In this blog post, “Top 17 On-Page SEO checklist” I am going to share 17 SEO checklist that will help improve the ranking for a specific webpage targeting a specific keyword. but, before we go any further. I want to make sure you have read through the previous blog post “Google SEO Ranking Factors 2018“.
Let’s get started…
On-page SEO is an essential SERPs ranking factor. I think it’s the most vital communication medium between Google bot and your website.
With On-page SEO, webmasters can tell Google bot what the website page is about. whether, it’s a blog page, white paper, or a checklist, etc.
On-page SEO requires a good understanding of Google’s guidelines for effective SEO and optimize content around the requirements.
Checklists for an effective On-page SEO:
- Include your target keyword at the beginning of your title tag.
- Use short URL and include the target keyword/focus keyword.
- Include at least 1 multimedia (Image, video, infographic, or audio) in each blog post or pages.
- Include at least 2 outbound links to related authority sites (popular blogs, news sites, and .edu and .gov resources) in every piece of content that you publish. Source Backlinko
- Include the blog/page focus keyword in the first 100 words. Yoast SEO recommends adding in the starting sentence of the first paragraph.
- Make sure the focus keyword/target keyword is highlighted with H1 tag.
- Use the Google PageSpeed Insights tool to figure out your site’s loading speed. WordPress plugins WP Rocket and WP Smush It can help speed things up.
- Add modifiers like “2019″, “best”, “guide”, and “review” to help you rank for long tail versions of your target keyword.
- Make sure your social sharing buttons are front and center on blog posts and articles.
- Write at least 1500 words for content that you’re trying to rank for competitive keywords.
- Include internal links at the top of your article.
- Include 1-2 LSI keywords in every article.
- Write long, engaging content that keeps people reading. Put a lot of effort into making your first paragraph interesting and compelling.
- Add 2-3 internal links to older articles when you publish a new one.
- Include your keyword once in an H2 or H3 subheading in the middle or towards the end of the page.
- Tag your images with keyword-rich alt text. Do not forget the description and Alt text.
- Make sure high-priority pages are no more than 3 clicks away from your homepage.
- Create an XML SiteMap that tells search engines where to find important content on your website
- Understanding Google Search Console Errors & Meanings
Here is a cool infographic from Backlinko
