If you are still doing on-page SEO, it’s time to get a new job. This is because the rise of content discovery has meant that people no longer rely solely on article and image rich websites for information; instead they search their queries in Google or use services like Reddit. Moreover, there will be more demand than ever before online as businesses increasingly pay attention to how well their website ranks against others across all platforms.
The “on-page seo checklist 2021” is a checklist that can be used to do on-page SEO for your website. It includes everything from meta tags, keyword density, and more.
Some individuals believe that on-page SEO is as simple as slapping your keywords on the page.
WRONG!
On-page SEO is both an art and a science.
That’s why I’m going to show you my on-page SEO checklist in detail today.
After reading this, you’ll never need another checklist.
This 80-Point On-Page SEO Checklist Will Forcibly Rank Your Page in Google
With our 80-point checklist, you can achieve excellent on-page SEO for free.
Part 1 of On-Page SEO: Performance
1. Have you set up Google Analytics tracking?
You’ll need a technique to assess your page’s SEO performance. Although Google Analytics is difficult to surpass, there are several good competitors, such as Clicky.
Simply ensure that you can measure organic search traffic and conversions.
This tool may be used to check your Google Analytics setup.
2. Do you keep track of your main keyword phrase?
Because of localisation, customisation, and other variables, tracking particular keywords is more difficult than it used to be.
You should, however, continue to monitor your major term to ensure you’re on the correct course.
I use Ahrefs to keep track of keywords.
Here’s a video of how I use it to keep track of my performance:
Part 2 of On-Page SEO: Crawling and Indexing
3. Can your page be crawled?
The most basic aspect of on-page SEO is making your page crawlable. In fact, if Google’s spiders can’t reach your website, you won’t be able to rank. Keep a watch on your robots.txt file and “NoIndex” tags, which are two major causes.
This tool is ideal for determining the crawlability of your page. Simply type in your URL and hit “Submit.”
The program will then show you anything that is or isn’t preventing search engine crawlers from seeing your website. A “200” status code is what you’re looking for. When it comes to the other sectors, no news is good news.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider may also be used to ensure that your pages are crawler-friendly. Simply choose “Blocked by Robots.txt” from the “Response Codes” column.
4. Is your page search engine friendly?
The first step to ranking in Google is to have a “crawlable” page. The next step is to make certain that your page is indexed.
The simplest technique to see whether your page is properly indexed is to copy and paste the URL into Google.
Pages that have already been created should appear. If they don’t, you’ll have to take some further actions.
Check to see whether the page uses the “NoIndex” tag. Then, in Screaming Frog, go to the “Directives” tab and choose “Noindex” from the filter selection.
If it passes that test, you should take a look at your site’s architecture.
Crawlers can’t access your page if it’s hidden too deep inside your website. This problem is especially frequent on e-commerce or large-scale websites.
To find out, go to Screaming Frog’s “Site Architecture” page and check under the “Crawl Depth” column.
The majority of your pages should only be three clicks deep.
If both of these checks are passed, you should utilize the “Fetch as Google” feature.
Obtaining backlinks to your page is the last step in getting it indexed.
It’s time to optimize your page for your major keyword now that you’re measuring performance, your website is crawlable, and your page is indexed.
Part 3 of On-Page SEO: Keywords
5. Are you focusing on the correct keyword?
Some individuals have unrealistic expectations about their abilities to rank for certain keywords. To guarantee that you’re targeting the proper keywords, you’ll need to go through thorough keyword qualifying and competitive analysis procedures.
I won’t go into too much detail here, but here’s a 30,000-foot keyword qualifying method to get you started:
First, use the Ahrefs Term Explorer tool to look for your keyword.
Based on Keyword Difficulty, you may swiftly remove keywords (KD). For example, fresher or less authoritative websites should avoid targeting keywords with more than 50 KD.
If your term passes the KD test, you’ll want to see how your website stacks up against the top rivals (on average).
For each rival, add up the following data points and average them out:
- Total Linking Root Domains, DR, Backlinks (export from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer)
- Count the number of words (this tool works well)
You now have a clear picture of what you’ll need to perform in order to compete for your desired keyword phrase.
