SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of actions to improve a website's rankings in search engines. Proper optimization can significantly increase organic traffic. Here's a complete checklist.
Technical SEO
- HTTPS โ site operates through a secure connection
- Mobile Adaptability โ site is user-friendly on phones
- Loading Speed โ less than 3 seconds
- Sitemap.xml โ site map for search robots
- Robots.txt โ correct directives for crawlers
- Canonical URLs โ avoid duplicate content through
rel="canonical" - Structured Data โ JSON-LD Schema.org markup
Meta Tags
- Title โ unique for each page, up to 60 characters
- Description โ attractive description up to 160 characters
- Open Graph โ meta tags for social media
- Hreflang โ for multilingual sites
Content
- Keywords โ research via Google Keyword Planner
- Headings H1-H3 โ logical hierarchy with keywords
- Internal Links โ connect pages with each other
- Image Alt Text โ describe images for search
- Content Updates โ regularly update old articles
Free SEO Tools
- Meta Tag Analyzer โ check meta tags of any site
- SSL Checker โ verify SSL certificate
- WHOIS Lookup โ domain information
- Google Search Console โ free analytics from Google
- Google PageSpeed Insights โ analyze site speed
Local SEO
For local businesses:
- Create a profile in Google Business Profile
- Add address, phone number, and business hours
- Collect customer reviews
- Use local keywords
What to Avoid
- Buying links โ Google penalizes unnatural link building
- Keyword stuffing โ excessive use of keywords
- Duplicating content โ copying text from other sites
- Hidden texts โ text the same color as the background
