{"id":20552,"date":"2020-06-01T15:08:25","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T15:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stanventures.com\/seo-checklist\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T05:29:12","slug":"seo-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple &amp; Effective SEO Checklist to Better Your SEO Results"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Chapter_1_SEO_Basics\" >Chapter 1: SEO Basics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Chapter_2_Keyword_Research_Checklist\" >Chapter 2: Keyword Research Checklist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Chapter_3_On-Page_SEO_Checklist\" >Chapter 3: On-Page SEO Checklist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Chapter_4_Technical_SEO_Checklist\" >Chapter 4: Technical SEO Checklist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Chapter_5_Link_Building_Checklist\" >Chapter 5: Link Building Checklist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Rooted in evergreen SEO principles and best practices, this checklist can help you achieve real results\u2014no matter where you fall on the scale of SEO knowledge.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7768 size-full\" title=\"A Simple &amp; Effective SEO checklist for 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/SEo-checklist.jpg\" alt=\"A Simple &amp; Effective SEO checklist for 2020\" width=\"1024\" height=\"585\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Scoring a first-page ranking on Google can feel like a one-in-a-million shot\u2014especially when your competitors are already ranking.<\/p>\n<p>However, don\u2019t be blinded by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-myths\/\">marketing myth<\/a> that the more lottery tickets you buy, the better your chances are of \u201cwinning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SEO isn\u2019t luck-of-the-draw, and crossing your fingers won\u2019t increase organic traffic to your website.<\/p>\n<p>Completing this SEO checklist isn&#8217;t a gamble.<\/p>\n<p>What if all you had to do was exert that initial force, like reading this list of basic SEO tips?<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t sit this one out. Start checking off this simple and effective SEO checklist (one step at a time).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chapter_1_SEO_Basics\"><\/span>Chapter 1: SEO Basics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This SEO checklist is not a meal that needs to be swallowed in one bite. I recommend taking any strategy in bites, chewing on what you learn, and then coming back for more as you go.<\/p>\n<p>But before you snack away at these basic SEO tips and best practices, you have to start with the non-negotiables. In this case, these non-negotiables are the tools you use to create and execute SEO strategies.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the must-have tools you\u2019ll need to increase website traffic.<\/p>\n<h3>1) Google Search Console<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\">Google Search Console<\/a> is a tool that was created by Google to help businesses understand their overall performance on their search engine.<\/p>\n<p>When used correctly, you\u2019ll have a better understanding of your website&#8217;s baseline and what you can do to improve your rankings. It\u2019s like having an expert field guide\u2019s advice on hand at all times for free.<\/p>\n<p>You just need to sign up and know what to look for.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick primer on the setup, which should only take a few minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Start by registering your site in the system. Head to the homepage and click the Get Started button. You\u2019ll then want to select the \u201cDomain\u201d option (so you can track your entire website).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image31.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7720\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image31.png\" alt=\"Add domain in Google Search Console\" width=\"782\" height=\"632\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image30.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7718\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image30.png\" alt=\"Verify Domain Ownership via DNS\" width=\"661\" height=\"573\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And once you\u2019ve verified! You now have access to the Search Console&#8217;s suite of tools for your site.<\/p>\n<p>A word of warning: it can definitely be a bit overwhelming at first. When you log in, you\u2019ll be greeted by a variety of metrics and menu options:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7708 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-3.png\" alt=\"Google Search Console metrics and menu options\" width=\"1437\" height=\"791\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It will take time, patience, experience, and a lot of reading up to understand how to use each of these effectively. But once you know the ropes, you\u2019ll be able to complete (at least) the following items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Submit an XML sitemap (this helps Google to find and index your website&#8217;s pages)<\/li>\n<li>View Queries (aka, the keywords that searchers use to find your site)<\/li>\n<li>Identify your most-visited pages<\/li>\n<li>Ensure mobile usability\/compatibility<\/li>\n<li>See the sites that link to you<\/li>\n<li>Check for broken links on your website<\/li>\n<li>Monitor how often your site appears in Google search results<\/li>\n<li>Be notified of crawl errors and areas to improve your website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In short, you can gain clear insights, action items, and a path forward to achieve an increase in organic traffic. It\u2019s very much like having a close friend who knows SEO and can answer the questions that keep you up at night. To learn more about Google Search Console, you can check out this guide from <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-search-console\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Bing Webmaster Tools<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes, traffic can come from unexpected sources \u2014 and that includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/top-search-engines-list\/\">search engines<\/a> that aren\u2019t at the top of your list.<\/p>\n<p>The search engine marketing industry puts a lot of emphasis on Google, and rightfully so. Recent market share estimates put the search engine giant at about 92.4% of the total market share \u2014 with the nearest competitor Bing at 2.48%.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image32.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7726 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image32.png\" alt=\"Search Engine Market Share 2020\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/gs.statcounter.com\/search-engine-market-share#monthly-201904-202004-bar\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s get something straight: market share isn\u2019t the same as search volume. While Google\u2019s dominance still translates to search volume, there\u2019s still a lot more action on other search engines than you might think.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, according to 99Firms, Google only accounts for about <a href=\"https:\/\/99firms.com\/blog\/search-engine-statistics\/\">75.74% of desktop searches<\/a>, and 86.11% of mobile. That still leaves <i>billions <\/i>of searches through other engines, with Bing next in line.<\/p>\n<p>So if you want to capture additional traffic, I recommend you utilize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/toolbox\/webmaster\">Bing Webmaster Tools<\/a>, which is comparable to Google Search Console and also totally free.<\/p>\n<p>Only in this case, you\u2019re trying to climb Bing\u2019s SERPs. (Search Engine Results Pages)<\/p>\n<p>That said, my primary intent for recommending Bing Webmaster Tools is because they offer a second set of eyes on the way search engines understand your website. They also have a few different tools than Google Search Console and can add value in certain situations.<\/p>\n<p>The setup is simple. Navigate to their homepage, and select the \u201cSign In\u201d option<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image35.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7727\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image35.png\" alt=\"Bing webmaster setup\" width=\"748\" height=\"452\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve signed it (I use a Google account, it\u2019s <i>incredibly <\/i>easy), you\u2019ll see an option to add your website <i>or<\/i> import your Google Search Console. Either option gets you where you need to be.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image34.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7728\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image34.png\" alt=\"Add website in Bing webmaster\" width=\"1395\" height=\"148\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can then see a variety of stats, any XML sitemaps you\u2019ve submitted, and a variety of menu options similar to Google Search Console.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image37.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7729\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image37.png\" alt=\"Menu option in Bing Webmaster\" width=\"750\" height=\"366\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n<p>And the benefits are similar to that of Google Search Console. You can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Monitor and evaluate your site\u2019s performance; see what keywords you rank for<\/li>\n<li>Disavow links<\/li>\n<li>Submit your website or the new pages to be crawled<\/li>\n<li>Check how Bing crawls and indexes your site<\/li>\n<li>Remove the content that you don\u2019t want to be indexed<\/li>\n<li>Monitor and resolve potential malware, phishing, or spam issues.<\/li>\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/webmaster\/diagnostics\/keyword\/research\">Bing&#8217;s Keyword Research tool<\/a> to conduct keyword research<\/li>\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/webmaster\/diagnostics\/seo\/analyzer\">Bing\u2019s SEO Analyzer<\/a> on any of your pages for real-time SEO suggestions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While you may prioritize your Google SEO strategy, ignoring Bing can rob you of some valuable tools. This shouldn\u2019t be a skippable part of <i>any <\/i>SEO checklist, and there\u2019s a reason it\u2019s #2 on my list here. Two heads are better than one, after all.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Google Tag Manager<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marketingplatform.google.com\/about\/tag-manager\/\">Google Tag Manager<\/a> is a powerful tool from Google that allows you to share and keep track of \u201cTags\u201d \u2014 which are bits of code on your website used for a variety of purposes. Think everything from Facebook Pixels to Google Analytics, and so much more.<\/p>\n<p>Google Tag Manager allows you to strategically deploy tags on your website for anything you need, including what triggers a tag (useful for analytics), where tags are placed (without deep digging in your code) and debugging tags on your site that aren\u2019t working.