SEO checklist
The complete SEO checklist — 104 points.
Everything a site needs to rank — from indexing and on-page basics to content, local, links, performance and showing up in AI answers. Every check explains why it matters and how to do it. Tick items off as you go; progress saves in your browser and exports to CSV.
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104 checks. One report. Everything that matters.
104 checks
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SEO checklist — 0 / 104 done (0%)
Crawling & indexing
- ☐ Connected to Google Search Console (Quick win)Add the site as a Domain property and verify with a DNS TXT record.
- ☐ Connected to Google Analytics (GA4) (Quick win)Create a GA4 property, add the tag (or Site Kit on WordPress), and mark your enquiry/purchase as a key event.
- ☐ Bing Webmaster Tools set up (Quick win)Sign in and import the site straight from Search Console — it takes a minute.
- ☐ Titles, meta and sitemap controllable in your CMS (e.g. Rank Math / Yoast) (Quick win)On WordPress install Rank Math or Yoast; Shopify, Wix and Webflow have these fields built into each page's SEO settings.
- ☐ XML sitemap generated (Quick win)Most CMSs and SEO plugins create /sitemap.xml automatically — open it in a browser to confirm it loads.
- ☐ Sitemap includes all important URLs (and nothing else) (Quick win)List only canonical, indexable pages that return 200; exclude tag pages, thank-you pages and duplicates.
- ☐ Latest sitemap submitted to Search Console (Quick win)Search Console → Sitemaps → enter sitemap.xml → Submit.
- ☐ robots.txt created and correct (Quick win)Open yoursite.com/robots.txt: make sure it doesn't block / or key folders, and that it lists your sitemap.
- ☐ No orphan pages — every page is linked (Quick win)Link every important page from a menu, a hub page or related posts.
- ☐ Site is mobile-friendly (Quick win)Set a responsive viewport, use readable font sizes, and check key pages on a real phone.
On-page & technical
- ☐ Exactly one H1 heading per page (Quick win)Make the visible page title the only H1; turn other big headings into H2s.
- ☐ Headings in logical order (H1 → H2 → H3) (Quick win)Don't pick heading levels for their size — style with CSS and keep the levels sequential.
- ☐ Every page has a unique meta description (Quick win)Write 140–160 characters per page: what it offers, for whom, and a reason to click.
- ☐ Meta titles are unique per page (Quick win)Main keyword first, brand last, under ~60 characters.
- ☐ Titles & descriptions are compelling, not just present (Quick win)Lead with the benefit, include a number or proof where true, and match what the searcher wants.
- ☐ Focus keyword in the URL, title & meta description (Quick win)Pick one main phrase per page and use it naturally in those three places.
- ☐ Focus keyword appears in the first paragraph (Quick win)Answer the main question in the opening lines, using the phrase people search for.
- ☐ URLs are short and readable (Quick win)Use lowercase words with hyphens (/services/tax-filing), no dates or IDs; 301 redirect if you change one.
- ☐ Page speed optimized (Moderate)Run PageSpeed Insights on your top pages and fix the top 2–3 suggestions first.
- ☐ Images compressed / optimized (Moderate)Resize to the displayed size and compress (Squoosh, TinyPNG, or your CMS image plugin).
- ☐ Images have descriptive file names & alt text (Moderate)Describe what's in the image in plain words ("red cotton kurta, front view"), not a keyword list.
- ☐ Sensible internal & external links on each page (Moderate)Link 2–5 related pages with descriptive anchor text, and cite sources for any facts.
- ☐ noindex / nofollow used correctly (Moderate)noindex only thin or private pages (thank-you, cart, admin); check key pages don't carry it.
- ☐ SSL installed; site loads over HTTPS (Moderate)Enable the free certificate at your host and 301 redirect every http:// URL to https://.
- ☐ www / non-www and http / https all redirect to one version (Moderate)Pick one (e.g. https://www.) and 301 redirect the other three to it; set canonicals to match.
- ☐ Phone numbers & emails are clickable (Moderate)Use tel:+918012345678 and mailto: links.
- ☐ Every page reachable within 3 clicks (Moderate)Flatten navigation with category hubs and link key pages from the homepage.
- ☐ Redirects work — no broken 301/302 chains (Moderate)Point every old URL straight to its final destination with a single 301.
- ☐ No index-coverage issues in Search Console (Advanced)Search Console → Pages → work through each "Why pages aren't indexed" reason.
- ☐ No crawl errors (Advanced)Check Settings → Crawl stats in Search Console and fix 5xx and DNS errors with your host.
- ☐ No broken internal or outbound links (Advanced)Crawl the site, then update or remove every link that returns 404.
- ☐ Schema / structured data implemented (Advanced)Add Organization or LocalBusiness on the homepage, then Product/Article on those pages.
