SEO Checklist
Table of Contents
On Page SEO
Consider hiring an SEO company
SEO is not always simple and a DIY approach might not yields results quick enough.
Get a keyword tool
Everything related to SEO comes down to keywords and the most important tool in every Internet Marketer's toolbox is a good keyword tool.
Use keywords in your titles
Keywords are the most important tool you have to attract the search engines to your site. Always make sure you have a different keyword in every blog post or article on your site.
Use keywords in the body of the article
It's important to use the same keyword in the body of your article that you used in the title.
Use keywords in your categories
Don't forget to use keywords in your categories, too. The more information about your site you get onto that page the easier it will be for the search engines to know what your site is about.
Use keyword tags
Whether you have a blog or a static site, it's important to assign tags to each post or article to make it even easier for those spider to read you.
Label your images
The search engine spiders can only read coding and text, they can not read an image. So if you create an image to show your 100% money back guarantee then it's important that you set the alt tags of the image.
Clean up your sidebars
Get rid of the junk in your sidebars to eliminate confusion.
Use On Site Links
Create internal links on your posts to lead your visitors from post to post. For example, let's say yesterday you blogged about how to make the perfect pie crust. And today you're blogging about a new apple pie recipe you just found. When you mention the crust in this new recipe, create a link to yesterday's post about how to make the perfect pie crust.
Use Off Site Links
The search engines also like to see you have links going to other blogs and websites. This shows them that you're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the searcher finds all the information they need.
Clearly define your navigation
Make sure your navigation and all of your links are clearly marked and easy to read. And make sure they all work.
Use keywords in your domain name
As we've already seen, keywords are very important if you want maximum exposure from the search engines. When choosing the name for your blog or website, it doesn't always have to be the same thing as your domain name. But it should have your key word in it.
Use keywords in your tagline
Most blogs or websites have a space for you to insert a small tagline, either in the coding or in the theme. This tagline is a brief description of the purpose of your site and should also include keywords.
Off Page SEO
Use your keywords in your meta tags
If you're blogging then chances are there is somewhere on your theme where you can enter your meta tags. If you're using an html site then your meta tags go at the top of the page. This is a list a keywords that are relevant to your site and it's just one more thing that the spiders look for.
Configure your permalinks
The next time you visit any blog or website look up in the address bar. Most will show something that looks like this: <a href="http://www.MyDomainName.com/thank-you-for-visiting/052010" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" class="underline">http://www.MyDomainName.com/thank-you-for-visiting/052010↗</a>. That means that the site owner has set his permalinks to show the html version of his page title and it's very easy for the search engines to scan and read. However, sometimes you see an address that looks like this: <a href="http://www.MyDomainName.com/2;3hj%5B0s9utlqkn34%5Bdfid%5Bsu09et" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" class="underline">http://www.MyDomainName.com/2;3hj[0s9utlqkn34[dfid[su09et↗</a>. The search engines can not read that and they have no idea what that post or article is about.
Ping every new post
Pinging is a term that describes a method used to let the search engines all know that you've added new information to your blog or website. Some blogging themes are set up to do this automatically and some have to be handled manually.
Create a site map
Whatever type of site you have, whether it's a blog or a static site, you should always install a site map. Again, this helps the spiders find all the little nooks and crannies of your site and ensures that they don't miss a single scrap of all of your important information.
Off Site SEO
Register your site with the search engines
Most of the search engines will allow you to register your site. Make sure you use as many of your important keywords as possible in the description so they'll know what your site is all about.
Use keywords in your profiles
Any time you join a social network or a social bookmarking club or a forum or a chat room, anytime you join anything, make sure you provide a link to your site and use as many of your keywords as you can in the description area.
Create backlinks
Backlinking is when you leave a link that leads to your site on another site either in the comments section or as a forum reply or as a bookmark, etc. When you comment or reply or bookmark, you're usually given the opportunity to use anchor text to establish a link to your site. The more backlinks you have coming in the more impressed the search engines are.
Submit articles
Article marketing is another way of optimizing your site for the search engines because each one of the articles you submit contains 2 links back to your site. As all of these different backlinks start adding up your site starts looking better and better to the search engines. However, it's important to remember to use your keywords in your articles, too.
Download or Print this SEO Checklist
Get a printable version of this checklist in your preferred format: PDF, Word, Excel, or print directly from your browser.
Presented by:
Jake R Brady
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Introduction
Details
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the first things to learn when you get started in Internet Marketing. Even if you've been around the block a few times and think you already know everything there is to know about SEO, technology changes so fast in this business that it's difficult for even experienced marketers to keep up sometimes. And it's not like there are only one or two steps to the process, either. There have been entire books written about SEO and it seems like every marketer has his or her own secret little twist or method that they use. But before we get into the SEO Checklist of steps, let's explain a little about what SEO does for your site. When you optimize your site for the search engines you're making it easier for them to pick your site out of the crowd.
SEO Checklist Tips
Take this as an example: when a user goes to the search box and types in the words “Apple Pie” then Google, Yahoo, MSN, or whatever search engine the person is using, is going to give them a list of every page on the Internet that uses the words “Apple Pie”. This list will be ranked according to the authority of those sites with the most popular sites being at the top of the page. So the search engine is like a go-between between the searcher and your site. If your site has something to do with Apple Pie and you want to have it included in that list that the searcher gets back, then you have to use a few different SEO techniques to make sure the search engines know that you have a site about Apple Pie so they'll include you in those results. Otherwise, you could have the best site on the Internet, with the tastiest Apple Pie recipe, and no one will ever know about it. So when you use SEO techniques to optimize your site you're making it easier for searchers to find you by telling the search engines what your site is all about.
Who it's for
This SEO Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.
- Standardize quality - run the same SEO steps every time, regardless of who executes
- Save time - reuse a proven SEO workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
- Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
- Onboard faster - use the SEO checklist as the SOP and training guide
- Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth
How to use it
How to use this SEO Checklist:
- Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
- Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
- Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
- Reuse without rebuilding - when SEO comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.