<\/p>\n<p>In short, this tool consolidates important scripts on your website, simplifies the process of keeping it updated, and declutters all the tags you have on your website. You can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Organize and Manage Tags<\/li>\n<li>Potentially speed-up load times on tag-heavy websites<\/li>\n<li>Integrate with third-party advertising solutions<\/li>\n<li>Test and Debug the tags on your website<\/li>\n<li>Simplify, annotate, and organize tag deployment<\/li>\n<li>Track basic events like PDF downloads, outbound links or button clicks<\/li>\n<li>Track complex enhanced e-commerce product and shopping behavior<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s worth taking the time to set up your Google Tag Manager, and you can find a <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/tagmanager\/answer\/6103696\">simple tutorial here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>4) Google Analytics<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike Google Search Console that is search-engine-oriented, <a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/analytics\/web\/provision\/#\/provision\">Google Analytics<\/a> centers its focus on the user and their interactions on your website for both desktop and mobile.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image36.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7730 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image36.png\" alt=\"Google Analytics for SEO metrics and data\" width=\"1426\" height=\"641\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Think of Google Analytics as a data center that helps you understand your website traffic at no cost to you. It\u2019s an essential step in learning where your users\/customers are coming from by showing you data ranging from overall traffic numbers to specific information like device type, geographic information, and so much more.<\/p>\n<p>This additional information helps you make better decisions in your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few of the features that make this step in my SEO checklist worth your while:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Sync your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts<\/b> to gain additional information; there\u2019s a section in Google Analytics called Search Console that shows landing pages, countries, devices, etc.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Make your data a more collaborative space<\/b> with an easy-to-use interface and shareable reports. You can have multiple users viewing a Google Analytics account, so data is shared with the entire team.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Analytics intelligence features<\/b> that can alert you of key changes and shifts in trends, so you don\u2019t miss a single opportunity.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Quick access to audience reports<\/b> for a better understanding of how your customers interact with your site and other sites that use Google Analytics.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Customizable data management<\/b> that allows you to import data from external sources, in addition to existing Analytics data, so you always have the Big-Picture.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Create filters to show clearer data<\/b> filter out traffic from your own IP address and other traffic sources that you aren\u2019t interested in including in your reporting.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Set up goals and events <\/b>so you can better <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-roi\/\">track SEO ROI<\/a> on your marketing campaigns and track site engagement.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Annotations allow you to add notes<\/b>; if major changes were made on a site (like a new website launch), you could add an annotation to provide more information that can be used in the future by you or other members of your team.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Interested in these features, but intimidated by the first steps? <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/how-to-set-up-google-analytics\/\">Here\u2019s a great resource<\/a> for step-by-step instructions to ease the process.<\/p>\n<h3>5) Yoast SEO For WordPress<\/h3>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t already completed this item on the SEO basics checklist, <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/\">Yoast SEO<\/a> might just be your greatest untapped resource. It\u2019s an SEO goldmine right at your fingertips. (If you use WordPress)<\/p>\n<p>Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that provides simple optimization tools that can help you optimize your webpages.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also updated frequently to align with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo-trends\/\">SEO trends<\/a>, allowing site owners more time working in their business rather than researching SEO trends and algorithm updates. Here are some of the key features:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Metadata optimization (meta titles &amp; descriptions)<\/li>\n<li>Open Graph Meta tag optimization<\/li>\n<li>Dynamic XML sitemaps<\/li>\n<li>Robots.txt control<\/li>\n<li>Readability checks<\/li>\n<li>In-line Keyword optimization checks<\/li>\n<li>Warns you of duplicated content<\/li>\n<li>Equipped with a redirect manager<\/li>\n<li>Set your targeted keywords and track how often you\u2019re using them<\/li>\n<li>And a lot more&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And perhaps most impressively, it does all of this with zero pressure to be an SEO expert. Anyone can use it.<\/p>\n<p>Installation and setup are a breeze, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpbeginner.com\/plugins\/how-to-install-and-setup-wordpress-seo-plugin-by-yoast\/\">check out this tutorial<\/a> for a more in-depth view of this essential tool.<\/p>\n<h3>6) XML Sitemap<\/h3>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/sitemap-seo\/\">XML sitemap<\/a> is exactly what it sounds like: it\u2019s a map of your site that Google can read. When done correctly, it can help Google find and crawl all of the important pages on your site and understand how it\u2019s structured. It\u2019s one part of SEO best practice and helps nudge Google (and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/top-search-engines-list\/\">other search engines<\/a>) in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>It can also include extra information on each URL, containing details of when they were last updated, their importance, and if there are other versions of the URL created in other languages.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re using the Yoast SEO Plugin (which I recommend above), it\u2019s incredibly easy to <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/what-is-an-xml-sitemap-and-why-should-you-have-one\/\">generate an XML sitemap<\/a>. Check out the links above to learn how to create and submit yours to Google and Bing webmaster tools.<\/p>\n<p><b>Note<\/b>: XML sitemaps are limited to 50,000 URLs. If you have more pages on your site than that, you\u2019ll need two (or more) separate XML sitemaps. This is called XML sitemap segmentation and it helps Googlebot with crawl efficiency.<\/p>\n<h3>7) Create a Robots.txt File<\/h3>\n<p>The robots.txt file is mainly used to specify which parts of your website should be crawled by web crawlers (user agents)\u2014 and Google provides <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/6062596?hl=en&amp;ref_topic=6061961\">very detailed instructions<\/a> on how you can create, implement, and test this file for your website.<\/p>\n<p>The file itself can specify different rules for different search engine crawlers, sort of like an instruction manual that <i>you <\/i>make for Google. Understandably, this has some pretty significant benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Block Non-Public Pages:<\/b> Sometimes, there are pages on your site that you don\u2019t want to be indexed. For example, you may have a staging version of your site or internal process documentation. While these pages do need to exist, you wouldn&#8217;t want random people to land on them, and this is where you\u2019d use robots.txt to block these pages or directories from search engine crawlers\/bots. <i>Pro Tip: You\u2019ll probably want to add a noindex tag on each page you don\u2019t want Search Engines to index because sometimes web crawlers don\u2019t listen.<\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Maximize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/crawl-budget-optimization\/\">Crawl Budget<\/a>:<\/b> If you\u2019re having a tough time getting all of your pages indexed, you might have a crawl budget problem. By blocking unimportant pages with robots.txt, Googlebot can spend more of your crawl budget on the pages that actually matter.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Prevent Indexing of Resources: <\/b>Using meta robots directives can work just as well (or even better) as Robots.txt for preventing pages from getting indexed. However, meta robots directives don\u2019t work well for multimedia resources, like PDFs and images. That\u2019s where robots.txt comes into play.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using a robots.txt file with your website is also a web standard. Crawlers look for the robots.txt file in the host\/root directory (or main folder) of your website. This text file is always named \u201crobots.txt\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><b>Warning<\/b>: the robot.txt file is a very impactful file, one misstep could lead to accidental de-indexation. Don\u2019t worry, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/webmasters\/tools\/robots-testing-tool?utm_source=support.google.com\/webmasters\/&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=%206062598\">Google\u2019s Robots Testing tool<\/a> will help prevent that from happening.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chapter_2_Keyword_Research_Checklist\"><\/span>Chapter 2: Keyword Research Checklist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the holy trinity of SEO (keyword optimization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/seo-podcast\/link-magnets-paradigm-shift-link-acquisition-strategy\/\">link acquisition<\/a>, and content marketing), keyword research is a \u201cyou get what you give\u201d system. As a foundational element of SEO, time invested in keyword research will help you strategically optimize your pages based on hard data.<\/p>\n<p>Use this checklist as a guide the next time you\u2019re about to dive into your keyword research. The more you do keyword research, the better and faster you\u2019ll get at it. It\u2019s also important to note that typically, one round of keyword research is not going to be enough because you should be creating on-going content marketing efforts based on your keyword research.<\/p>\n<h3>1) Understanding Search Intent<\/h3>\n<p>How do you decipher search intent? After all, website owners aren\u2019t masters of mind-reading (at least not full-time)\u2014but there\u2019s still hope.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s use the Google Search \u201cFacebook,\u201d as an example. When someone Googles \u201cFacebook,\u201d it is the website optimizer\u2019s responsibility to understand that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">search intent<\/a> isn\u2019t to jump headfirst into pages and pages of Facebook\u2019s history. People just want to get from Point A (Google) to Point B (Facebook).<\/p>\n<p>But sometimes, there isn\u2019t an \u201cah-hah\u201d moment when search intent isn\u2019t broadcasted with big flashing arrows.