Complete SEO Checklist for your Website

If you happen to be a beginner within the realm of Search Engine Optimization, never fear! This SEO checklist is not only going to make sure that you won’t make any drastic mistakes during your humble SEO beginnings, but it’s also going to allow you to master the art of SEO as a whole.

Here is the Complete SEO Checklist for your Website

Setting Up​

Installation of Google Analytics (and Setting Up Goals)​

Web counters are ideal in any case, and you’d be even better off if you installed several, as opposed to just one. You can find information on how to install Google Analytics on the internet, but there are many other web counter services to consider such as Google Analytics – Matomo – Piwik, and even SiteCatalyst.

Adding Your Website into the Google Search Console​

Adding your website to the Google Search Console is important if you want to have ample amounts of success. Some of these search engine optimization tools will have a feature that does this for you, as well as assist you with the process of defining and removing errors Search Console – Bing Webmaster Tools

Link Both Your Google Analytics and Google Search Console​

While using Google Analytics, you can head over to “Acquisitions → SEO (Search Engine Optimization) → Queries” and check out all of the tips that are readily available there. When you’ve linked these two services together, it will allow you to get the most accurate SEO numbers possible.

Add the information pertaining to your website or company into Google Maps (for local/targeted promotion)

Local businesses will benefit greatly from making use of Google Maps. When people can look up your business online and figure out an address, it’s going to make things much easier. You could even go as far as offering coupons to those who found you through Google Maps!

Ensure That Your Domain is Registered for Several Years!​

If you’re going to be conducting a lot of business through your website, you’ll want to secure your domain for years to come. If you have a legitimate domain, it’s well worth investing in it for a few years – doorway domains can be used on an annual basis.

Create the “robots.txt” File (and Save it Into the Root of Your Domain)​

Your robots.txt is going to be very important, as it’s the fuel behind Google truly indexing your website. If you want to allow the entire website to be accessed for index, use the “User-agent” rule. You can disallow certain links that you don’t want to pop up on Google, which is perfect for when you need to get rid of spam produced by the competition. For testing purposes, you can use the GSC (Google Search Console) to Crawl, block URLs and even test your robots.txt file.

Create an XML Sitemap and Ensure It’s Saved Into the Root of Your Domain​

Sitemaps are ideal because Google won’t be able to automatically find every single page on your website. An XML Sitemap allows them to index an abundance of pages at once, as opposed to handling the entire process one by one. If you have well over a few thousand pages to have indexed, you’ll want to split them up into a few different XML Sitemaps.

Researching the Right Keywords (and How to Apply Them)​

Selecting the Right Strategy​

When it comes to setting goals for your online projects, you don’t want to settle for less. If you’re interested in long-term goals, you’ll have to target keywords that are much more competitive than your traditional options. You’ll also probably want to look into LSI/long-tail keywords. You’ll always have to weigh both search volume and competition levels when you’re picking your keywords, as that’s going to determine how high in quality they are.

Analyzing the Keywords of the Competition​

You can check all of the keywords that your competitors are using through the use of many different tools. This will allow you to see what is working for them, as well as work the keywords into your own personal SEO process as well. It will help you put together an effective PPC campaign or even just search queries in general. The most ideal tool for this sort of thing would be to use the keyword finder

Create Your Final List of Keywords to Target​

Creating the final list that you’ll be genuinely targeting takes a lot of effort, but it’s worth it all in the end. Take all of the keywords that you’ve decided to work with and run them through your SEO tools, taking note of how much potential traffic each keyword is going to bring in. Not only that, but you should be grouping keywords together for each page of your website – that’s right, each page should have its own personal group of keywords to make use of! Be sure to avoid duplicate keywords, though. You can use the keyword finder list tool

On-Page SEO Optimization​

Structuring Your Website (Page Architecture)​

Having a website pyramid that is properly put together can translate well when it comes to traffic. The term “pyramid” is merely a reference to the organization of your websites assets; this pertains to the navigation portion of your page, as well as the structure of your URL itself.

Create Optimized URLs (for SEO Purposes)​

Ensuring that your URLs are created with SEO optimism in mind is a must. Without the right URLs, you’re not going to see the results that you seek the most. Some obvious tips for this process would be:

• Add a target keyword to your URL, as the search engines are going to see that and eat it right up
• Do whatever you can to ensure that your URL is short and straight to the point; try and avoid symbols or signs (such as !, ?, $, or anything of that nature)
• Never use an underscore with your URL, if you need to create a space, use a hyphen
• Don’t split your URLs up too much, meaning, keep the folder number you use to a minimum

When your URLs are following every single rule associated with the SEO-friendly variety, it means that you’re taking every step possible to ensure that you are successful in that department.