- ☐ Breadcrumb structured data in place (Moderate)Add BreadcrumbList markup matching the visible breadcrumb trail.
- ☐ Favicon set (Quick win)Add a square icon (at least 48×48px) linked from every page's <head>.
- ☐ Custom 404 page (Moderate)Show search, top links and a contact option — and make sure it returns a real 404 status.
- ☐ GDPR / cookie compliance (if needed) (Advanced)Use a consent banner that blocks non-essential trackers until the visitor accepts.
AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews)
- ☐ Checked whether ChatGPT / Perplexity name you for your main searches (Quick win)Ask the questions your customers ask and see who gets named.
- ☐ AI crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot…) allowed to read the site (Moderate)Check robots.txt and any bot-blocking (e.g. Cloudflare) for GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot and Google-Extended.
- ☐ llms.txt published for AI assistants (Moderate)Publish /llms.txt listing your most important pages with one-line descriptions.
- ☐ Key pages answer the main question in the first 1–2 sentences (Quick win)Put a plain, self-contained answer directly under each question heading, then expand.
- ☐ Question-style headings + FAQ sections (Moderate)Turn key H2s into the real questions customers ask; add a short FAQ to service and product pages.
- ☐ Organization schema with sameAs links to your official profiles (Moderate)Add Organization (or LocalBusiness) JSON-LD on the homepage with every official profile URL.
- ☐ Listed on the sources AI cites for your topic (Moderate)Find the pages AI cites for your key searches and get listed, reviewed or mentioned there.
- ☐ Pages cover the subtopics AI expects to see (Moderate)Compare your page against what AI and top results cover, and fill the gaps.
- ☐ Original data, prices or comparisons others can cite (Moderate)Publish real figures you own — prices, turnaround times, survey results, a "X vs Y" table.
Content
- ☐ Documented SEO content strategy (Moderate)List your services, the questions buyers ask about each, and one page that answers each.
- ☐ Keyword research done (Moderate)Start from Search Console queries and Google's autocomplete, then check volume in Keyword Planner.
- ☐ Content matches search intent (Moderate)Google the keyword and match what ranks: guide, list, product page or local result.
- ☐ Content is genuinely useful & readable (Moderate)Short paragraphs, clear subheadings, real examples, and answers a customer would actually need.
- ☐ No keyword stuffing (Moderate)Read it aloud — if it sounds odd, use synonyms or cut repetitions.
- ☐ Cornerstone / in-depth content exists (Moderate)Write a complete guide for each main service and link supporting posts to it.
- ☐ Related & semantic terms used naturally (Moderate)Use the "People also ask" and related searches as a checklist of subtopics.
- ☐ No duplicate titles, headings or content (Moderate)Merge or rewrite near-identical pages; set a canonical where duplicates must exist.
- ☐ Author bylines + a clear 'last updated' date (E-E-A-T) (Moderate)Show the author with a short bio link and the date the page was last meaningfully updated.
- ☐ Content refreshed regularly (Moderate)Review your top 10 pages each quarter; update facts and the 'last updated' date only when you change them.
- ☐ Content cannibalization identified & fixed (Advanced)In Search Console, check queries where several of your URLs appear; merge or differentiate them.
Local SEO
- ☐ Google Business Profile claimed & complete (Quick win)Verify it, pick the most specific primary category, and fill hours, services, photos and description.
- ☐ Listed on relevant local directories (Quick win)Start with the top directories for your country and industry (e.g. Justdial, Yelp, Practo, industry bodies).
- ☐ Listed on Bing Places & Apple Business Connect (Quick win)Bing Places can import your Google profile in a few clicks; Apple Business Connect is free.
- ☐ NAP (name / address / phone) consistent everywhere (Quick win)Use the exact same name, address format and phone number on the site, GBP and every directory.
- ☐ Map embedded on the contact page (Quick win)Embed the Google Map for your Business Profile on the contact page.
- ☐ Business listing optimized for keywords (Moderate)List every service you offer in GBP and describe them in customers' words — no keyword stuffing in the business name.
Reviews & reputation
- ☐ Actively earning positive reviews (Quick win)Ask every happy customer, with a direct review link, soon after the job is done.
- ☐ Replying to reviews (good and bad) (Quick win)Reply within a few days; for bad reviews, acknowledge and take the fix offline.
- ☐ Review outreach to past customers (Quick win)Send one polite email or message with the review link to recent customers.
- ☐ Photos uploaded to business profiles (Quick win)Add exterior, interior, team and work photos; refresh them every few months.
- ☐ Reviews shared on social (Moderate)Post your best reviews (with permission) as simple quote graphics.