6. Have you previously chosen this term as a target?
Keep an eye out for keyword cannibalization (when numerous sites target the same core keyword phrase).
Here’s an illustration:
Every SEO strategy should make it a point to avoid this problem from the start.
Believe me when I say… Working with large-scale keyword cannibalization concerns is a nightmare.
What you need to know is as follows:
- Choose one main keyword per page and concentrate on constructing (and upgrading) that page.
- Create or optimize no more than one page for the same major keyword.
However, I should highlight the hub and spoke concept.
If the goal is different, you may target similarly comparable terms.
On Gotch SEO, for example, I have a blog article describing how to do an SEO audit (informational purpose) and a website dedicated to “SEO audit service” (transactional intent). These keyword phrases are similar yet have quite distinct meanings.
Here’s an illustration by Jimmy Daly:
Just make sure you don’t misunderstand this approach and start churning out thin pages around your main page/keyword.
7. Does your page meet the purpose of the search?
Understanding how to optimize for intent is crucial to good on-page SEO.
If you’ve been following my work or are a member of the Gotch SEO Academy, you’re probably sick of hearing me speak about it. However, the fact is that it is quite crucial, and many websites get it incorrect.
There are four different types of search intent:
- “How to Get Backlinks” is a useful piece of information.
- “Buy backlinks” is a transactional term.
- “SagaReach vs. Ahrefs” comparison
- “Gotch SEO” – navigational
How you build your website should be dictated by your understanding of the purpose behind your target keyword.
If you’re targeting a keyword phrase with instructional purpose (how to __), for example, your landing page should educate while also attempting to develop rapport.
When looking for informative keywords, most people aren’t ready to purchase.
Source
They’re almost certainly at the start of the customer journey. You should be aware of this and design your page as an instructional resource.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t attempt to move the prospect to the next stage of the purchase cycle, but you should start small. At this point, lead magnets are my go-to CTA for searchers.
8. Is your main keyword included in the title?
While SEOs don’t always agree on everything, most would agree that your major keyword should be in the title tag of your page to accomplish basic on-page SEO. If you follow any of the steps on this checklist, make sure your target keyword is in the title, since it is the most important aspect of on-page SEO.
There would be a lot more effective SEOs if on-page SEO was as easy as putting your keyword in the title.
Here’s the reality:
That’s the basic minimum in terms of on-page SEO.
Improve the clickability of your title tag to take your optimization to the next level.
9. Does your headline entice people to click on it?
The terms in your title tag help Google comprehend your page. However, there is another aspect of title tags that you should be aware of:
Rate of Click-Through (CTR).
When you click on “Performance” in Google Search Console, you can see your website’s SERP CTR performance:
It’s vital that your headline be as appealing and clickable as possible.
In fact:
One of the simplest strategies to gain more organic search traffic without developing new content is to increase your SERP CTR.
10. Is it possible to use modifiers in your title?
For on-page SEO, most people just put their keyword in the title and call it a day. However, most are unaware that title modifiers such as “best,” “top,” and the year (“2021”) will help you grab more long-tail organic search traffic.
11. Have you used up all of the space on your title tag?
In Google’s SERPs, titles may be up to 65 characters long before being shortened.
To improve your on-page SEO, you should make the most of this character real estate.
Make sure your keyword is towards the beginning of the title, but then utilize all of the copywriting tactics you can to persuade searchers to click on your result.
When you choose “Page Titles” and then the “Filter” option in Screaming Frog, you may locate any titles that are under or above 65 characters.
12. Is the title of your page included in an H1 tag?
For appropriate on-page SEO, every page on your website should include an H1 element that includes your major keyword.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider can help you figure out which pages don’t have H1s yet.
Simply choose “Missing H1s” from the “Filter” option on the “H1” tab.
The question now is:
Is it possible to have numerous H1s on a page (and how does this affect SEO)? The answer is yes, but only in exceptional circumstances would I contemplate doing so.
Is your main keyword included in the meta description?
Even though Google often rewrites meta descriptions, it’s still a good idea to develop one that’s detailed and contains your main keyword.
