitive Analysis SEO Checklist

58. Benchmarking: Compare your website’s performance to competitors.
59. Competitor Backlink Analysis: Understand where your competitors get their backlinks.
60. Content Gap Analysis: Identify topics your competitors rank for that you don’t.
61. Traffic Analysis: Track competitor website traffic estimates.

Link Building Strategies SEO Checklist

62. Resource Page Link Building: Find resource pages and pitch your content to be included.
63. HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Respond to journalist queries for potential backlinks.
64. Testimonial Link Building: Offer testimonials to companies and subtly ask for a link back.
65. Link Reclamation: Find unlinked mentions of your brand and request a link.
66. Skyscraper Technique: Create better content than your competitors and promote it for links.
67. “Moving Man” Method: Find outdated competitor pages and offer your updated version as a replacement.
68. Podcast & Webinar Guest Appearances: Participate in these for awareness and links.
69. Sponsorships: Sponsor events or relevant content in exchange for a link.

Content Promotion SEO Checklist

70. Social Media Distribution: Share your content across all relevant social platforms.
71. Email Outreach: Promote new content to your email list with engaging subject lines.
72. Content Repurposing: Turn articles into videos, infographics, etc., for wider reach.
73. Community Engagement: Actively participate in forums and communities related to your niche.
74. Influencer Outreach: Collaborate with influencers in your industry.
75. Quora & Reddit: Answer questions and subtly promote your content where relevant.
76. Paid Promotion: Consider paid ads, especially to boost new content.

Local SEO Checklist (If Applicable)

77. Google My Business: Claim and optimise your profile.
78. NAP Consistency: Ensure your Name, Address, Phone number are the same across all listings.
79. Local Business Schema: Implement Local Business schema markup on your website.
80. Local Review Generation: Proactively generate reviews on Google and other platforms.
81. Geo-targeted Content: Include location-specific information on your website.
82. Chamber of Commerce & Local Directories: Get listed in these authoritative sources.

Reporting and Analytics

83. Goal Setting: Define clear goals for your SEO campaign.
84. KPI Tracking: Monitor key metrics (organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rate, etc.).
85. Regular Reporting: Generate reports to track progress and identify improvement areas.
86. A/B Testing: Test different on-page elements to see what drives better results.
87. Attribution Modeling: Understand which channels contribute to conversions.

Staying Updated

88. Google Algorithm Updates: Follow updates to adjust your SEO strategy.
89. SEO Industry News: Stay informed on trends and best practices.
90. SEO Training: Invest in your SEO knowledge or team development with courses/resources.

Additional Considerations

91. Voice Search Optimisation: Consider how people search using voice assistants.
92. Accessibility: Make your website accessible to users with disabilities.
93. 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.

94. SEO Blogs & Communities: Follow reputable SEO blogs and participate in online communities for continuous learning.
95. SEO Tools: Utilise SEO tools (like Ahrefs, SEMrush, etc.) to streamline tasks and gain insights.

Ethical Considerations

96. 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.
97. Transparency: Be transparent in your practices, especially when partnering with influencers or guest posting.
98. Original Content: Prioritise creating unique, valuable content. Never plagiarize.

Evolving Your SEO Checklist Strategy

99. Regular Audits: Perform regular SEO audits to find areas of improvement.
100. Adaptability: SEO is a constantly evolving field. Be prepared to adapt your strategy as needed.
101. Patience: SEO can be a long-term game. Don’t expect overnight results.
102. 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