SEO Checklist

SEO Checklist: Technical (HTTPS, Indexing, Speed, Mobile, 404/Redirects), Content/On-page (Keywords, Title/Description, H1, Images, Internal Links, Audit), Off-page (Backlinks, Mentions, Social).

Do you want to improve your rankings on Google and increase traffic to your website? Then an SEO checklist is indispensable to ensure that no area of search engine optimization is forgotten.

The most important factors should be adjusted for the respective area, as websites and online shops, texts and images, on-page and off-page each need to be individually optimized. Therefore, there is not THE one SEO checklist, but always a list of important factors and steps for an area of search engine optimization.

Checklist: Division of the Most Important Areas

An SEO checklist can generally be divided into three areas that apply to all forms of websites, online shops, forums, and blogs:

Technology
Content / Content
Backlink profile

Checklist: The SEO Basics

Before moving on to the actual checklist, here is a reminder to set up the basics first. With the appropriate tools, you can establish the foundation for the rest of the research and the SEO report.

Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for insights into website performance
Set up Google Analytics for analyzing visitor data
Set up WordPress SEO Plugin for website optimization
Create a sitemap to show search engines which pages should be crawled
create text to show Google which websites should be excluded from crawling
Ensure the indexability of the page by Google

Technical Checklist

The checklist for technical SEO helps ensure that the page can be crawled and indexed and that all technical aspects on the website are correct.

use https: since 2014, this is a Google ranking factor. Everyone should ensure to use the secure transmission protocol.
Set up redirects for duplicates: Only one version of a website should be indexed. Duplicates should lead to the original page with a 301 redirect.
Find and fix errors, e.g., 404-error
Improve loading times
Repair defective links
Mobile SEO: nowadays more important than ever, as many actions on websites occur via smartphones
SEO-friendly URL structure: as short URLs as possible, descriptive URLs
Page structure: it should ideally not go deeper than three levels. The deeper the pages are in the structure, the harder they are for Google to find.
Check temporary redirects: If 302 redirects are to remain, they should be converted to 301.
Avoid redirection chains and loops: A redirection should lead from A to B and not end in a chain or loop.

Checklist for Content and OnPage SEO

If you want to place your website in search results, you should place the highest value on content and the structure of your site. Go through the following list and see if your website meets the criteria.

Ensure that the meta titles are unique and meaningful and contain the main keyword. They should also not be too long to avoid being cut off in the SERPs.
Meta-descriptions should also be unique and not exceed a certain length so that they are fully displayed in the SERPs. The main keyword should be included in them.
Pay attention to a meaningful H1 heading that includes the main keyword. Also, there should only be a single H1 on each page.
The page should be optimized for the right keywords. In doing so, one should also consider those keywords that have less competition, to increase the chance of ranking for them.
Content Audit: this is used to determine which content is unnecessary for a page. Streamlining a website can result in a significant boost in visibility and visitors.
SEO for images: One should also pay attention to images. From good file names to size and quality to optimal ALT tags, you should consider everything. Don't forget the main keyword either!
Internal links: they increase the crawlability of individual pages and ensure a good structure between the pages.
Keyword cannibalization: Each page should rank for a unique keyword. Otherwise, it may happen that pages cannibalize each other and are downgraded in the rankings.
Finding orphaned pages: orphaned pages are those that are not linked from at least one other page. This should be avoided through internal linking.
Current content: identify outdated content and update it.

Checklist for OffPage SEO

A checklist for Google optimization should definitely also include off-page measures:

With a backlink analysis of the employees, one can finally create their own backlink profile.
If your company is mentioned in articles or on social media, it might have happened without a link being set. Identify such contributions and take the opportunity to ask for a backlink.
Build a social media presence for greater reach and to attract visitors to the website.

This checklist will certainly help you keep track.

The advantage of an SEO checklist ...

... is certainly obvious: It creates order! Building and optimizing a website (or other online presences) requires time, commitment, and money. Whether individuals or a team are working on this project, it is difficult to organize and keep track of all the individual aspects in one's head. A checklist helps to structure tasks and processes right from the start. A good backlink structure is only helpful when the topic and keywords for the web project have been defined. In a team, it can also serve to structure workflows and assign tasks to individuals.

For a start, when you are still inexperienced, it is advisable to rely on an already existing SEO checklist to ensure the most important points are taken into account. Over time, you can create your own lists, organize and add sections. Incidentally, it can always be used again to review various tasks—especially when changes or adjustments are pending. This way, nothing stands in the way of a good Google ranking!