SEO has a lot of moving parts, and it's easy to miss something important. This checklist distills the essentials into a practical reference you can use for any website.
Technical Foundation
Before worrying about keywords or content, make sure the basics work:
- HTTPS everywhere — All pages served over HTTPS, no mixed content
- Clean URL structure — Readable, consistent URLs without unnecessary parameters
- XML sitemap — Submitted to Google Search Console, includes all important pages
- robots.txt — Properly configured, not accidentally blocking important pages
- Canonical tags — Every page has a self-referencing canonical or points to the preferred version
- No broken links — 404s waste crawl budget and frustrate users
- Redirect chains resolved — No more than one redirect hop between any two pages
On-Page Essentials
These elements directly influence how search engines understand and rank your pages:
- Unique title tags — 50-60 characters, includes primary keyword, unique per page
- Meta descriptions — 150-160 characters, compelling, includes a call to action
- H1 tag — Exactly one per page, matches the page topic
- Heading hierarchy — Logical structure (H1 → H2 → H3), no skipped levels
- Image alt text — Descriptive alt attributes on all meaningful images
- Internal linking — Important pages are reachable within 3 clicks from the homepage
Performance
Speed matters for both users and rankings:
- Page load under 3 seconds — Test on real devices, not just desktop
- Core Web Vitals passing — LCP, INP, and CLS within Google's thresholds
- Images optimized — Modern formats (WebP/AVIF), appropriate dimensions, lazy loading
- Minimal render-blocking resources — Critical CSS inlined, JavaScript deferred
Content Quality
Content is still king, but quality beats quantity:
- Sufficient word count — Thin pages (under 300 words) rarely rank well
- No duplicate content — Each page offers unique value
- Structured content — Use headings, lists, and short paragraphs for readability
- Fresh content — Update important pages regularly, remove outdated information
Mobile
With mobile-first indexing, this is non-negotiable:
- Viewport meta tag — Properly configured for responsive design
- Touch-friendly — Buttons and links have adequate tap targets
- No horizontal scrolling — Content fits within the viewport
- Same content as desktop — Don't hide important content on mobile
How to Use This Checklist
Don't try to fix everything at once. Prioritize by impact:
- Fix errors first — Broken pages, missing titles, HTTPS issues
- Address warnings — Duplicate content, missing descriptions, slow pages
- Optimize notices — Missing alt text, heading structure, minor improvements
Run through this checklist monthly for small sites, or weekly for larger ones. Automated tools like Kaitico can handle most of these checks for you, flagging issues as they appear so you can stay on top of your site's SEO health.