SEO Checklist: The Practical Version

01 · Foundation — before writing anything0/6

If this is weak, everything else in this SEO checklist struggles.

• Clear niche. “Marketing” is too broad, go specific enough that Google can tell what you’re actually about.
• Each page covers one clear topic. Not several loosely related ideas crammed together.
• Logical structure. Homepage → category → article, not a flat pile of disconnected pages.
• Clean URL structure. Something like example.com/category/specific-topic, not a string of random characters.
• Mobile-first design. Test on your actual phone, not just by shrinking a desktop browser window.
• Fast hosting and caching. Speed matters more than how polished the design looks.

02 · Keyword & Intent Mapping0/5

This is where most sites fail, not through lack of effort, through mismatched intent.

• One primary keyword per page. Splitting focus across several dilutes all of them.
• Search intent matched. Informational, transactional, or navigational, each needs a different kind of page.
• Checked what’s already ranking for this term before deciding what format to write.
• No keyword cannibalisation. No two pages competing for the same term, that hurts both.
• Keywords chosen from actual search data, not guessed at.

03 · Content That Actually Ranks0/6

• Title includes the keyword naturally, not forced in.
• First 100 words answer the query directly. Don’t make people scroll to find out if they’re in the right place.
• Headings (H2, H3) structure the page, not just break up text visually.
• Concrete examples and plain explanations, not just definitions.
• Internal links to related pages.
• Length fully answers the question, not padded to hit a word count.

04 · On-Page SEO Checklist0/5

Basic, but still genuinely required.

• SEO title includes the keyword, without reading as spammy.
• Meta description is clear, human, and actually makes someone want to click.
• URL is short and clean.
• Keyword appears in the title, first paragraph, and one or two headings, not stuffed everywhere.
• Image alt text describes the image, not just another place to cram the keyword.

05 · Technical SEO Checklist0/6

Don’t overcomplicate this part.

• Fast loading, ideally under 2.5 seconds. Test your actual TTFB too, not just the overall score, since a fast server can still sit underneath a slow-feeling page if something else is holding up the paint.
• Mobile-friendly.
• HTTPS enabled.
• No broken links.
• XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console.
• Pages actually indexed, check, don’t assume.

06 · Internal Linking0/3

Underrated growth lever, genuinely.

• Every new post links to 2-3 related articles.
• Descriptive anchor text used, not “click here.”
• Topic clusters built: one main guide, several supporting articles feeding into it.

07 · Backlinks0/2

The authority layer.

• Links sought from relevant blogs, guest posts, and resource pages.
• Relevance prioritised over quantity. One link from a genuinely related site beats ten from unrelated ones.

08 · User Experience0/4

Google watches this, directly or indirectly.

• Easy to read. Short paragraphs, not walls of text.
• No aggressive pop-ups.
• Clear navigation.
• Helpful layout, not cluttered.

If people leave quickly, rankings drop. That’s the whole mechanism, no need to overthink it further than that.

09 · Content Consistency0/3

• Publishing regularly, not in random bursts.
• Building clusters, not isolated posts.
• Updating old content, not just publishing new.

10 · Track & Improve0/2

• Search Console reviewed regularly for impressions and keyword data, not just checked once and forgotten.
• Analytics reviewed for behaviour, pages with impressions but low clicks get title fixes, pages stuck on page two get more depth and links.