This is the ultimate SEO checklist you’ll ever need to optimize your website for the best SEO results.
We have divided this checklist into 2 parts.
Part 1: Optimization That Applies to the Entire Website
Part 2: Optimization That Applies to Individual Pages
Tip: We have integrated the tick box feature in this content to make it easy for you to check the boxes as you optimize your website for SEO. We suggest you bookmark this page to ensure you don’t lose it.
Part 1: Optimization That Applies to the Entire Website
- Secure your website with an SSL certificate.
Goal: Many users are concerned about security when browsing the internet, and they use the SSL certificate (HTTPS) to identify whether a website is secure. So, getting an SSL certificate for your website can tell people your website is secure. Also, HTTPS is one of the ranking factors of Google.
- Implement browser caching.
Goal: By caching your website, you’re storing the static copies of your website files in a temporary storage location for fast access. This helps to improve the loading speed of your website. Loading speed is among the main ranking factors of Google.
- Minify HTML.
Goal: By minifying HTML, you’re reducing the size of your website, which helps improve the loading speed.
- Remove unwanted codes. Delete unwanted plugins if you use CMS.
Goal: The fewer the codes on your website, the faster the loading speed will be. So, delete unwanted codes. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, deleting unwanted plugins can help.
- Use a responsive web design.
Goal: Most users browse the web through their smartphones. So, you should use a responsive web design to ensure your website is optimized across all devices.
- Make your website attractive.
Goal: The attractiveness of your website matters to make people stay on your website for a longer time. So, use an attractive theme. Also, don’t include too many promotional elements, as they can be annoying.
- Submit your sitemap to Google.
Goal: When you submit your sitemap to Google, you make it easy for them to crawl and index your website’s content.
Part 2: Optimization That Applies to Individual Pages
- Write a compelling page title (title tag).
Goal: When you submit your sitemap to Google, you make it easy for them to crawl and index your website’s content.
- Structure your URL short. Include your focus keyword.
Goal: Optimizing your URL can improve your rankings in the search results. So, make sure to structure your URL short. It should also include the focus keyword to describe the content to the users.
- Write a meta description that's not too long.
Goal: Meta description informs users what your content is about. So, write a good meta description that’s between 155 to 160 characters. You may also include your focus keyword to let users know your content contains the information they’re looking for.
- Write a short and compelling intro.
Goal: The intro is one of the main elements that make users read your content further. So, write a short and compelling intro with a great hook in it.
- Include the focus keyword (primary keyword) of your content in:
- Title tag
- H1 tag and other subheadings (H2 to H6)
- First 100 words
- Throughout the content (you should naturally include it)
Goal: When you include the focus keyword in the places listed above, Google can rank your content on the search results when users search for those phrases. Note that both the title tag and H1 tag differ from each other. The title tag appears in the search results as a clickable link, while the H1 tag is the primary title of the page.
- Make the content easy to read.
Goal: If your content is easy to read, users will interact with your content. Nowadays, most people don’t entirely read the content. Instead, they just skim it. So, make your content skimmable and easy to read and understand.
- Add internal links.
Goal: Internal linking refers to linking within the website. Adding internal links to your content can make search engines understand the structure of your website. Also, it makes it easy for users to navigate across your website.
- Add external links.
Goal: If you feel a website’s content will benefit your audience, you may link that content for your audience to check it out.
- Keep your content fresh and ensure the information is accurate.
Goal: Your content should always remain fresh, and its information should be accurate to receive consistent traffic.
- Implement structured data when possible.
Goal: Adding structured data can help search engines better understand your website’s structure. When you add structured data (schema markup) to your content, that data can appear as rich results in the search results, which helps increase the CTR.
- Voice search optimization.
Goal: Many users have started using voice search. You can add speakable schema markup for Google to identify the content that’s best suited for audio playback within a page.
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