Remove Duplicate Pages from Index/Canonical URLs​

In order to make your URLs that much more effective, it’s always suggested that you use a canonical kind. This is essentially providing search engines with a preferred page for your URL, whether it be an updated version or anything of that nature. You can make just about any URL you’d like into a canonical one, just remember the phrase: (rel=”canonical”) can be attributed to change the value.

Writing Unique Titles for Each Page​

Having a unique title for each page will not only add another layer of creativity to your page, but it’s also a must for your on-page optimization needs as well. Some tips for producing the most optimal titles would be:

• Be unique and make sure that every single title is unique/different
• Add one keyword into every single title you write, and try to keep them at 70 characters or less (search engines only show the first 70 characters)
• Never use more than 2 keywords
• Keep the title short, yet as informative as possible
• Avoid spam-like keywords, some examples would be “cheap” or “free”
• Avoid duplicating titles
• Feel free to use any sort of brand name in your title, but make sure you aren’t applying that to every single title on your website; users may get annoyed

Creating Unique Meta Descriptions for Every Single Page​

Meta descriptions are the little bits of information that display underneath a search result. It will explain what a page is all about, but mainly, it’s going to entice the person searching to stop and click on your website. Some effective tips behind creating the best meta descriptions possible would be:

• Limiting your meta descriptions to about 160 characters, as that’s the maximum amount that the Google search engine will display
• Work at least one keyword in your meta description, but avoid the act of keyword stuffing
• The meta descriptions should be informative, helping the user understand what a specific page is all about
• Feel free to use your brand name in the meta description, but avoid doing so in every single meta description that you write
• Avoid spam-like words (free, cheap, etc.)

While using the GSC (Google Search Console), you can check all of your meta descriptions and content that might come up as seeming duplicated. You do so by going to: Search Appearance -> HTML Improvements -> Duplicate Meta Descriptions.

Proper Heading Types​

Using the right header is something that many website owners fail to do. That’s why there are so many content writing services out there, as some people just can’t get it right! Even then, you can still change the values of your headers by yourself. If you’ve got a lot of headers and titles to worry about, you’ll want to use H2 to H6 tags – the H1 tag is always reserved for the very first title. The best combination (pertaining to header tags) will always be from H1 to H3, given that you don’t have “extra titles”.

You should refuse to use any kind of H tags that come with an additional term, such as strong or “EM”. Implementing a header tag into one of your images is going to be marked as spam as well, so be sure to avoid that at all costs.

Alt-Tags for Your Images​

Using alt-tags is essentially a way to get more SEO out of the pictures you’re using on your website. Although it may not be too obvious, it’s going to be a critical component to how successful you can be online. Some tips would be:

• Alt-tags will improve your website in regards to availability and user capability, it is essentially producing potential traffic through the use of a picture
• These alt-tags are considerably more important to search engines (for images) than title images
• Use no more than 5 words to describe your pictures
• Only use one keyword and avoid keyword stuffing at all times

Deletion of Nofollow / Broken Links​

Broken links will always hamper your SEO presence, which is why it’s important to get rid of them as quickly as you can. Here are some useful little bits of information that will keep you informed on why links break:

• 404 errors whenever a user is entering a domain
• Download links that you’re offering on your website no longer work
• Articles that you’ve posted have been removed by an administrator

There are many different tools/plug-ins that you can use to identify and delete broken links. The most popular tool would be Google Search Engine Console (you can use the Crawl Errors options to find them).

Website Speeds: Monitoring and Improving the Load Speed​

The load speed of your website is going to determine how long a user has to wait before they can access your content. People are not patient these days, and the quicker your website is capable of loading, the better of a chance you’ll stand when it comes to bringing in traffic. Slow-loading websites are never going to bring in the highest amount of traffic possible because people simply don’t have time to wait anymore.

Outbound Links: Don’t Use More than 100 Per Page!​

Outbound links are nice for giving you a boost SEO-wise, but you need to worry about using too many. Some people just go crazy with their outbound links, but you should limit your pages to a maximum of 100 per; if you don’t follow that rule, it may flag your entire website (as opposed to just the one page).

Inner Cross-Linking (The Proper Way)​

Interlinking your website is essentially the act of organizing the entire project. Some useful tips to help you go through the interlinking process properly would be:

• Ensure that you’ve got a Sitemap available in the HTML format, as it will allow search engines to index it easier (and also allow users to visit your website with ease)
• Add backlinks into the articles you’re posting on your website, just do so at the bottom of your page; you can add approximately 3 to 10 backlinks in this manner
• The internal links of your articles should refer to other posts and portions of your website
• Insert backlinks into your images wherever applicable, just be sure to do so properly
• Add a sidebar on each page of the website that features your most recent articles, but make sure it’s blocked from the indexing process (to avoid duplicate content)

There are many different tools/plug-ins that you can use to identify and delete broken links. The most popular tool would be Google Search Engine Console (you can use the Crawl Errors options to find them).