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where you have to dig a little deeper, which starts by understanding the four primary search intents:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Informational <\/b>\u2014 Finding info on a topic of choice (example: how to light a fire without matches)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Navigational <\/b>\u2014 Want to be directed to a particular site or page on a site (example: Facebook login or Gmail)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Commercial <\/b>\u2014 Research conducted pre-purchase that compares products of-interest (example: iPhone X reviews or iPhone X vs. iPhone XS)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Transactional <\/b>\u2014 Searching with a purpose of buying (for example front porch furniture prices or front porch furniture deals)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image40.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7731\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image40.png\" alt=\"Types of keywords\" width=\"1024\" height=\"560\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchbloom.com\/blog\/understanding-query-types-search-intent\/\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>A page should be optimized based on the implied understanding of a searcher\u2019s needs. A great way to uncover search intent is a simple Google search. Try it yourself.<\/p>\n<p>When you Google \u201cFacebook,\u201d the first-page results aren\u2019t surprising.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image38.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image38.png\" alt=\"Facebook Google Search\" width=\"890\" height=\"576\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The number-one result is a link to Facebook\u2019s homepage, where you can log in or sign up, while informational results (like Facebook\u2019s Wikipedia page) are confined to the bottom of first-page results.<\/p>\n<p>So if your business sells Facebook social media management, then aiming for this keyword just doesn\u2019t make sense, right? It\u2019s too broad, and you&#8217;ll probably never rank.<\/p>\n<p>Your job is to make sure the intent of your pages align with the search intent of the keyword (query) you\u2019re optimizing for.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, keywords with <b>transactional intent<\/b> will often contain words like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">buy<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deal<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">discount<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">product names<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subscribe<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for sale<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whereas <b>informational <\/b>searches are generally question-based and can contain words like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">information<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best way to<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">why<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s worth breaking down your content strategy and site structure to incorporate users at every stage of intent and aim to rank well for each.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Keyword Research<\/h3>\n<p>Much like how you can\u2019t build a house without a sturdy foundation, you can\u2019t execute a successful SEO campaign without focused keyword research. Comprehensive keyword research is the foundation of every successful SEO campaign.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you find the right keyword?<\/p>\n<h4>Use Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs\u2019 Keywords Explorer<\/h4>\n<p>As Google\u2019s designated research tool (that\u2019s also totally free with a Google Ads account), <a href=\"https:\/\/ads.google.com\/home\/tools\/keyword-planner\/\">Google Keyword Planner<\/a> has the basic data you need to perform entry-level keyword research:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find new keywords using words, phrases, websites, and categories.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover search volume trends and historical data for different keywords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That said, free doesn\u2019t always give you the most informative and accurate information. It\u2019s a good idea to complement free tools like this with more advanced paid options like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Ahrefs\u2019 Keywords Explorer<\/a>. You get a lot more data, different metrics, and can even track your site\u2019s keyword ranking performance over time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image39.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7733\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image39.png\" alt=\"Ahref's keyword explorer\" width=\"1173\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t stop there. Remember, checking-off the \u201cKeyword Research\u201d portion of this SEO checklist should be an on-going effort.<\/p>\n<p><b>Bonus:<\/b> Ahrefs has a plethora of additional features you can use to further your SEO research and level up your SEO skillset. I also highly recommend taking a look at their <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\">blog<\/a> for more in-depth training from their team of experts.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover every keyword a domain ranks for (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/keyword-research\/\">competitive keyword research<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover referring domains and individual backlinks<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover which text is being used to link to your website (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/link-building\/anchor-text\/\">anchor text<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover your top pages by estimated traffic and value, with top keywords and estimated volume<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover competing domains, with actionable insights like keywords unique to your domain, common keywords, keywords unique to competitors, etc.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so much more. Ahrefs is my absolute favorite SEO tool for research-related tasks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Use Google Suggest to Find Long-Tail Keywords<\/h4>\n<p>Using Google Suggest is as easy as typing a keyword into the Google Search bar and letting Google Autocomplete do the rest.<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019re writing an article about backlinks, and you want to generate a list of long-tail keywords for the keyword \u201cbacklinks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pull-up Google, type in a keyword generated by the Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs\u2019 Keywords Explorer but don\u2019t hit enter. Instead, examine the drop-down box below your input:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image41.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7734\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image41.png\" alt=\"Google Suggest for long tail keyword\" width=\"759\" height=\"687\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>These \u201cGoogle Suggest\u201d keywords are suggestions directly from the search engine you\u2019re trying to rank in. They can be incredibly valuable, as these are queries that other Google users search for.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, when you search for your term, you\u2019ll notice a section in the SERPs called \u201cPeople Also Ask\u201d that gives you even more potential keywords to target:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image42.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7736\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image42.png\" alt=\"Google's people also ask for keyword suggestion\" width=\"705\" height=\"263\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Take these \u2018Google suggestions\u2019 and \u2018people also ask\u2019 with a grain of salt, but don\u2019t outright ignore them. They\u2019re pointing you in the direction of your reader\u2019s intent.<\/p>\n<h4>Give the People What They Want (and Search for): Utilize the Power of Online Forums<\/h4>\n<p>You want to use the language your audience uses, and optimize your pages for keywords your target audience is actually searching for.<\/p>\n<p>That means finding places online where they\u2019ve put the question out in the open \u2014 such as an online forum like Reddit or Quora.<\/p>\n<p>Answering questions on these platforms may not necessarily directly help you rank your website, but remember: <b>this is about keyword research<\/b>. Use a simple answer on a forum as the prototype for a blog post, video, or ebook on your site <i>that you aim to rank<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t want to spend your time answering the questions first, that\u2019s fine. You can still scope out Q&amp;A threads in your topic\u2019s niche and investigate which products, features, etc. are mentioned over and over again to establish a strong list of topics and keywords that match your visitors\u2019 needs and interests.<\/p>\n<h4>Target Low-Competition Keywords for Quick Wins<\/h4>\n<p>Identifying popular keywords using Google Keyword Planner, paid keyword research tools, Google Autocomplete aka Google Suggest, and online forums isn\u2019t a three-step recipe for success. You still need to take all of this info and measure it against hard data.<\/p>\n<p>A great <i>sounding <\/i>keyword with <b>no search volume <\/b>may not be a great keyword after all. In the same vein, a very broad keyword can be either extremely difficult to rank for based on competition levels, irrelevant to search intent, or both.<\/p>\n<p>So as the keyword strategist, you need to evaluate these keywords using some of the following metrics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Search volume<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keyword difficulty<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trends (I like using <a href=\"https:\/\/trends.google.com\/trends\/\">Google Trends<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is where you\u2019ll need to dive back into your keyword search tool \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Another great resource is <a href=\"https:\/\/kwfinder.com\/\">KWFinder<\/a>. Not only is it one of the least expensive premium keyword research tools on the market, but it also offers a smorgasbord of keyword-strategy-based benefits so you can optimize your site and climb to the first page.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image43.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image43.png\" alt=\"KWfinder for Keyword research\" width=\"1180\" height=\"322\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Similar to Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner, this tool will give you the search volume of your keywords \u2014 but it also allows you to see the volume for the Autocomplete and People Also Ask sections of the SERPs as well.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image44.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7738 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image44.png\" alt=\"See the volume for the Autocomplete and People Also Ask sections of the SERPs\" width=\"703\" height=\"156\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So as a keyword strategist, you can have two primary goals when using KWFinder:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verify your compiled list of keywords (specifically question keywords) that your content is designed to answer.