For example, Google modified the first two phrases of my text in my 301 redirect guide’s meta description:
14. Does your meta description entice people to click on it?
You should aim to make your meta description as clickable as possible, much as your title.
Here’s a handy guide to get you started.
15. Is your main keyword included in the URL?
Pages with the major keyword in the URL, in my experience, perform better. According to Google, putting your term in the URL is a minor ranking impact.
16. Do you have a lean URL structure?
Shorter URLs seem to do better, although this is most likely a minor impact.
Source
The primary purpose for shortening your URLs is to improve user experience. This is because lengthy URLs are harder to remember and distribute.
Long URLs, on the other hand, provide no advantages. So, remove all the extraneous information from your URLs and just include your target keyword phrases.
Is your main keyword mentioned in the first sentence?
Micro on-page SEO elements like inserting your keyword phrase in the first line are really difficult to evaluate, but it’s something I’ve always done.
If you want Google’s algorithms to comprehend what your website is about, make it crystal obvious, in my opinion. As a result, including your target keyword phrase in the first sentence is ideal for accomplishing this aim.
18. Do you have a keyword density that is too high in comparison to your competitors?
Many people claim that keyword density should be ignored. For the most part, I agree.
You should create your information as naturally as possible, and the density will naturally emerge.
However, checking the competition to determine the average keyword density for your target search phrase isn’t a bad idea.
Simply use this tool to collect keyword density for each rival before averaging it out.
After that, just compare your current density to the average. If you’re making a completely new page, start with the content and then tweak it.
Keep this in mind:
The importance of keyword location much outweighs that of keyword density.
19. Have you used several variants of your main keyword in your copy?
It’s a good idea to build your pages around one main keyword. You should, however, aim to rank that page for all of the closely similar versions.
The Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is one of my favorite tools for finding these variants.
Simply type in your main keyword phrase and then choose “Also rank for”:
20. Have you written the material using synonyms (LSI keywords) for your core keyword?
The Hummingbird algorithm was created by Google to rank sites based on themes rather than keywords. To get ideal on-page SEO, you must arrange your website around your core keyword while also interweaving other relevant synonyms and themes around it.
You can see this in action if you look at my “backlinks” tutorial. Every section on the page was chosen with care.
I just copied and pasted all of the concepts from Answer the Public and other keyword generators. In other words, your website should be able to answer any query and solve any issue related to your target keyword term.
Just make sure you don’t mix up your intentions. That’s why, rather than include a part in my guide, I made a new website for the search term “buy backlinks.”
My backlinks guide is intended to be informative, while “buy backlinks” is intended to be transactional.
Part 4 of On-Page SEO: Content
21. Is your page unique and superior to those of your competitors?
Long is preferable than unique. Every page on your website (that you want to rank) should provide something new and unique.
Always approach your material with the mindset of “How can we make this page better than what we have now (while still providing more value)?”
When you’re competing for informational inquiries, this is a lot simpler.
But, when competing with Transactional inquiries like “Los Angeles criminal lawyer,” how can you make your website stand out?
To begin, you must:
Make the most of your brand’s unique content.
Testimonials, case studies, and outcomes will be included. Because you’re aiming to encourage searchers to become leads, that should be the center focus of every good local page. You do this by accumulating a lot of social evidence and developing your brand’s authority.
Second:
Your page’s UX/UI must be superior than those of your rivals.
Fortunately, most firms on a local level are unwilling to invest in design. If you do, you’ll get a strategic edge.
UX is another important issue that most small firms overlook.
For conversions, you should create pages with a transactional purpose (goal completions). Forms should be visible above the fold, and CTAs should be prominent.
Finally, most small companies are unwilling to spend time or money on video production, graphic design, or professional photography.
If you’re serious about ranking, you should invest in multimedia.
I’ve spent a total of $22,433 on video editing alone. It’s well worth the effort.
My last piece of advice is to educate.
- Is it possible to add a FAQ to the page that will increase the chances of a searcher becoming a lead?
- Are you able to provide them with reliable, impartial educational information that will assist them in making an educated decision?
Helping searchers and providing value develops goodwill, which in turn increases brand trust. High conversions need a high level of trust.