- ☐ Brand mentions monitored & claimed (Moderate)Set up a Google Alert for your brand name and check it weekly.
Off-page & links
- ☐ Active, complete social media profiles (Quick win)Use the same name, logo, description and website link on every profile.
- ☐ Social profiles interlinked with the site (sameAs) (Quick win)Link the profiles from your footer and list them in your Organization schema's sameAs.
- ☐ A documented link-building plan (Moderate)List 20 realistic targets: suppliers, partners, associations, local press, industry roundups.
- ☐ Healthy backlink profile (Moderate)Review your referring domains; never buy links or join link schemes.
- ☐ Guest posts on niche-relevant blogs (Moderate)Pitch a specific topic you know well to sites your customers actually read.
- ☐ Email / digital-PR outreach for backlinks (Moderate)Offer original data or a quick expert comment on a topic they're already covering.
- ☐ Linkable assets created (data, tools, guides) (Moderate)Publish one asset worth citing: a price guide, a calculator, a survey or a definitive checklist.
- ☐ Unlinked brand mentions reclaimed (Moderate)Search your brand name, find mentions without a link, and politely ask for one.
User experience
- ☐ Logo links to the homepage (Quick win)Wrap the header logo in a link to /.
- ☐ Clean, readable permalinks (Moderate)Set your CMS permalinks to /post-name/ or /category/post-name/, not ?p=123.
- ☐ Clear calls-to-action (Moderate)One primary action per page (call, book, buy), visible without scrolling.
- ☐ Contact info accessible from the homepage (Moderate)Phone and email in the header or footer; a contact page one click away.
- ☐ Easy, intuitive navigation (Advanced)Keep the main menu to ~7 items named the way customers think.
- ☐ On-site search (for larger sites) (Advanced)Add search once you have more than ~50 pages or products.
- ☐ Meets basic accessibility standards (Advanced)Run Lighthouse's accessibility audit and fix contrast, labels and keyboard focus.
- ☐ Heatmaps / user behaviour reviewed (Advanced)Install Microsoft Clarity (free) and watch 20 sessions on your key page.
Performance
- ☐ Fast, reliable hosting (Quick win)Aim for a server response (TTFB) under ~0.8s; upgrade cheap shared hosting if it's consistently slow.
- ☐ Caching enabled (Quick win)Turn on your host's page cache or a caching plugin (e.g. WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache).
- ☐ CDN in place (Quick win)Cloudflare's free plan or your host's built-in CDN — but make sure it doesn't block AI crawlers you want.
- ☐ GZIP / Brotli compression on (Moderate)Usually a host or CDN toggle; PageSpeed Insights flags it if it's off.
- ☐ Images served in next-gen formats (WebP/AVIF) (Moderate)Use your CMS or CDN's automatic conversion, or an image-optimization plugin.
- ☐ Theme & plugins kept up to date (Moderate)Update monthly after a backup; delete plugins you don't use.
- ☐ JS / CSS minified (Advanced)Enable minification in your build tool, caching plugin or CDN.
- ☐ Pages load in under ~3 seconds on mobile (Advanced)Test on PageSpeed Insights' mobile tab and fix the largest items first.
- ☐ Core Web Vitals pass (LCP, INP, CLS) (Advanced)Targets: LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1. Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console.
E-commerce
- ☐ Homepage SEO set for the store (Moderate)Title and H1 say what you sell and for whom; link your top categories.
- ☐ Product categories keyword-optimized (Moderate)Add a unique intro, a keyword-led title and helpful filters to each category page.
- ☐ Product pages keyword-optimized (Moderate)Write your own description, specs and FAQs; use the product name people search for.
- ☐ Products shared across social (Moderate)Connect your catalogue to Instagram/Facebook Shops or Pinterest.
- ☐ Product, Review & Offer schema in place (Advanced)Add Product markup with an Offer (price, currency, availability) — only include reviews that are real.
- ☐ Out-of-stock products handled gracefully (Advanced)Keep the page live marked out of stock with alternatives; 301 only when discontinued for good.
- ☐ Faceted / filter URLs handled (canonical or noindex) (Advanced)Canonical filtered views to the main category, or noindex them; don't list them in the sitemap.
International
- ☐ Content translated by native speakers (Quick win)Machine-translate if you must, then have a native speaker edit.
- ☐ hreflang set for each language / region (Advanced)Add reciprocal hreflang tags for every version, plus x-default.
- ☐ Each country / language version verified in Search Console (Advanced)Add each subfolder or subdomain as its own property.
- ☐ Currencies / units adjusted per region (Advanced)Show local currency and units on each regional version, and in its Product schema.
Free checklist from therankagent.com/tools/seo-checklist
82/100
- TechnicalGood
- On-pageGood
- ContentNeeds work
- AuthorityGood
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