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize for low-competition and low hanging fruit keywords that help you climb in rankings and gain some momentum.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b><i>Note:<\/i><\/b><i> Optimizing for high-competition keywords is not impossible, but you\u2019ll have to shift your SEO strategy into full-gear. This is why I recommend starting with keywords with lower competition scores so you can gain some momentum and perfect your craft.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Once you know your keywords, you can then work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/seo-podcast\/content-google-loves\/\">creating content<\/a> that will top your competitor\u2019s content and prove to Google your page is worthy of a first-page prize.<\/p>\n<p>This pulls into further strategy, too, as you\u2019ll need to a) earn backlinks from trusted sites b) resolve any technical issues (broken links, slow loading times, mobile responsiveness), and c) complete as many of the items on this SEO basics checklist as you can.<\/p>\n<h4>Head Terms vs. Long-Tail Keywords: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/h4>\n<p>Keywords are not only classified as competitive or non-competitive, but can also be categorized by head terms, short-tail keywords, and long-tail keywords.<\/p>\n<p>So, what\u2019s the difference between the three?<\/p>\n<p>Head terms stand at the head of the pack, as they accumulate high search volumes. They are extremely competitive and, therefore, difficult to rank for.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image45.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7739\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image45.png\" alt=\"Head Terms vs. Long-Tail Keywords\" width=\"1024\" height=\"853\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchbloom.com\/blog\/understanding-query-types-search-intent\/\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Long-tail keywords are further down the list when it comes to search volume, <i>but also when it comes to competition.<\/i> So they\u2019re generally easier to rank for and much more specific.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re a shoe company in its start-up phase trying to rank for the keyword \u201cshoes\u201d (a great example of a head term).<\/p>\n<p>Using your keyword research, you\u2019ll quickly realize that search volume and keyword difficulty for \u201cshoes\u201d would present a nearly impossible task for the average website owner \u2014 and even the everyday marketing team.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image46.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image46.png\" alt=\"Example of short tail keyword\" width=\"696\" height=\"298\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A downfall of optimizing for a head term is that those terms are all-encompassing, as it umbrellas a variety of search intents: informational, transactional, and commercial. Not to mention, a broad head term like \u201cshoes\u201d could include every shoe retailer known to man.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine interviewing for a company where you have to outshine millions of applicants. That\u2019s what going for a head term is like.<\/p>\n<p>Now imagine you could narrow down the interview pool to 20-50 applicants. That\u2019s where long-tail keywords come in.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of going for a high-volume and hard to rank for search term, you can drill down and target search queries that are easier to win. For instance, \u201cshoes for pregnant women\u201d is much more manageable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image47.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7741\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image47.png\" alt=\"Example of long tail keyword\" width=\"688\" height=\"290\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Think of long-tail keywords as a head term\u2019s exact opposite: niched, very specific, lower search volumes, and much less competitive.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to make sure that you optimize your SEO efforts for both long-tail keywords <b>and<\/b> head terms. This blend of long-term planning and short-term planning can lead to impressive results over time.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chapter_3_On-Page_SEO_Checklist\"><\/span>Chapter 3: On-Page SEO Checklist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve checked keyword research off your SEO basics checklist, the next step is on-page SEO. But what exactly is on-page SEO?<\/p>\n<p>The answer is any on-site energy that concentrates on the optimization of your webpage, whether it be keyword incorporation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/meta-title-length-meta-description-length\/\">meta title and description<\/a> optimization, or URL structure adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>Reap the benefits of focused on-page tactics with this simple checklist:<\/p>\n<h3>1) Follow A Logical URL Structure<\/h3>\n<p>Even the smallest of details\u2014like your URL can positively or negatively affect your rankings for many reasons, but in an effort to simplify, your URL is the first thing Google sees and you\u2019ll want to make a great first impression.<\/p>\n<p>You know those pesky URLs that take up your entire browser URL? They\u2019re not only unsightly but fail in their purpose of introducing your webpage\u2019s objectives, which should be giving search engines and your audience clear expectations.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Think about your site\u2019s structure:<\/h3>\n<p>For your URLs to have a logical structure, your website has to have a flow that makes sense. That may sound like a truism, but it can actually be a lot more complicated than one would hope.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve likely seen this illustration before, depicting how a website should be organized from the homepage down, with topic (or category) pages, then sub-pages below:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image48.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7742 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image48.png\" alt=\"Website URL Structure\" width=\"609\" height=\"264\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is called a <i>siloed URL structure<\/i> because you end up with different verticals or <i>silos<\/i> on your site that \u2014 when visualized \u2014 resemble grain silos.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you ensure that your silos are <i>actually<\/i> siloed? Some content management systems don\u2019t have a visualization tool that lets you build pages under a topic or subtopics. For those content management systems, you\u2019ll have to do it manually.<\/p>\n<p>What is a URL structure then?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually incredibly simple in theory but can be more complex based on the size of your site.<\/p>\n<p>Every URL has distinct parts, as you see below:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image20.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7743 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image20.jpg\" alt=\"URL Structure\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When you create a page on your site, you should have the option to change the end section of the URL (or slug), designated by the 3 and 4 in the simplistic image above. Using an outline (like the one above), you can strategically create pages that contain similar content types, topics, catalogs, etc. It\u2019s also best practice to incorporate your target keywords within your URLs, so it will take some planning.<\/p>\n<p>This helps Google understand when one page lives below another. So a URL that looks like this:<\/p>\n<p><b>www.example.com\/category\/subcategory\/product<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Simple in theory, but easy to mess up and <i>hard <\/i>to detect on websites with thousands or even millions of URLs. I could go into much more detail on URL structure and information architecture, but this simple SEO checklist is intended to be for beginners.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Optimizing Your Title Tags<\/h3>\n<p>So, what is a title tag?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the clickable headline that allows users to quickly identify a page\u2019s topic and relevancy with minimal effort. You can find a title tag in the SERPs:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image21.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image21.png\" alt=\"Optimize title tag\" width=\"634\" height=\"272\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Web browsers:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image22.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7745\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image22.png\" alt=\"how title looks in web browsers\" width=\"528\" height=\"85\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Want high payoff with little investment? Expand your on-page SEO strategy into your title tags. Just follow this advice:<\/p>\n<p><b>Keep title tags short. <\/b>Google will automatically cut off title tags that exceed 60 characters or around 520 pixels in width. But not all characters have equal weight. Capital letters can monopolize more space, so be strategic when writing title tags.<\/p>\n<p><b>Think outside the box. <\/b>Don\u2019t settle for default titles. You won\u2019t stand out from your competitors by resorting to the overused and unoriginal titles.<\/p>\n<p><b>Blend creativity and keyword optimization<\/b>. Google does determine relevance from title tag on your page, so balance these as well as you can.<\/p>\n<p><b>Keyword order matters.<\/b> Front-load keywords when you can, as some visitors, won\u2019t even make it past the first 2-3 words of your title.<\/p>\n<p><b>Everyone judges a book by its cover.<\/b> Think about the last time you clicked on an article with an underwhelming title (Can\u2019t think of one? I\u2019m not surprised).<\/p>\n<p>My recommendation is to do everything in your power to write a relevant, eye-catching, attention-grabbing title tag. That includes using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acquisio.com\/blog\/agency\/10-proven-trigger-words-boost-ctr-ppc-campaigns\/\">trigger words<\/a>, timestamped content, target keyword(s), brackets, parentheses, and much, much more.<\/p>\n<h3>4) Optimizing Your Meta Descriptions<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re hoping to launch your site to first-page rankings with optimized meta descriptions, prepare to be disappointed.<\/p>\n<p>Google has discontinued the use of meta descriptions as a ranking signal\u2014but don\u2019t be discouraged. Writing compelling meta descriptions is not a fruitless strategy.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a well-developed meta description, complete with suitable word counts, keywords, and, most importantly, value creation, can increase searchers click-through rates (CTR) and, therefore, increase your site traffic.<\/p>\n<p>And one thing Google does pay attention to is the click-through rate to your webpages, as well as what happens after users land on your site. If a user is clicking through to your site more than other sites and stays there for a good amount of time, it\u2019s a signal to Google that the user has found valuable information and will play a positive role when it comes to rankings.<\/p>\n<p>But what is a meta description and how do you add one?<\/p>\n<p>Think of a meta description as the exterior of a restaurant. Before visitors slurp up and devour your content, they\u2019ll judge you from a distance, scan your posted menu, and assess whether your page can satisfy their craving.