22. Is your content free of grammatical and spelling errors?
Use Grammarly to check for spelling and grammatical problems. According to their Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Google dislikes spelling and grammatical errors:
Hiring a proofreader or editor to look through your pages wouldn’t harm either.
23. Is your copy (on average) lengthier than that of your competitors?
There is some evidence that pages with more words perform better than those with fewer words.
Source
It’s crucial not to take anything out of context here. Your text should be well-crafted and well-considered. Writing tens of thousands of words of fluff material isn’t going to help much.
Your page/copy must be dramatically distinct from your competition, as I said in the last inspection. Not only for a longer period of time.
To check how lengthy your competitor’s material is, use this tool or Screaming Frog.
24. Is your text well-written?
Some SEOs overlook the fact that not all writing is created equal. It doesn’t imply it’s excellent just because you typed 2,000 words. Writing is a talent that some individuals have mastered more than others.
There are just two alternatives available to you:
- Thousands of hours of writing and reading have gone into honing your skills.
- Hire someone who already has the necessary competence.
If you don’t have the funds to employ a writer, create the material yourself and have an editor polish it.
25. Can your copy be scanned?
Users on the internet scan before reading. As a result, your content should make advantage of all available strategies to increase the scanability of your website.
This is especially critical for sites with a lot of content, such as blog entries and articles.
To pass or fail this check, you’ll need to apply your best judgment, but there’s a straightforward two-step approach you can follow.
- First, take a look at the page you wish to improve.
- Then determine if a reader can grasp the page’s content without reading it all.
26. Is your material created for a student in the eighth grade?
Advanced writing and content are appropriate for certain target audiences, although they are in the minority.
Your content should be crafted in such a way that it is both understandable and actionable.
There’s an issue if someone doesn’t comprehend what you’re talking about or how to put what you’re recommending into action.
Some experts overlook the fact that no one cares how much knowledge or expertise you have. Humans are said to be fundamentally self-interested, according to popular belief. WE’d like to know how you intend to assist us.
That’s why it’s so beneficial to write your material at an 8th-grade reading level or below. It simplifies your material, makes it simpler to take action, and makes you more relatable.
Hemingway Writer can help you make your material more understandable. Studying the finest direct response copywriters of all time, such as David Ogilvy, Dan Kennedy, or Frank Kern, can show you that simple writing wins.
27. Is your text interesting to read?
The first step to crafting interesting content is to write at an 8th-grade level or below. The second stage is to write in an entertaining manner.
Before taking action, people must digest their material.
That’s why all of the copywriting strategies in this section are so crucial.
If searchers interact with and absorb your material, this is a favorable indicator for your page in terms of SEO. It will boost dwell time, and if you’ve done a good job, the searcher may go on to share your website, visit another page, subscribe to your list, become a lead, or perhaps buy one of your items.
The question now is:
What methods do you use to make your text more engaging?
- Write to one reader at a time, using pronouns like “you” and “yours.”
- Second, incorporate relevant tales into your presentation to help you emphasize your arguments.
- Finally, be sure you understand what you’re talking about. While it’s simple to pretend to be an expert on the internet, most readers can smell BS.
28. Do you employ short paragraphs in your copy?
For Internet users, long paragraphs are like kryptonite. Massive blocks of text are one of the most irritating things you’ll come across on the internet.
Short, scannable paragraphs are best.
Per paragraph, I wouldn’t exceed three sentences.
I realize this isn’t what your English instructor taught you, but they’ve almost certainly never sold anything online.
29. Are your headlines logically organized?
Although using a logical page structure won’t have a significant impact on your performance, it’s still a smart idea.
Every page should begin with an H1 tag, followed by H2, H3, H4, and so on.
30. Do you use descriptive headers in your copy?
Frank Kern taught me how to use descriptive headers. In other words, a reader should be able to scan your headlines and figure out what’s going on. “Headings that convey a tale,” as Kern puts it.
Readers usually often skim text before committing to reading it in its entirety, according to him. That is why it is critical to include descriptive headers.
31. In your headers, have you employed keyword variants, LSIs, or synonyms?
Your H1 tag should be comparable to your title tag, but your other headings should contain synonyms, LSIs, and variants of your core keyword.
