On-Page SEO Checklist 2023
Now it’s time to optimize your content using a handful of tested on-page SEO techniques.
1. Include Your Keyword In Your URL
Your URL helps Google understand what your page is all about. Plus, a keyword-rich URL can improve your organic CTR.
That’s why you want to include your keyword in your URL.
For example, my target keyword for this page is “SEO checklist”.
So I made the URL: backlinko.com/seo-checklist.
Simple.
2. Use Short URLs
Keep your URLs as short as possible.
Why?
A recent analysis of 11.8 million Google search results found that short URLs rank best in Google.
3. Front-Load Your Keyword In Your Title Tag
It’s no secret that you should use your keyword in your title tag.
But not as many people know that WHERE you put your keyword matters.
Specifically, you want to put your keyword in the front of your title tag whenever possible.
For example, my main keyword for this post is “copywriting”:
As you can see, my title tag starts off with that keyword:
4. Embed Title Tag Modifiers
Title Tag Modifiers are words and phrases to add to your title tag.
When you do, your page can rank for lots of different long-tail keywords.
Here’s a video that walks you through this process:
5. Use Your Keyword Once In The First 150 Words
Google puts more weight on the first 100-150 words of your page.
So make sure to use your keyword once here.
For example, for my SEO tools post, you can see that I use the term “SEO Tools” right off the bat:
6. Use Your Keyword in H1, H2 or H3 Tags
Make sure to include your keyword in H1, H2 or H3 tags.
For example:
You might have noticed that I included the term “SEO Checklist” in the first subheader on this page:
Well, that subheader is wrapped in an H2 tag. And including “SEO Checklist” in an H2 can help me rank higher for that keyword.
That said:
This tip won’t make a big dent in your Google rankings.
But when it comes to search engine optimization, every little bit helps.
7. Optimize Images
The images you use say a lot about your content.
Unfortunately, Google still can’t “see” images as a human can.
So to help them understand your images, you want to optimize your image alt tags and filenames.
(As a bonus: optimized images also help you rank in image search.)
Here’s how:
First, when you save the image, use a filename that briefly describes what that image is.
For example, let’s say you just took a picture of a spinach omelette with your iPhone.
Well, you’d want to name that image something like:
spinach_omelette.png
Then, when you add the image to your page, give it a descriptive alt tag:
That’s all there is to it.
8. Use Synonyms and LSI Keywords
Back in the day, it made sense to “keyword stuff” your page.
Not anymore.
Today, Google is smart.
So instead of using the same keyword 1000 times, use synonyms and LSI keywords.
For example, let’s say you want to rank for “how to start a blog”.
Well, you’d want to mention that exact keyword a few times on your page… and synonyms like:
- How to launch a blog
- Starting a blog
- How to create a blog
- How to setup a blog on WordPress
You get the idea 🙂
Next, add some LSI keywords.
LSI Keywords are terms that go along with your main keyword.
You can find a bunch of these using LSIGraph.com.
Then, just add a few of these LSI keywords to your page. And you’re set.
9. Use External Links
Make sure to link out to 5-8 authority sites in your article.
For example, in this list of SEO techniques, I link to trusted websites like Wikipedia and Google.com.
And those links show Google that my content is well-referenced and trustworthy.
10. Use Internal Links
This is super simple:
Whenever you publish a new piece of content, link to 2-5 other pages on your site.
Pro Tip: Use keyword-rich anchor text in your internal links.
For example, note how I use the anchor text “on-page SEO”, in this internal link:
This tells search engines that the page I’m linking to is about: “on-page SEO”.
Technical SEO Checklist
Technical SEO can make or break your rankings. Fortunately, fixing technical SEO problems isn’t that hard… especially if you follow the items on this checklist.
1. Identify Crawl Errors
A “Crawl Error” means that Google has trouble viewing a page on your site.
And if they can’t view your page, it’s not gonna rank for anything.
You can easily find Crawl Errors in the Google Search Console’s “Coverage” report:
If you notice Google is having trouble accessing one of your important web pages (for example, robots.txt is blocking search engine spiders), you’ll want to get that fixed ASAP.
2. Find Out How Google Views Your Page
Sometimes users can see everything on your page…
…but Google can’t.
Again:
If Google can’t fully access your page, it won’t rank.
That’s why I recommend using the Google Search Console’s “Inspect URL” feature.
Just enter a page from your site at the top of the GSC.
When you do, you’ll see your page from Google’s point of view:
Very helpful.
3. Make Sure Your Site is Mobile-Friendly
Google recently launched a new “Mobile-First Index“.
Which means:
If your site isn’t mobile optimized, it’s not going to rank very well.
Fortunately, you can easily see your site’s mobile friendliness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Just pop in a page from your site… and get a clear “yes or no” answer.
Pretty cool.
4. Fix Broken Links
Broken links can REALLY hurt your SEO.
So you definitely want to find broken links… and fix them.
The easiest way to do that? DrLinkCheck.com.
It’s a free tool that scans your site for broken links:
5. Secure Your Site With HTTPS
HTTPS is a confirmed Google ranking signal.
So if you haven’t already, it’s time to move your site to HTTPS.
(Or if you just launched a new site, set it up with HTTPS on day 1.)
Here’s a guide to help you migrate your site to HTTPS… without hurting your SEO.
6. Check Your Site’s Loading Speed
Does your site load insanely fast?
If not, your site isn’t going to rank as well.
That’s why you want to head over to PageSpeed Insights.
This free tool lets you know how quickly your site loads for desktop and mobile users:
It even lets you know what you can do to speed things up.
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