On-Page SEO Checklist

Write unique title tags for every page

Each page needs a distinct, descriptive title tag between 50-60 characters that includes your primary keyword naturally.

Include primary keyword near the beginning of titles

Front-load your target keyword in the title tag where possible to signal relevance to both search engines and users.

Craft compelling meta descriptions

Write unique meta descriptions of 150-160 characters that include your keyword, a value proposition, and a call to action.

Avoid duplicate title tags across pages

Audit your site for duplicate titles that confuse search engines about which page to rank for a given query.

Include brand name in title tags

Append your brand name to title tags using a separator like | or - to build brand recognition in search results.

Test titles for click-through rate

Monitor CTR in Google Search Console and experiment with different title formats to improve click-through rates from search results.

Use a single H1 tag per page

Every page should have exactly one H1 that clearly describes the page topic and includes your primary keyword.

Structure content with H2-H6 hierarchy

Use subheadings to create a logical content hierarchy. H2s for main sections, H3s for subsections, maintaining proper nesting order.

Include target keywords naturally in headings

Incorporate primary and secondary keywords in subheadings where they fit naturally without keyword stuffing.

Write comprehensive, in-depth content

Cover your topic thoroughly by addressing related questions, subtopics, and user intent. Aim for content that fully satisfies the search query.

Add table of contents for long-form content

Include a clickable table of contents for articles over 2,000 words to improve user navigation and earn jump-link rich results.

Optimize content readability

Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear language. Target an 8th-grade reading level for most web content.

Link to relevant internal pages from content

Add 3-5 contextual internal links per page pointing to related content, using descriptive anchor text that includes target keywords.

Fix broken internal links

Regularly audit for broken internal links that create dead ends for both users and search engine crawlers.

Create hub-and-spoke content clusters

Build topical authority by linking related content pieces to a central pillar page, creating clear content clusters around key topics.

Use descriptive anchor text

Replace generic anchor text like 'click here' with descriptive phrases that tell users and search engines what the linked page is about.

Ensure important pages are within 3 clicks of homepage

Keep your site architecture shallow so critical pages are easily accessible. Pages buried deep in the structure get less crawl priority.

Add breadcrumb navigation

Implement breadcrumbs to improve site navigation, reduce bounce rates, and help search engines understand your site structure.

Add descriptive alt text to all images

Write alt text that accurately describes the image content and includes relevant keywords where natural.

Compress images without quality loss

Use tools to compress images to the smallest file size possible while maintaining visual quality. Target under 200KB for most images.

Use descriptive file names for images

Rename image files from generic names like IMG_001.jpg to descriptive, keyword-rich names like technical-seo-audit-results.webp.

Specify image dimensions in HTML

Always include width and height attributes on image elements to prevent layout shifts during page loading.

Use next-gen image formats

Serve images in WebP or AVIF format with JPEG/PNG fallbacks for older browsers to reduce page load times.

Add captions to informational images

Include captions for charts, graphs, and screenshots to provide context and improve user engagement with visual content.