This is when Answer the Public comes in handy.
32. Do you use bullet points and numbered lists in your copy?
As much as possible, use bullet points and numbered lists.
This will help readers “commit” to digesting your material by breaking it apart.
33. Do you have a “new” copy?
To ensure that your text is still correct, you should evaluate it at least biannually or yearly. It’s crucial to keep your material correct and up to date in order to please Google’s algorithms.
In Google’s Search Engine Evaluator Guidelines, this topic is cited several times.
When you improve current assets rather than producing new ones, you get a greater return on investment.
Part 5 of On-Page SEO: Images
34. Do you have the same number of photographs as your competition, if not more?
Your page will be more intriguing and engaging if you use unique photographs. Aim for at least as many distinct photographs as your competition, if not more.
35. Do your photographs appear just on your website?
Not all visuals are created equal, just as not all words are. Always make an effort to have UNIQUE photos and graphics on your website.
You may need to employ a graphic designer or photographer, but it will be well worth the money since it will boost the quality and attractiveness of your website.
Furthermore, putting in that additional effort will increase the impression of your brand.
36. Are your photos of good quality?
The first step is to collect distinctive photographs. The next step is to double-check that they’re in excellent shape.
Hiring a professional to shoot photos or design graphics is a good idea.
Businesses want to “save money” by cutting shortcuts, but this doesn’t save you money in the long run since low-quality images/graphics harm your brand’s perspective.
37. Do you have the correct picture format?
Choosing between PNG, JPEG, or GIF won’t have a huge impact on SEO, but it will assist with page loading speed.
The greatest quality of the three is PNG. As a result, it will most likely take the longest to completely load. To have a better knowledge of various file formats, I suggest reading this tutorial.
It’s not a life or death situation, so don’t be concerned.
Because PNG and JPEG are the most used, utilize them as a starting point.
38. Have you checked to see whether your photographs are the right size?
Your photographs should be resized and uploaded to fit the dimensions of your website. The objective is to avoid picture reduction, which will speed up the loading of your website.
39. Have you compressed your images?
It’s critical to use high-quality photographs, but you also need to make sure they’re optimized for loading speed.
One of the most common causes of sluggish website loading is images. The solution to avoiding this problem is to compress your photographs.
OptimizeZilla, for example, is ideal since it compares picture compression side by side. That way, you’re not sacrificing picture quality while still increasing loading speed.
40. Do you use descriptive file names for your images?
Images should have meaningful file names, according to Google.
What exactly does it imply?
It implies that you should store your photographs depending on their contents.
If your photo is of a 12-week-old male Great Pyrenees, for example, the file name should be https://www.website.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/12-week-male-great-pyrenees.png.
This may help you improve your image search results. Just don’t overdo it and pack your files with keywords.
41. Do you have informative and accurate tag descriptions for all of your images?
ALT tags help Google’s crawlers figure out what a picture is.
For every picture on your website, you should always utilize descriptive ALT tags.
Part 6 of On-Page SEO: Video
42. Do you have any video material on your page?
Video is one of the most popular forms of internet content consumption. It’s also one of the most effective methods to engage searchers and keep them on your website for extended periods of time, which is a good user signal.
Even if your rivals aren’t, I strongly advise you to invest in video.
43. Do the videos relate to the page/keyword?
The video, like your photos and writing, must be hyper-relevant to the page’s content.
44. Do the videos have a distinct brand identity?
Yes, you can go to YouTube and embed whatever video you want on your website, but this isn’t the ideal long-term plan. You should make distinctive films since it’s a terrific method to increase the impression of your company.
It’s also a chance to expand your brand’s profile on YouTube, the world’s second-largest search engine.
45. Are the videos of good quality and worth?
When video material is high-quality and useful, it may be very beneficial on a variety of levels. Your goal should be to generate the greatest possible video material.
However, there is a stumbling block:
When the camera kicks on, you need to be somewhat interesting and articulate. Only time and practice will allow you to do this.
So, either put in the time to become more engaging, or hire a staff member who can represent your company on video.
I won’t go into detail on making videos since it’s outside the scope of this book, but I do have one major recommendation: plan out your material.