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image23.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image23.png\" alt=\"Optimize meta description\" width=\"648\" height=\"146\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Can you recall a time you had a \u201cquick question\u201d that a search engine was able to answer with nothing but a few informative meta descriptions?<\/p>\n<p>Sure, this may not increase your traffic\u2014but if you want to be incorporate SEO best practices and provide value to the user, the needs of the user should be an utmost priority.<\/p>\n<h3>5) Optimize Heading Tags<\/h3>\n<p>The same optimization principle applies when writing headings \u2014 you need to make sure there\u2019s a good balance between keyword usage, skimmability, flow, and uniqueness.<\/p>\n<p>Why optimize headers though?<\/p>\n<p>Well for one, it\u2019s because a lot of readers skim \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/optinmonster.com\/blogging-statistics\/\">as much as 43%<\/a> according to Optinmonster.<\/p>\n<p>So nearly half of your audience is only looking at your headings <i>at best<\/i>. Write for them just as much as you write for the attentive reader, which translates to solid heading tags.<\/p>\n<p>But what about SEO? Heading tags can help Google get a better idea of what\u2019s happening on your page. Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/heading-tags-for-seo\/341817\/\">John Mueller<\/a> is on the record saying:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cWe do use headings when it comes to search. But we use them to better understand the content on the pages.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>So think of headings as Google\u2019s guide to your content. Use H1\u2019s, H2\u2019s, and H3\u2019s to logically block out your content into digestible bits for both the reader and search engine crawlers.<\/p>\n<h3>6) Optimizing Your Body Content<\/h3>\n<p>You may be a prolific writer, but that doesn\u2019t mean your content naturally comes out optimized on the first draft. Not by a longshot.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to optimize your body content is to include SEO elements from the very beginning. My team uses a solid process for content creation:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keyword research<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a wireframe that includes SEO elements<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write from that wireframe<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edit for basic errors<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edit for SEO best practice<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have someone run quality assurance<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Only then does a piece of content even <i>get close<\/i> to going live. It has a whole journey that helps ensure optimization from day one, which should be the foundation of every webpage: Keyword Research.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and make sure you keep these elements in mind as you further your optimization:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include keywords<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t go \u201cthin\u201d \u2014 provide as much value as you can with very little fluff<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write to engage, inform, and entertain<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write so that it\u2019s easy to share<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long-form content is generally easier to rank<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7) Using Synonyms &amp; LSI<\/h3>\n<p>Another area of optimization for your content is known as LSI or Latent Semantic Indexing. This is a technique used by search engines to try to understand how words interact with each other \u2014 sort of like an AI trying to understand and then write poetry.<\/p>\n<p>It may not be 100% perfect, but you can bet it\u2019ll know the words and phrases used by great poets.<\/p>\n<p>But how does this help you?<\/p>\n<p>Well, by understanding the use of LSI, you can look for pieces of information that are related to your content\u2019s topic. If you\u2019re writing a blog post on \u201cThe 10 best pillowcases for 2026\u201d, LSI encourages you to branch out and talk about other related areas \u2014 like sheets, mattresses, or features \u2014 that provide greater depth to your content.<\/p>\n<p>A great tool for this is SEMRush\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/seo-content-template\/\">SEO Content Template<\/a>. When you input your keyword(s) into their tool, they provide a ton of information that helps guide your content creation \u2014 including \u201crecommended keywords\u201d that help you enrich your piece. You\u2019ll notice that many of these don\u2019t really have to do with the primary keyword (which in this example is pillowcases):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image24.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7747\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image24.png\" alt=\"SEMRush\u2019s SEO Content Template\" width=\"283\" height=\"562\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Including LSI in the picture helps you ensure that your content is robust, valuable, and easy for Google to understand and rank. It\u2019s well worth the extra effort to optimize for LSI keywords. If you don\u2019t have SEMRush, you can also try this free tool <a href=\"https:\/\/lsigraph.com\/\">lsigraph.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>8) Optimizing Your Content for Readability<\/h3>\n<p>Getting a visitor to click on a title is one thing. Getting them to read to the bottom of the page is a whole other ballgame, and Google watches for that. If users have a high \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">dwell time<\/a>,\u2019 then the search engines see this as a ranking signal because your webpage is providing value for that query or cluster of queries. Conversely, high bounce rates and low readability are bad for your SEO.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t tell you how many pages I\u2019ve started reading, only to leave after two or three paragraphs \u2014 and it wasn\u2019t because I have a short attention span. It\u2019s because the writer failed to grasp my interest and keep it.<\/p>\n<p>And this encompasses a whole world of information, so I\u2019ll try to sum up readability as best I can.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to consider your own content\u2019s readability is to put it on a scale. Most online readers are going to fall between a 6th grade to college freshman reading level <i>at the highest end<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>The sweet spot? Around 10th grade:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7748\" style=\"width: 685px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image25.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7748\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image25.png\" alt=\"Optimizing Your Content for Readability\" width=\"675\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Optimizing Your Content for Readability<\/p><\/div>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2018\/10\/boost-content-readability\/\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t because everyone failed 11th grade English \u2014 it\u2019s because it\u2019s more interesting and engaging to read at a comfortable, conversational level.<\/p>\n<p>And then you go deeper. Readable content implements a whole host of other factors, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transitions<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bucket Brigades<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Length<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heading engagement<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tone<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Descriptive headers<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engaging imagery<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bulleted lists<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent information<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And more<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s the kicker:<\/p>\n<p>Readability can also evolve. Just because something is live on your site doesn\u2019t mean it has to stay there for eternity. Revisit old posts and keep them fresh, and you\u2019ll see better results.<\/p>\n<h3>9) Optimizing Your Images<\/h3>\n<p>While it\u2019s tempting to think that the effort you put into creating an image will instantly be rewarded, that\u2019s simply not the case.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, without proper optimization, Google can\u2019t even <i>read<\/i> your image. It knows it\u2019s there, but it doesn\u2019t know what it\u2019s about \u2014 unless you tell it what the image is about.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to optimize an image is to include an alt-tag description that describes the image to Google\u2019s crawlers. Despite popular belief, this isn\u2019t entirely for SEO though. In addition to helping crawlers understand what an image is, the alt tag and image title were also designed to help improve the user experience for visually-impaired users on your website.<\/p>\n<p>So while Google <i>can <\/i>look at image attributes and make a ranking decision from there, the better idea is to focus on optimizing for your user. Don\u2019t just stuff a bunch of keywords in your image alt or title tags because it 1) doesn\u2019t help your on-page SEO and 2) makes a horrible user experience for the visually-impaired. Best practice would include describing the image to the best of your ability and sprinkling in target keywords or LSI keywords where it makes sense to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and make sure your images aren\u2019t too big. Large images invariably slow sites down, which affects page load times and user experience. I recommend using this <a href=\"https:\/\/tinypng.com\/\">free image compression tool<\/a>, which also has a plugin for WordPress.<\/p>\n<h3>10) Internal Link Optimization<\/h3>\n<p>Internal links are precisely what they sound like: hyperlinks that go from one of your pages to another one of your pages.<\/p>\n<p>A common example is your site\u2019s navigation \u2014 an essential function that allows users to understand and move through your website. If pages are bricks, then internal links are the mortar that holds them together.<\/p>\n<p>But they do more than aid navigation. They also help you establish the informational hierarchy of your site \u2014 which should match the URL structure I mentioned earlier. If you create internal links that start mismatching silos, Google could have a harder time understanding the flow of information and how users can potentially understand it:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image26.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7749\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image26.png\" alt=\"Internal Link Optimization\" width=\"938\" height=\"708\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seobility.net\/en\/wiki\/Internal_Linking\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Internal links also help you distribute link equity throughout the pages on your site. (We\u2019ll go over link equity in further detail in Chapter 5.)\u00a0 Again, if Google has a hard time understanding the flow of information, it won\u2019t have a clear idea of how to distribute your link equity.