Using a 301 Redirect​

These are the kinds of redirect/status codes that you’ll use when a page has been moved (permanently) to a different spot. You can create these directly within your htaccess file, and it’s critical that you know how to properly apply your redirect pages.

Markup Validity: Checking Your Documents in HTML​

There will be a defined list/syntax of HTML codes that will allow you to identify any potential problems that could arise. You’ll be able to see how your website reacts within different browsers, as well as have an effect on your page loading speed; there are plenty of validation tools on the internet to use, so it’s merely a matter of finding one that you think is easy to worth with.

Read Also: 6 Security Tips for WordPress Websites

Content Strategy​

Look Over the Content Within Your Niche​

Understanding what works the most within your niche is always a good idea, as it will keep you ahead of the curve. Some stuff that’s going to keep you on top of everything would be:

• Research your product and niche deeply, to understand what makes consumers tick
• Look through and analyze all of the recent events and news pertaining to your niche
• Conduct interviews and gain a personal point of view
• If you ensure that your website is making use of relevant content, it’s bound to bring in more users (and more relevant ones, at that)
• Create a list that will sit well in regards to keeping your visitors entertained (Top 10 lists, 6 of the best X, etc.)
• Polls and votes are always great for user interaction
• Try and have an educational portion on your website, as knowledge is something that we are all after
• Compare both popular products and services to keep things recent
• Try and be the first person to talk about certain events/ideas within your niche
• Create content based on your personal experience
• Have an online shop to worry about? Be sure to post a price list somewhere on your website

Guideline to Writing Content​

Writing content is no easy task, and that’s why so many people tend to just hire writers to handle it all for them. If you aren’t the best at writing, no need to worry – check out some of these content writing guidelines that should have you putting together amazing pieces of content:

• Articles should contain a minimal word count of 300, as anything less than that may be marked as spam; it’s also important to note that not every bit you write needs to be 300, and it never hurts to shoot higher than that (especially for complicated pieces)
• Make sure that you are implementing both regular and long-tail keywords, try and do so in a natural manner
• Don’t post any content that either you or somebody else has already posted in the past; all of your articles and the content within them (titles, links, meta descriptions, and everything in between) should be unique. You can easily check for duplicated content with the Copyscape tool!

Content Optimization​

Content optimization is important, as, without it, you’re bound to post something forgettable (and more likely, regrettable) in the future. These tips are a sure way to keep your content optimized at every given corner:

• Unique content is the only thing that you should be producing, as you should be avoiding duplicate content at all costs. Every single page that you provide to your users must be uniquely written!
• Check the entire website for plagiarism, as there’s no telling where you’ve accidentally duplicated a phrase
• The content should be free of grammar and spelling mistakes, although in certain cases, people are targeting misspelled words on purpose. There’s no need to make use of this trend unless your niche calls for it, though!
• Keyword density should always be in between 3% and 5%, anything higher could be considered “keyword stuffing” and would negatively impact your rankings
• Interlinking with target anchor links is a must, and remember that content that is “too optimized” may have a negative effect on your rankings
• Ad bots should never be placed near the main content, as the user isn’t going to take it very well – it may translate into lackluster results and website rankings

You have to keep your content updated on a regular basis, as without doing that, the content that stays on your website is bound to get stale at some point.

Creating a Blog for Your Website​

Blogs are an amazing way to keep your users frequently updated with new content and useful information. Putting together a blog is quite easy, and some tips to help you with that would be:

• Creating blog posts that are truly engaging and useful, as opposed to fluff content that’s just going to fill out your website
• Make sure that you are updating the content on a regular basis, with some sort of consistency
• Optimize your articles for sharing purposes (make it easy to share your article on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
• Do you happen to run an e-commerce page? You can write blog posts pertaining to your products, but also pertaining to the industry that you operate in as a whole

Blog posts will help increase user activity on your website, but it will do so without too much risk. That’s why so many people tend to favor them over other forms of updates!

Creating Additional Content/Media (Videos, PDF Files, Webinars, and More)​

Using videos is a very good way to gain additional promotion and ranking when it comes to search engines, as you’re handling more than one form of content. Some things you need to know about producing media would be:

• You can still use keywords in the video title or within the video description
• Backlinks within the video (through the use of anchor texts) are ideal as well, and it’s always optimal for you to use a 50/50 split of exact match and mixed keywords (as well as phrases like “click here” alongside your brand).
• 10 character description phrases that feature keywords will give you a small boost as well

Having Famous Writers/Authors Contribute to Your Blogs​

Finding a fantastic writer to contribute to your blogs is a lot tougher than most people would think, especially if you’re interested in someone who is already popular. Like anything else in life, you should research their previous work before you actually hire a writer; you should also be specific when it comes to identifying deadlines. Finding a good guest blogger is almost like finding a reliable mechanic!