46. Is the video material mobile-friendly?
All devices should be able to see your video. Videos on YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia are all responsive, however custom-built websites may sometimes create issues.
Use this tool to see how responsive your video is. You’ll need to optimize your design if your video isn’t responsive. In the meanwhile, you may make the movies responsive using this tool.
47. Do the videos seem to be hosted on the correct platform?
From an SEO and marketing standpoint, choose where to host your videos is critical.
YouTube is king in terms of SEO since it is by far the most popular video search engine. That’s why putting your films on YouTube and then embedding them on your keyword-targeted website might work in tandem.
To put it another way, you may rank in both Google and YouTube to get the most exposure. If you don’t want to create a YouTube channel, you may still upload your videos elsewhere and reap the same advantages.
48. Have you optimized the videos?
The title of your video should be the same as the keyword that your website is targeting. My anchor text guide, for example, includes a video explaining “anchor text.”
Part 7 of On-Page SEO: Links
49. Do you have any internal links on your page?
Internal links are a great approach to increase the authority of your site, enhance its crawlability and indexability, and help you rank other essential pages on your site.
50. Do you use descriptive anchor text in your internal links?
Internal links, unlike external links, should include anchor text that is keyword-rich.
To gain an understanding of my rivals’ internal link anchor profile, I like to run them via Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
51. Do you optimize your internal connections depending on the priority of the initial link?
The initial link priority is an important consideration, since Google’s algorithm is likely to only “count” the first link/anchor text on a page.
That’s why I try to avoid putting sites that I’m attempting to rank in the menu.
52. Is there a breadcrumb trail on the page?
Large or e-commerce websites benefit from breadcrumbs. All you have to do is remember the first link priority concept.
It’s especially important if you want to rank your category pages.
53. Do your internal connections provide a purpose?
Internal link injection for the sole goal of ranking is not a good idea.
Keep in mind that the purpose of your page is to gratify the user.
Every internal link should have a purpose or provide some benefit to the user. In general, as long as you’re connecting to sites that are relevant and helpful, you’ll be OK.
54. Do you use preferred URLs for all of your internal links?
URLs may change while moving to new domains, altering URLs, or installing SSL certificates. As a consequence, a redirect chain is created.
Excessive redirects may delay your page’s performance because redirect chains require link equity to travel through a buffer.
Make sure your internal links are utilizing your desired URLs by auditing them.
55. Do you have any external links on your page?
The trustworthiness of your page is increased by linking to relevant and trustworthy sites.
Is there a “NoFollow” tag on all affiliate, sponsored, or paid links?
All compensated links should use the NoFollow tag, according to Google’s webmaster rules. The purpose of a NoFollow tag is to prevent PageRank from going via the link.
57. Have you configured all of your external links to open in a new window?
It should be your objective to retain visitors on your site for as long as feasible. As a result, make sure that all external links open in a new tab.
I realize this is a small point, but you’d be surprised how frequently I come across it in audits.
58. Do you have any broken links on your page?
Broken links must be fixed since they might detract from the user experience. Every quarter, do a link audit on your page and site to find and resolve broken links.
a shrieking frog My preferred tool for achieving this purpose is SEO Spider.
To locate all of your broken links, just click “Response Codes,” then choose “Client (4xx)” from the filter field and click “Inlinks.”
59. Do all of your hyperlinks seem to be hyperlinks?
Web design and user experience may sometimes collide. One of the most difficult tasks is deciding how to design links. I believe that links should always be underlined and a distinct color from the rest of the text.
Links are intended to be clicked.
Part 8 of On-Page SEO: User Experience (UX)
60. Does it take less than 3 seconds for your website to load?
One of the most essential UX components is page speed. Your loading speed should be improved since it benefits both SEO and conversions.
To improve the performance of your website, I suggest utilizing both Pingdom and GTMetrix.
61. Is your site mobile-friendly and responsive?
Mobile devices account for the vast majority of all online searches. As a result, there’s no question that your website should be mobile-friendly.
This tool may be used to test your website to ensure that it works well on all devices.
62. Do you have an SSL certificate setup on your website?
SSL certificates were announced by Google a few years ago as a component of their algorithm and a ranking element. Google Chrome has also added the dreaded “Not Secure” flag to webpages.