<\/p>\n<p>So what can you do about this? Well, if you\u2019re uncertain of your<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/internal-links\/\"> internal link structure<\/a> (or know that you\u2019ve messed it up), you\u2019ll need to do an internal link audit. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/audit-internal-links\/304303\/\">This guide<\/a> can walk you through that process.<\/p>\n<h3>11) Strategic Outbound Links<\/h3>\n<p>The other type of link to be aware of for on-page SEO is the outbound link. These are hyperlinks that start from your webpage but link to a different website.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchbloom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this link is an outbound link<\/a>, because it directs you to a different domain.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image27.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image27.png\" alt=\"Strategic Outbound Links\" width=\"512\" height=\"364\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quotemantra.com\/does-outbound-link-make-your-site-ranking-authority-better\/\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>You use these all the time, and they do have quite a few purposes.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the fair use of images usually requires citations. You\u2019ll notice that the images from other sites that I\u2019ve shared in this post all have a linked source \u2014 that\u2019s best practice, and will keep your content\u2019s legitimacy on the up-and-up.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also an SEO factor from Google\u2019s point of view. Outbound links to highly relevant and authoritative pages <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.alexa.com\/outbound-links-content-marketing\/\">help Google understand your topic<\/a> and can affect how you rank. While it\u2019s not the end-all of ranking factors, it can certainly help you point Google in the right direction.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chapter_4_Technical_SEO_Checklist\"><\/span>Chapter 4: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/technical-seo\/\">Technical SEO Checklist<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you read \u201ctechnical SEO\u201d and thought: \u201cI thought all this <i>was <\/i>technical already\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re not alone!<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a common saying these days that \u201cSEO is dead\u2026 to everyone but industry professionals\u201d \u2014 and I disagree. I think that SEO is approachable by anyone, even the technical elements.<\/p>\n<p>It may take some on-going education on your part, but if you\u2019ve already set up a website and published it, you can learn the in\u2019s and out\u2019s of how to optimize for technical SEO. This checklist can help point you in the right direction, but it is <b>not <\/b>a comprehensive post on technical SEO.<\/p>\n<h3>1) Fix Your Crawl Errors<\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve talked about crawling throughout this checklist, which is simply industry jargon for how Google finds and evaluates each page on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, this process goes smoothly. Google\u2019s spent a few decades perfecting their algorithms, and they certainly know what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>But sometimes, something catches when Google is looking at your site and they can\u2019t reach a page. In these instances, you\u2019ll want to find and fix the problem quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, if you\u2019ve set up your Google Search Console, you already have everything you need to find the issue:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image28.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7751\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image28.png\" alt=\"Fix Your Crawl Errors\" width=\"1913\" height=\"869\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here are just a few of the errors reported to you in Google Search Console.<\/p>\n<h4>Site errors<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>DNS Errors<\/li>\n<li>Server Errors<\/li>\n<li>Robots Failure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>URL errors<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>404 Not Found errors<\/li>\n<li>Soft 404 errors<\/li>\n<li>Mobile-specific errors<\/li>\n<li>Malware errors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Markup errors<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Structured Data errors<\/li>\n<li>Mobile Usability errors<\/li>\n<li>Breadcrumbs errors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2) Fix Broken Links<\/h3>\n<p>Broken links are simply links that don\u2019t work anymore, for a variety of reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The website you linked to is no longer live<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The webpage you linked to has been moved, but not redirected<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The URL structure was changed, and your URL is wrong.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And this creates an issue for a variety of reasons. Statistically, the older a page is on your site, the more broken links you\u2019ll have. This is known as Link Rot:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image29.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7752\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image29.png\" alt=\"Fix Broken Links\" width=\"582\" height=\"362\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/raventools.com\/marketing-glossary\/broken-links\/\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>No matter how you look at it, a broken link isn\u2019t good. It\u2019s not a good look when someone clicks on a broken link from your site, it will also have negatively affects your SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that Google looks for high-quality, relevant, and strategically placed outbound and internal links to assess your web pages. A broken link obviously mars that process.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you fix broken links? You find them and replace them.<\/p>\n<p>How do you find them? Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deadlinkchecker.com\/\">dead link checker<\/a>. My favorite tool to use for this is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.screamingfrog.co.uk\/seo-spider\/\">Screaming Frog<\/a>, but it does have a little bit of a learning curve.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Install SSL<\/h3>\n<p>It may seem a bit over-complicated, but Google has viewed the security of your site as a ranking factor<a href=\"https:\/\/webmasters.googleblog.com\/2014\/08\/https-as-ranking-signal.html\"> since 2014<\/a>. That\u2019s not about to change, either.<\/p>\n<p>And for now, SSL protocol is the gold standard for a browser to server security. In short, an SSL certificate encrypts the link between a user\u2019s browser and the server where your website is hosted.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image10.png\" alt=\"Install SSL\" width=\"1126\" height=\"632\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudflare.com\/learning\/ssl\/what-is-ssl\/\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>So anyone who tries to steal your users\u2019 data is just going to get an unintelligible garble of characters. Without SSL, they get the raw data, and you could be held responsible.<\/p>\n<p>These days, there\u2019s no excuse to not have an SSL. Most web hosting companies offer them for free at signup, and even if you have to pay, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n<p>That said, most sites shouldn\u2019t need a paid SSL solution. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpbeginner.com\/beginners-guide\/how-to-get-a-free-ssl-certificate-for-your-wordpress-website\/\">Follow this guide<\/a> to receive a free SSL for your site.<\/p>\n<h3>4) Ensure Your Site Doesn\u2019t Have Duplicate Content<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/duplicate-content\/\">Duplicate content<\/a> is another easily understood SEO concept. It\u2019s any instance of a page that contains the same content, excluding your navigational elements. Duplicate content can also be found in your meta tags. i.e., meta title tags, descriptions, etc.<\/p>\n<p>The issue with this is simple: when Google crawls your site and finds duplicate content, it can be difficult for the crawler to know which piece of content is the original.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image11.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image11.png\" alt=\"Ensure Your Site Doesn\u2019t Have Duplicate Content\" width=\"780\" height=\"506\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/learn\/seo\/duplicate-content\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Common culprits for this are product pages, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/ecommerce-seo\/\">category pages<\/a>, location-based pages, or incorrectly set up blogs.<\/p>\n<p>The simplest solution may seem to be to find your duplicate content and rework it, but that\u2019s not always scalable. I highly recommend this <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/diy-duplicate-content-check\/\">guide from Yoast<\/a> if you want to consider an in-depth strategy to fix duplicate content.<\/p>\n<h4>Canonical Tags<\/h4>\n<p>If you find yourself in a situation where duplicate content is unavoidable, there is a fix for it that I want to mention: the rel=\u201dcanonical\u201d tag.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/canonical-urls-a-beginners-guide-to-canonical-tags\/\">Canonical tags<\/a> allow you to tell Google which is the \u201coriginal\u201d or leading piece of content, meaning the crawler doesn\u2019t have to guess which page it should prioritize. It essentially helps Google consolidate the information about the individual URLs with duplicate content and avoid spending your crawl budget on pointless pages.<\/p>\n<h3>5) 301 Redirects<\/h3>\n<p>As you update your website and develop new strategies for traffic, you\u2019ll sometimes find that an old page needs to be done away with.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s tempting to just hit the delete button in your CMS, that can be a bad idea if that page is in Google\u2019s index. You may have some traffic or inbound links already flowing to that old page, and you want to try to preserve your previous gains. That\u2019s where the 301 redirect comes in.<\/p>\n<p>301 redirects (permanent redirects) allow you to send visitors (and search engine crawlers) to an updated page, essentially shifting the authority and traffic to the new page. It\u2019s also a key part of updating your URL structure.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image12.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image12.gif\" alt=\"301 redirect\" width=\"258\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/learn\/seo\/redirection\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s certainly possible to mess this up though.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, it\u2019s possible that over time, you\u2019ll start creating \u201credirect chains\u201d \u2014 essentially meaning you have a redirect going to a redirect, and then eventually a live page (200 status code). This sends Google on a wild goose chase through your site, which is never good.