SEO Checklist

Let's go over some basic SEO checks for your content so that it can be more easily found by search engines.

CONTENT
  • Use the language your audience would type into Google:  What do you think your audience will type into search engines to find your content? Are you using language that your audience would understand and also use? Have you included these terms prominently in your content? For example, if you think someone might ask Google “Where can I buy tickets for Awesome Event 2023”, you could include a section heading or FAQ item on your website that reads “Where to buy tickets for Awesome Event 2023.”
  • Clarify jargon:  If you are using industry jargon or clever naming, remember that Google eg. A motorcycle brand that says "You will be amazed by our bikes” or “You’ll be impressed by these machines” must be conscious of adding “motorcycle” into the supporting copy so that Google can learn that “bikes” and “machines” refer to the motorcycles being sold in this context.
  • Use titles and headings to convey importance:  Is the most important information (and words your audience will use in search terms) included in titles, labels or headers? Google does use expected formats (bold, large font, H tags) for titles and headers, and assumes higher importance.
  • Include action information that people are searching for:  Searchers often ask specific or action-oriented questions - “When is x event?” “What’s the phone number for x?” “Japanese food near me”. Have you included important action information, such as your address, location, telephone numbers or dates? This will help search engines associate your site content (e.g. Japanese food) with concrete action-based information such as location, phone number and hours of operation)
LINKS
  • Describe what links do: Do all your links use meaningful text? (eg. eg. "Read more here" is okay, but "Read about these 10 tips to find the right bike for you" is way better.)
  • Check on you links periodically: Are all links to external sites still active and pointed to relevant information on reputable sites?
IMAGES
  • Use Alt Text:  Not only can this also contextualize your content, but it also ensures your images appear in search results based on your content. Alt Text should be written to describe what is in your photo or the purpose of the photo (especially important if the image has text). Specific instructions on adding Alt Text can be found here. Bonus points for having a relevant filename.
  • Optimize your images:  Images should not be any larger than they need to be, and as a general rule should be (only) twice the size of the space in which it will be used. So in a space that is 500px wide, ensure your image is no larger than 1000px wide.
TECHNICAL
  • Use your SEO tool:  We use a tool named Yoast on most of our sites, which helps you create search/social previews and format your content the way search engines prefer to consume it. Generally, this will include a title, excerpt and searchable keywords. You can watch a quick tutorial on using the Yoast tool for posts and pages here.
  • Use descriptive URLs:  Is your URL/permalink readable and relative to your content? Best practice is to use your content title, formatted as a URL ("-" instead of spaces without special characters). For example, www.domain.com/best-bicycle-shop is much better than www.domain.com/page-43-default.

Need more support?

We’re here to help with any questions you may have when optimizing your content for search. We can also discuss a formal SEO audit of your website if you’re really looking to up your search game.