This label is a big turn-off for users, and it might affect your search engine rankings and revenue.
Although installing an SSL certificate is a site-wide effort, it’s a good idea to double-check that your target page is safe.
Use this tool to check the security of your page and the installation of an SSL certificate.
63. Is your font type readable and legible across all platforms?
This should go without saying, but your typeface should be simple to read. Open Sans, Montserrat, and Playfair Display are some of the simplest typefaces to read.
“While many publications identify typography’s goal as improving the readability of the written word, one of design’s most compassionate purposes is to assist people avoid reading.” Ellen Lupton is a well-known author.
64. Is your font big enough to read comfortably on all devices?
On a mobile device, having a big, legible font is critical. It should not be necessary for users to pinch to zoom in order to read your content.
Check out this tutorial for additional information on font size optimization.
65. Do you have any aggressive interstitials on your page?
Google has said that sites with aggressive interstitial pop-ups would be demoted by its algorithm.
I don’t blame them; they’re a pain to deal with.
If you’re going to utilize them, make sure they’re only loaded when a person reaches your website’s second or third page. However, unless it’s a slide-down or slide-up that can be swiftly closed, I’d avoid loading these on mobile.
66. Do you have aggressive ad placements on your page?
Aggressive ad placements combined with sparse content were one of the elements targeted by Google’s first Panda algorithm. Some companies rely on advertising money to survive, but others go too far.
If you want to keep doing well on Google, you must first consider the user.
Is it true that shoving adverts in their faces helps them attain a goal or solve an issue for which they were looking? Every SEO-driven page should be built with the user in mind. After you’ve figured out that portion, consider how to put advertising in a manner that doesn’t interfere with the user’s experience.
Part 9 of On-Page SEO: Local
67. Is your address clearly visible?
Your address must be provided if you want to rank your page in the local pack. It doesn’t have to be above the fold; instead, it should be in the content’s body or footer.
If you have many locations, be cautious about putting the address in the footer. Because most footers are shown site-wide, your address will appear on every page.
If you just have one location, you won’t have any problems. If you have numerous locations, however, the address should only be shown on the corresponding location page.
Part 10 of On-Page SEO: Structured Data
68. Is structured data used in your address?
Structured data, according to Google, is not part of their algorithm. It’s difficult to tell whether or not this is correct. However, I feel that using structured data will only improve the performance of your website.
Wrap your address in structured data at the very least to assist Google’s algorithm better comprehend your website and company.
69. Do you use structured data on your page?
Structured data will most likely assist local companies, but it may also be used for a variety of other purposes. The good news is that many Content Management Systems (CMS) provide structured data and basic markup as standard features.
This Schema plugin is ideal for use with WordPress.
70. Is the structured data properly put up?
After you’ve integrated structured data, double-check that it’s right.
Google’s Structured Data Testing tool is the finest tool to utilize.
Part 11 of On-Page SEO: YMYL & E-A-T
71. Do you provide medical, financial, or legal advice to people?
Many people think that Google’s August 1, 2018 algorithm upgrade (dubbed “Medic”) targeted “Your Money, Your Life” (YMYL) websites and pages.
In summary, any websites that provide health, financial, or legal advice will be scrutinized more closely in the future.
The fundamental reason for this is because information in these areas that is wrong, untested, or misleading might harm a person.
In its search engine, Google only wants to rank sites with truthful information. The guidelines of the Search Engine Rater make this apparent. As a result, double-check your page’s content (no matter what niche you’re in).
72. Do you have the relevant disclaimers on your page?
All health, financial, and legal advice should come with appropriate disclaimers. These disclaimers will not only safeguard your company, but they will also serve as a trust signal for your website.
73. Does your page provide a list of all sources of information and links to them?
Plagiarism may lead to expulsion from college. Over the other hand, anybody may steal, duplicate, and spread your work and ideas on the Internet. Sure, it stinks, but you don’t have to be like the Internet’s trash.
Instead, when you need information from another website (that you weren’t aware of), you should link to it.
To begin with, it is both ethical and courteous to do so. Finally, it improves the credibility of your website (both for users and search engines).