<\/p>\n<p>You can also end up with 301 redirects for canonical tags, convoluted internal linking due to redirects, or completely unnecessary redirects. You\u2019ll need to conduct an audit and make sure that you\u2019re redirecting properly, which you can do with a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.screamingfrog.co.uk\/seo-spider\/\">Screaming Frog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>6) Make Your Site Mobile Friendly<\/h3>\n<p>The digital world is mobile these days, and like many other trends in this checklist, it\u2019s unlikely to change. More than ever, the world is browsing, reading, communicating, and <i>buying<\/i> from mobile devices.<\/p>\n<p>So much so that Google now <a href=\"https:\/\/webmasters.googleblog.com\/2018\/03\/rolling-out-mobile-first-indexing.html\">indexes your mobile site <i>first<\/i><\/a> (also called mobile-first indexing). It\u2019s a move they\u2019ve been rolling out since 2018.<\/p>\n<p>What does this mean for your SEO?<\/p>\n<p>Simply put, it means to <i>be mobile-friendly or watch your traffic die a long, slow death<\/i>. If your website looks like the image of the left below, you\u2019re behind the curve:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image13.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7756\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image13.png\" alt=\"Mobile friendly website\" width=\"600\" height=\"515\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/mobile-sites\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The basic test for mobile-friendliness is fairly simple: go to your website on the phone, and if you have to zoom in (or otherwise manipulate your phone) to see text, images, or navigation elements, you need to make some changes.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s the <i>bare minimum<\/i>, and good SEO will take you well past that and into more technical optimization efforts.<\/p>\n<p>To get a better idea, I recommend plugging your URL into Google\u2019s own mobile-friendly test tool.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image14.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7757\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image14.png\" alt=\"Mobile friendly checker\" width=\"1115\" height=\"464\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll receive direct feedback about your website and a list of any improvements you can make to be more mobile-friendly.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image15.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image15.png\" alt=\"Google's mobile friendly test\" width=\"923\" height=\"719\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From here, you can start to make adjustments and optimize your site.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that most WordPress website themes, e-commerce platforms, and popular CMSs are already going to produce a mobile version of your website or make it responsive to all device types. It may not be perfect, but it\u2019s certainly a good place to start.<\/p>\n<p>That said, you should also look into how you can further optimize for mobile if you want to ensure SEO best practices on your site. Because this will involve coding experience, I recommend working directly with a professional and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/mobile-friendly-website-guide\/\">reading up on current best practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>7) Optimizing Your Site Speed<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019ve been around an SEO expert for long, they probably mentioned site speed \u2014 and there\u2019s a good reason for that.<\/p>\n<p>Studies have shown that your site\u2019s speed directly impacts a user\u2019s patience with it, and this, in turn, can impact your site\u2019s rankings:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image16.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image16.png\" alt=\"Optimize site speed\" width=\"573\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/mobile-page-speed-important-not-yet-seo-270474\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>If tons of people are leaving (without ever seeing what you have to offer), Google won\u2019t view your site very favorably.<\/p>\n<p>But thankfully, there are plenty of ways to check your speed and improve it. <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/speed\/pagespeed\/insights\/\">PageSpeed Insights<\/a> is an easy, free tool from Google that tells you page speed information, what\u2019s slowing your pages down, and what you can do to fix it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image17.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image17.png\" alt=\"Google's page speed insight\" width=\"1881\" height=\"909\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That said, your site\u2019s speed has a lot of factors that slow it down or speed it up, so I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/kinsta.com\/learn\/page-speed\/\">going through a guide<\/a> that can help you parse through all of the information that\u2019s out there. It never hurts to be prepared and can be rather complex. Because this will involve coding experience, I recommend working directly with a professional and reading up on current best practices.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chapter_5_Link_Building_Checklist\"><\/span>Chapter 5: Link Building Checklist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google puts quite a bit of stock in how other high-authority websites interact with your own \u2014 and that interaction comes in the form of backlinks. As a general rule, having more high-quality links to your website will lead to better SEO results.<\/p>\n<p>But developing those links is a process, and it won\u2019t happen overnight. <i>Pro Tip: Don\u2019t try and take a short cut and buy low-quality links. It doesn\u2019t work longterm anymore and will cause damage to your domain and rankings. If you put in the work, you\u2019ll have a better chance at achieving desired results, take a short cut and you will absolutely fail.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>To make the most of this part of your SEO strategy, you\u2019ll need to get creative, create some solid (shareworthy) content, and develop a strategy that helps you acquire backlinks over time.<\/p>\n<h3>1) Understanding Authority Metrics<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to focus on your rank and traffic as primary metrics for SEO efforts, but there are plenty of other indicators that can help point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>In particular, authority metrics can help you see the big-picture and point you toward how your website can be improved incrementally \u2014 in other ways than by watching traffic or conversions. In particular, you need to pay attention to a few metrics: Domain authority or domain rating.<\/p>\n<p><b>Domain Authority<\/b> (DA) \u2014 This metric was developed by Moz and is used to help predict your website\u2019s ability to rank. It ranges from zero to 100, with higher scores meaning more authority. It should be noted that this is <i>not <\/i>an official metric from Google, and is only predictive in nature.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image18.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7761\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image18.png\" alt=\"Moz's domain authority\" width=\"1966\" height=\"720\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/learn\/seo\/domain-authority\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><b>Domain Rating <\/b>(DR) \u2014 This metric comes from Ahrefs, and is a helpful signal for the strength of your backlink profile. Like DA, it\u2019s measured from 0-100, with larger numbers indicating more authoritative backlinks and a stronger link profile.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image19.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7762\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image19.png\" alt=\"Ahref's domain rating\" width=\"900\" height=\"270\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/domain-rating\/\">Image Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>When used in tandem, DA and DR help paint a more accurate picture of your optimization efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s explore an analogy to make it clear why you need these.<\/p>\n<p>Think of your basic understanding of how you rank on Google. It\u2019s based on best practices, a bit of research and execution. Understanding <i>why<\/i> things happen is like trying to read a sign that\u2019s far away, only your eyesight is a bit blurry and it\u2019s nighttime.<\/p>\n<p>You can think of these metrics like putting prescription glasses on. You can see the sign a bit clearer through both lenses, but it\u2019s still dark and you can\u2019t be 100% sure the prescription is right.<\/p>\n<p>All that said, something is better than nothing, and these metrics <i>are<\/i> designed by people who devote their lives to understanding Google (and search engines in general). Increasing the authority of your website and leveraging these metrics should be a key part of every SEO strategy. Additional metrics like Page Authority (PA) from Moz and URL Authority (UR) from Ahrefs are also frequently used when determining the authority of a particular URL on your website.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Creating Business Listings (Citations)<\/h3>\n<p>Business listings, also known as citations, are an important element in both local SEO and link building efforts.<\/p>\n<p>These listings help you provide Google\u2019s crawlers with consistent NAP information \u2014 an acronym for Name, Address, and Phone Number. When you add this information to directories, it helps Google pinpoint your location and provide accurate results for users in your area.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, it also provides some low-hanging backlinks from sites that typically have high domain authority. Missing out on a link from these sites just isn\u2019t worth it, especially because your competitors are likely to be on them too.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few common business listings that you can sign up for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple Maps<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google My Business (Most important for Local SEO)<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LinkedIn Company Directory<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bing<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yelp<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MapQuest<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HubSpot<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Super Pages<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yellow Book<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thumbtack<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But there are plenty more! Many businesses can take advantage of industry-specific listings as well (For instance, Searchbloom uses <a href=\"https:\/\/clutch.co\/profile\/searchbloom\">Clutch<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Including your business in these listings (<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/blog\/tabid\/6307\/bid\/10322\/the-ultimate-list-50-local-business-directories.aspx\">and more<\/a>) can help you when done properly, so look into your options and make sure your information stays up to date. Here is a comprehensive list of websites provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/resources\/top-local-citations-by-business-category\/\">BrightLocal<\/a> to list your business on.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Outreach to Friends &amp; Colleagues<\/h3>\n<p>When it comes to link building, it\u2019s always a good idea to start with quick wins. That includes friends, colleagues, former colleagues, or really anyone you have a relationship with.