Other Bits of Information​

Avoid keyword stuffing at all costs, of course, but you should also be aware of mobile URLs. If your URL isn’t suitable for mobile devices, you’ll be missing out on tons of potential traffic – the sheer number of people that browse the internet on their phones is quite amazing. Refusing to capitalize on that would be simply crazy! You also need to give users the option of viewing a mobile/desktop version of specific pages, as options are always going to translate into results. Your website needs to not only be SEO-friendly in every single sense of the word, but it also needs to be user-friendly.

Off-Page SEO Optimization​

Check Out the Quality (and Quantity) of the Backlinks to Your Site​

If you just leave the backlinks to handle themselves, you’re bound to run into trouble at some point. You should always be doing your due diligence, and some of that would call for:

• Analyzing how any of your backlinks appear to be natural, as well as unique
• Check that all of your anchors are in order and working properly
• Check out any potential website errors that could be attributed to your backlinks, broken links in general, or even a 404 error (among many other things)
• Take it upon yourself to detect the pages on your site that are frequented more than the others, and then try to think of how you can bring the lesser pages to life

There are even tools available that will allow you to check out the backlinks that your competition will use, and some of the most effective tools for that are the likes of: Majestic SEO, Ahrefs, and plenty of other options.

Keeping Your Backlinks High-Quality​

Backlinks are looked at as “link juice” for many people, and they all want to know how to go about getting the best backlinks possible. If you want to keep your backlinks at their highest quality possible, you’ll want to apply these tips:

• Look at every single page and the resources behind it, as well as the number of backlinks associated with said page
• Use keywords within the anchor text of your backlink pages, as the search engines will deem them that much more relevant to the search query
• Dofollow backlinks are something you’ll want to target, as they have already been indexed by a search engine and will immediately boost your SEO rankings; if you have shady backlinks being used on a blog site (or something like that), nofollow links might be your best bet

Collaborate with Like-Minded Websites​

When you work with a website that has a similar topic to yours, it allows you to reach an even broader audience than you would have in the past. You should pay attention here, as these tips are going to be quite resourceful. You’ll want to try your hand at things like:

• Being creative and writing both articles and infographics that appeal to both audiences; Google also loves articles that have much more than just words in them
• When collaborating with another website, be sure to only use unique content and writing that is 100% brand-new
• Get your articles published on reputable websites that sport good traffic
• Balance yourself and keep a pace of around 2 to 5 articles weekly
• Figure out what your target audience is, and then run with it – there’s no telling how far you can take it when you know the kinds of people that you’re writing the content for
• The anchor text should be located somewhere sleek, but also easy to see; it should give as much additional information pertaining to the topic as possible
• Real stories and personal experiences can fuel some of the best articles people have ever read, so don’t be afraid to throw some truth into the mix!

While those are things that you should be doing, there are also some things that you should avoid doing as well. The things you need to avoid doing would be:

• Do not use guest posting as your main promotional route, because Google can tell when people are abusing the system
• Do not write articles that appear to be too optimized, since some people may mistake them for the work of a bot
• Do not post any articles you’ve written on lackluster, low-quality, or shady websites
• Do not use content that has been duplicated or spun
• Do not spam backlinks in the articles for the purpose of building more links

Discussion / Answering Questions​

You’ll be able to discuss certain topics pertaining to your industry through the use of blogs and forums, although you may want to avoid websites that call for you to sign-up. All of that work can be thrown into the trash with a quick ban, and there’s no telling how these websites operate at times, so it’s better to be safe! You can use blog sites and leave comments that trail back to your website, or simply refer to a product that you provide.

Social Media​

Only Post What’s “Worth Posting”​

Everything isn’t going to be worth posting, and there are unwritten rules within the world of social media. To make the most of your social media experience, you should do things like:

• Share meaningful / interesting posts
• Keep your posts limited to videos, infographics, charts, and other content that will leave people thinking
• Run contests, polls, and other kinds of events to see what kind of user interaction you’ll be working with
• Look at the audience’s activity and take note of what they appreciate, then do more of that!
• Be active when it comes to discussing matters on social media
• Don’t “fake it until you make it”, try and obtain real fans on all of your social media profiles
• Include links / buttons to your social media profiles on your website!

While many people have absolutely no idea where to start when it comes to SEO, this guide should be a great place to start for everything you need to know.