74. Do you have a visible author for your blog posts?
Every informative page, such as blog postings, should have a clearly identified author.
Back in the early days of blogging, hiding your identity was a frequent practice (Ramsay Taplin). However, it is more likely to harm than to improve your SEO performance these days.
75. Is the author competent and reputable to write on the subject?
Since the August 1st Google upgrade, E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) has been a hot issue.
It’s up for discussion whether or not it’s a ranking element. Debating is entertaining (and typically a waste of time), but I don’t believe it matters.
Your material should be written by a competent individual. This policy will only help your company’s SEO performance.
Consider this:
Which page is the most important?
- Page A is authored by someone who has worked in the X business for a long time.
- Page B, for example, was written by a jack-of-all-trades writer you hired via UpWork.
It’s only natural that Google would prefer material published by someone who is qualified to write on the subject at hand.
76. Is there a full author box/bio on every blog post?
Every blog article, in my opinion, should have an author box (or something similar) as well as a thorough bio of the author.
The author’s bio should explain why he or she is competent to write about the subject.
77. Is there a specific and thorough author page for each author?
While it isn’t strictly essential, I believe it is worthwhile. It just adds to the trustworthiness of your material.
The author’s bio is a brief summary of the writer’s credentials at the bottom of each piece, but the author page has a more extensive description as well as links to social media accounts and other publications.
Part 12 of On-Page SEO: Goal Achievement
78. Is there a clear call-to-action (CTA) on the page?
Some claim that target completions are weighted by Google. The action that the visitor is expected to complete on your website is referred to as a “goal fulfillment.” Your CTA should be determined by the purpose of your target keyword phrase.
Contact form submissions and phone calls, for example, are two viable target completions if your page ranks for “St Louis personal injury lawyer.” It’ll probably be difficult for Google to get this information, but it’s a worthwhile goal.
A Call-to-Action should appear on every page of your website (CTA).
As previously said, the purpose of the target keyword will determine your CTA. If you’re on a product page, your CTA will be sales-focused. If your material is Top of the Funnel (ToFu), your CTA might be as basic as asking the visitor to share your page or leave a blog comment.
Is the page shareable? 79.
Informational material should always include prominent social media sharing buttons since it is more likely to be shared (if it is excellent).
Make sharing your material as simple as possible for the user.
For the majority of my websites, I use SumoMe, although there are many more fantastic choices available.
Part 13 of On-Page SEO: Design & User Interface (UI)
Is the website design current and up to date? 80.
Some websites are in desperate need of a makeover. It’s a wise investment to refresh your site’s design on a regular basis to maintain it current. From an SEO standpoint, striking a balance between design and user experience is crucial. Take this very seriously!
That’s everything for now!
That was a lot to consider and write about. I hope my on-page SEO checklist has helped you understand how to properly optimize your pages so that they are loved by both your users and Google.
Do you have any questions? Leave a remark below, and I will answer to each and every one.
Would you mind sharing this checklist with your coworkers if you found it useful? I’d be really appreciative. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
To achieve excellent on-page SEO, download our 80-point on-page SEO checklist.
Nathan Gotch is the creator of Gotch SEO and a well-known SEO specialist across the world. Since 2012, Nathan has assisted over 3,000 agency owners, SEO experts, and company owners in achieving consistent #1 rankings.
Nathan Gotch’s most recent posts (see all)
The “off-page seo checklist” is a list of steps that you can take to improve your on-page SEO. The checklist includes things such as keyword research, meta description optimization, social media marketing and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the on-page SEO checklist?
A: On-page SEO checklist is a list of tasks that webmasters should do to improve the visibility of their website in search engine results. These are often referred to as ahrefs and consist mainly of link building, essential content generation, keyword research and meta data optimization.
What is the most advanced SEO checklist?
A: The term SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a list of factors that are required by Google to rank your website in the search engine results pages or SERPs, depending on what type of keyword youre targeting.
What is the best SEO strategy for 2021?
Related Tags
- technical seo checklist template
- seo checklist 2022
- on-page seo checklist pdf
- keyword research checklist
- on-page seo checklist excel