<\/p>\n<p>Plenty of guides have covered how you can do this ethically (and without sounding spammy), so I\u2019ll <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/blog\/linkbuilding-in-2019\">leave one of them here<\/a> for you.<\/p>\n<h3>4) Outreach to Unlinked Mentions<\/h3>\n<p>With over a billion websites live on the web, there\u2019s a good chance that your business has been mentioned <i>somewhere<\/i>. It could be a local newspaper\u2019s website, a podcast you were a guest on, or a whole host of other options.<\/p>\n<p>But if these mentions don\u2019t have a link to your website, then you aren\u2019t getting as much of an SEO benefit from them.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s cool to get a shout out and feel like your business is going places, but unlinked shoutouts just don\u2019t provide as much of an SEO benefit as linked mentions. That\u2019s why you should try to turn these unlinked mentions into links.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s another area of low hanging fruit for your SEO, with potentially hundreds (for large companies) of brand mentions that <i>should <\/i>and <i>could <\/i>translate into authority for your website.<\/p>\n<p>Be warned though: <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/unlinked-mentions\/\">you\u2019ll need a strategy<\/a> to make this scalable, and even then, you may not hear back. That\u2019s okay. Keep trying, as even a few links from this method can still be big wins.<\/p>\n<h3>5) Outreach to Broken Inbound Links<\/h3>\n<p>This tactic is similar to unlinked mentions. Like I mentioned in chapter 4, sometimes links break for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, you may have changed your URL structure to better align with your website\u2019s hierarchy \u2014 but that means any inbound links to that page may need to be updated. Those links could be dead at that point, and no one wants a dead link on their site.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/broken-link-building\">develop a strategy<\/a> \u2014 similar to unlinked mentions \u2014 that helps you pinpoint these links and provide a remedy.<\/p>\n<p>And keep in mind that you can do the same thing, but with your competitors\u2019 links. You have to create the content for replacement (if you don\u2019t have something suitable), but you should be one-upping your competitors&#8217; content anyways.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of which, let\u2019s talk about how to do that.<\/p>\n<h3>6) Competitive Research<\/h3>\n<p>Competitive research is somewhat self-defining. It\u2019s looking into what your top competitors are doing to rank and win traffic, and then turning that traffic into leads and customers.<\/p>\n<p>While you\u2019ll never want to fully knock them off, a competitive strategy can allow you to earn traffic (and potentially some business) away from your biggest threat. You can do this with both Keyword Magic Tool and Keyword Gap Tool in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/\">SEMRush<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about keywords though, because this will be your initial focus. A great tool that can give you a bird\u2019s eye view of competitive keywords and where you stand is SEMrush\u2019s Keyword Gap tool.<\/p>\n<p>This pits your domain against your competitors based on the keywords each of you are ranking for and helps you see where you can improve.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7763\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image1.png\" alt=\"Keyword GAP tools\" width=\"1616\" height=\"331\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The tool includes a bird\u2019s eye view that shows how many keywords you and your competitors rank for:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image2.png\" alt=\"Keyword GAP for competitor analysis\" width=\"1630\" height=\"664\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As well as a more in-depth view of shared, unique, missing, strong, and weak keywords:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7765\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image3.png\" alt=\"in-depth view of shared, unique, missing, strong, and weak keywords\" width=\"1618\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Use these tools to supplement your keyword strategy with competitive research.<\/p>\n<p>But what about link building?<\/p>\n<p>Well, when you go to create a piece of content for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/link-building\/\">link building strategy<\/a>, you can use SEMRush\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO Content Template<\/a>. You insert your keywords, and it spits out a list of elements that you can include to help increase your chances of ranking on the first page.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image4.png\" alt=\"SEMRush\u2019s SEO Content Template\" width=\"1221\" height=\"298\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Among the recommendations is a list of sites you should try to earn backlinks from:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/image5.png\" alt=\"Earn backlinks from SEMrush\" width=\"1897\" height=\"937\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s the beginning steps to your strategy.<\/p>\n<h3>7) Guest Posts<\/h3>\n<p>This very blog post is a guest post. It\u2019s simply a blog post on a site that someone else owns and operates (preferably those with high domain authority, lots of traffic, and an active webmaster.)<\/p>\n<p>And the reason to do it is simple: it\u2019s a great way to <i>growth hack <\/i>your SEO. You can hand-select backlinks, build your brand recognition, and develop a relationship that benefits everyone in the long term.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to guest post, my advice is to meet people in the industry and build relationships with them. And if you\u2019re struggling, you can try to cold-pitch outreach that will actually speak to the blog\u2019s audience. You may not get many replies your first few tries but keep at it because the more you do it, the better you become. <i>Practice, practice, practice.<\/i><\/p>\n<h3>8) Resource Page Link Building<\/h3>\n<p>A resource page is a thorough go-to piece of content that covers a topic in a way that conveys clear value to the reader.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Dean\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/skyscraper-technique\">Skyscraper Technique<\/a> is an awesome example of this in action. He builds a proven linkable asset, creates his own version that is better than the competition, and then builds links to <i>his<\/i> version through strategic outreach.<\/p>\n<p>This blog post itself is another great example. I want to provide a resource that helps site owners like you boost their SEO capabilities, so I created this comprehensive checklist. Whenever you have a question about SEO, you can likely find the answer \u2014 or a link to it \u2014 in this post.<\/p>\n<p>This practice, in turn, helps you win backlinks over time. If your post ranks well and is helpful, other content creators are going to use it as a resource for their own efforts, and will often link to it themselves to cite their source.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at an example of this in action.<\/p>\n<p>A commonly cited statistic in the marketing world revolves around the average length of blog posts. When you start researching on Google, you\u2019ll note that one of the top-ranked pieces is <i>old \u2014 <\/i>dating back to 2014.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image38.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7716\" title=\"Resource Page Link Building\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image38-300x284.png\" alt=\"Resource Page Link Building\" width=\"633\" height=\"599\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a significant amount of staying power for such an old post \u2014 and there\u2019s a reason why. It\u2019s chock full of helpful content and easily shareable imagery, like this one:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-36.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7715\" title=\"Average length of content\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-36-300x210.png\" alt=\"Average length of content\" width=\"679\" height=\"475\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A quick reverse image search shows that this image brings up more than 5 million distinct results, and the top sharers are all marketing blogs. Some of which have <i>very <\/i>high domain ratings:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-39.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7712\" title=\"Ideal length of content\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Image-39-289x300.png\" alt=\"Ideal length of content\" width=\"636\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The secret is to create content that truly adds value and is easily shareable. There\u2019s never any guarantee that your content will take off, but top-notch content and visuals stand a better chance (especially when you\u2019re using data-backed strategies to find opportunities!).<\/p>\n<h3>9) Leverage HARO (Help A Reporter Out)<\/h3>\n<p>HARO is a tactic designed to catch the attention of editorial writers in need of a quote or background for a piece. This makes it a good tactic to<\/p>\n<p>attract links to your site, as you\u2019re providing original, authoritative quotes from industry experts.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a good example of a blog post speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verblio.com\/blog\/challenges-hospitality-content\">content challenges in the hospitality industry<\/a>. As you can see, it provides the quote, topical information, an image, and a link to learn more:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Author-Image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7710\" title=\"example of a blog post speaking to content challenges in the hospitality industry. \" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Author-Image-300x233.png\" alt=\"Example of blog post\" width=\"624\" height=\"485\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you want to do this for yourself, do some keyword research to find opportunities, find experts to contact, and use the results to create a high-value piece of content. You can attract links from both the experts you quote, and the people who want to quote them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No matter where you are in your SEO journey, this list can be a helpful tool to guide your strategy and improve your website\u2019s rankings.<\/p>\n<p>But now I want to turn the mic to you. What have I missed? What have you found helpful, and has anything on my list yielded positive results for your website? Let me hear about it in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rooted in evergreen SEO principles and best practices, this checklist can help you achieve real results\u2014no matter where you fall on the scale of SEO knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[388,849],"class_list":["post-20552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-page-seo","tag-seo-checklist","tag-seo-checklist-2026"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Simple &amp; Effective SEO Checklist to Better Your SEO Results - Stan Ventures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Simple &amp; Effective SEO Checklist to Better Your SEO Results. 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