Technical SEO Checklist
- ✓ Site loads over HTTPS with valid SSL certificate
- ✓ All HTTP URLs redirect to HTTPS (301 redirect)
- ✓ robots.txt is present and not blocking important pages
- ✓ XML sitemap exists and is submitted to Google Search Console
- ✓ No canonical errors or conflicting canonical tags
- ✓ Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5s on mobile
- ✓ Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score under 0.1
- ✓ No mobile usability errors in Google Search Console
- ✓ No broken internal links (404s)
- ✓ No redirect chains longer than 2 hops
- ✓ Duplicate content addressed with canonical tags or noindex
- ✓ Structured data (schema markup) implemented on key page types
- ✓ Breadcrumb navigation present and marked up with schema
On-Page SEO Checklist
- ✓ Each page has a unique, keyword-relevant title tag (under 60 chars)
- ✓ Each page has a unique meta description (under 155 chars)
- ✓ Each page has exactly one H1 that matches the primary keyword intent
- ✓ H2/H3 headings used logically to structure content
- ✓ Primary keyword appears in first 100 words of body text
- ✓ Images have descriptive alt text
- ✓ Images are compressed (WebP format preferred)
- ✓ Internal links point to relevant related pages
- ✓ Pages targeting transactional intent have clear CTAs
- ✓ Long-form content has a table of contents
- ✓ FAQ sections marked up with FAQ schema
Content Quality Checklist
- ✓ Content matches the search intent of the target keyword
- ✓ Content answers the most common user questions on the topic
- ✓ Content is factually accurate and up to date
- ✓ Content demonstrates E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
- ✓ Author bio or byline present for key blog and guide content
- ✓ Thin pages (under 300 words) reviewed and either expanded or noindexed
- ✓ Outdated statistics and claims refreshed
- ✓ Competing content on similar topics consolidated
Off-Page SEO Checklist
- ✓ Google Search Console verified and monitored weekly
- ✓ Backlink profile audited — toxic links identified and disavowed
- ✓ Domain Authority (DA) benchmarked against top 3 competitors
- ✓ Link building campaign active (outreach, guest posting, PR)
- ✓ Brand mentions monitored (set up Google Alerts)
- ✓ Key pages have internal links from other pages on the site
Local SEO Checklist (if applicable)
- ✓ Google Business Profile claimed, verified, and fully completed
- ✓ Business hours, address, phone, and website accurate
- ✓ 10+ photos uploaded to GBP
- ✓ Consistent NAP across top local directories
- ✓ Active review request process in place
- ✓ Responding to all reviews (positive and negative)
- ✓ Geo-specific landing pages created for each service area
Monitoring and Analytics Checklist
- ✓ Google Analytics 4 (GA4) installed and tracking correctly
- ✓ Google Search Console verified for all site variants (www, non-www, HTTP, HTTPS)
- ✓ Core Web Vitals report reviewed monthly
- ✓ Target keyword positions tracked in rank-tracking tool
- ✓ Organic traffic, impressions, and CTR reviewed monthly
- ✓ Top landing pages by organic traffic reviewed quarterly
