As digital marketing experts, we know what it takes to have to have an impeccable SEO strategy. SEO requires the combination of optimized website design and creative services in order to meet the needs of users and the requirements set forth by Google. In order to achieve the highest SEO ranking possible, we have developed the ultimate Website SEO checklist. Between our website development service and rich knowledge in SEO best practices, you can rest assured we have checked all of the boxes:
SEO Keywords Checklist
On-Page SEO Checklist
Off-Page SEO Checklist
Link Building SEO Strategy Checklist
Tools for Tracking SEO Metrics Checklist
Keep reading to learn what needs to be done at every stage to secure the best SEO ranking possible.
SEO Keywords Checklist
Keyword research is the first step in creating a successful SEO strategy. In order to have a high ranking website, you must identify the keywords your users are searching for and include them throughout your website. When you are deciding on the keyword, you must include a variety such as:
- Short Tail Keywords
- Long Tail Keywords
- Question Keywords
- Low Competition Keywords
- High Competition Keywords
Every user will search for relevant keywords differently. Some will use small phrases and others will type in quite a few keywords into the search query. Others will type in questions or ask their voice assisted devices a question. In order to reach as many users as possible, your SEO strategy must incorporate as many keyword variations as possible.
Google’s Keyword Planner is an incredible tool for helping you find relevant keywords and identifying how difficult it will be to rank on each keyword. The less competition, the more likely you are to rank on the keyword if you have checked off every box in this ultimate SEO checklist.
On-Page SEO Checklist
Once you have your keywords, you need to include them on your website. On-page optimization is crucial for having a website that can rank highly in SERPs. By following this checklist, you will ensure your pages can be indexed and ranks for the keywords you desire:
- Place keyword in the URL
- Use keyword at beginning of title tag
- Add title tag modifiers with related keywords or local SEO areas
- Use keyword in first 100 to 150 words
- Place keyword in H1, H2, and H3 tags
- Use keyword in image alt tags and image file name
- Add related keywords and synonyms throughout the page
- Use external links to trusted websites
- Add internal links to keyword-rich anchor text
By adding the keyword in each of the aforementioned areas on the page, bot crawlers will be able to identify the keyword and provide an appropriate SEO ranking. Your website design project should have included appropriate page templates that make it easy to structure pages and images correctly.
Off-Page SEO Checklist
Website development plays a large role in your ability to achieve a high SEO ranking. If the backend of your website isn’t functional, the bot crawlers will be unable to index the pages. This means you will not be able to have an SEO ranking, so your website will not appear in SERPs. Complete the following to ensure your website can be read by bot crawlers and ranked appropriately:
- Identify crawl errors: Determine if bot crawlers can access your site. Resolve any issues immediately.
- Use Google Search Console to identify errors: AMP, loading speed, and visibility issues can all be identified by GSC. Resolve any issues and recheck the pages again to ensure the error is gone.
- Make your website mobile-friendly: Mobile-first indexing will make or break your SEO ranking.
- Identify and correct broken links: Websites are penalized for broken links because they negatively impact the user experience and cause issues for the bot crawling your site.
- HTTPS is a requirement: Security is important. Sites without HTTPS certificates are penalized.
- Optimize site loading speed: No one wants to wait more than a few seconds for a website to load. Make adjustments to file sizes on pages to speed load times up.
Link Building SEO Strategy Checklist
Link building plays a large role in your overall SEO ranking because it shows Google that you are a trusted and reliable source for information. Our creative services can help you understand how to improve your branding and create a backlink strategy that works for your business.
Many backlinks come from guest blogs and guest appearances on podcasts. By working with authority figures and having your website features on their site, you can see an improvement in your SEO ranking over time. In addition, you can create your own content that mentions influencers. Once the content is posted, reach out to those influencers and ask them for a small token of appreciate in turn. Whether it be a social media post, a like, a share, or something more, it improves your backlink and helps you reach a wider audience.
Tools for Tracking SEO Metrics Checklist
The number of SEO metric tracking tools is increasing annually. While each tool has its unique benefits, the following three tools have withstood the test of time and adapted to each algorithm change.
Google Analytics: Developed by Google, this tool allows you to see how much traffic you garner from its search engine and which pages are bringing you the most traffic to your site. You will be able to see if your SEO optimized pages are ranking and if your overall site traffic has increased. You can even see which sites are sending you traffic, which shows if your backlink strategy is a success. If other search engines send you traffic, you will know right from the Google Analytics dashboard.
Yoast SEO: This is the most popular SEO WordPress plugin on the market. With consistent updates, Yoast SEO continues to stay on top of every algorithm update and provide better customer support. It easily allows users to optimize pages for keywords while showing how the page can be improved for SEO.
SEMrush: A powerful tool for digital marketing professionals, SEMrush allows you to see what your competitors are doing to improve their SEO. You can even see their backlinks to better understand their link building strategy. You can use this information to build a better strategy for your own website.
Ultimate Website SEO Checklist Bottom Line
An optimal SEO strategy will check off all the boxes on this ultimate SEO checklist. You must fully develop your keyword strategy, one-page strategy, off-page strategy, and link building strategy in order to gain the highest SEO rank possible for your website. Utilize SEO metric tools like Google Analytics, Yoast SEO, and SEMrush to better understand what is working and what needs improvement.
We offer website design, website development, digital marketing, and creative services to meet your every need. Contact us today to get started on improving your SEO strategy so you can gain a larger part of the market share!