And if you have some spare time, we can discuss exactly why each item is included.
To rank for your target keywords, you need to balance your content with the needs of Google and readers alike. This checklist is based on the latest Google Search algorithm updates and ranking changes, which can be accessed on the Google Search Central Blog, and best practices for creating engaging articles (not solely for SEO purposes but for overall quality).
Ta ta ra ram! On-page SEO checklist is in da house
Introducing the star of the show — on-page SEO checklist with all the whys.
1) Keywords
Before writing (whether with the assistance of ChatGPT or relying on the brilliance of your cognitive powers), it’s important to identify your primary keyword. This keyword will be the main focus of your content and will help Google understand what your article is about. You can use Ahrefs free keyword generator to find the right target keyword.
Analyze search intent to make your content relevant. Search intent reflects what the user is trying to achieve or find when they enter a specific phrase into a search engine. Search for the keyword on Google and examine the top-ranking results. Analyze the types of content that appear.
Include your primary keyword in your meta title, meta description, URL, H1, first H2, H3–H6 (if possible), and first 150 words.
2) Article structure
Essentially, you’re not just creating content; you’ll need to create an information powerhouse that Google recognizes as the go-to resource on the subject.
Check out the top 15–20 articles for your keyword to create an article structure that Google would recognize as the most comprehensive. It’s important to cover everything that your competitors already explained and provide additional information.
Ensure the article has clear headings, subheadings, bullet points or number lists for easy scanning.
Write in short paragraphs (max 2–3 sentences in a paragraph).
Include media to illustrate your ideas (images, infographics, downloadable templates, videos, etc).
Google itself emphasizes that its automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that’s primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings. Let’s break down this requirement:
Provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic to end the search journey.
Provide original research or reporting.
Include 1–2 case studies to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise on a given topic.
Provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious. Your article needs to provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results. Do not just summarize what others have to say without adding much value.
If the content draws on other sources, avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, and instead provide substantial additional value.
Create an article you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend.
Content should present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing (links to sources of information).
Make sure that there are no factual errors.
After reading your content, people need to leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal. Readers should not leave feeling like they need to search again to get better information from other sources.
4) Engagement
How to write engaging content that can drive conversions? It’s the question that keeps writers awake at night, be it Shakespeare or SEO copywriter. Here are some thoughts:
Use Grammarly to ensure your work is 100% error-free.
5) Images
It’s important to add catchy images for two main purposes: facilitating easy scanning of the article and potentially having these images appear in Google Images, thereby driving traffic from there. You can use Playground or Bing Image Creator to generate AI images based on your text (both tools are free). Alternatively, you can use Canva; it’s important to have original images.
Use descriptive filenames.
Add descriptive alt text.
Add captions.
On a side note, it’s really interesting how different AI tools approach the same prompt. Here is what Playground generated for the prompt “ draw a futuristic AI writer”:
And here are Bing’s results:
6) URL
It’s best to make your main keyword the URL of your page. Search engines use the URL as one of many factors to determine the relevance of a page to a given search query. Here are Google’s best practices:
Set your primary keyword as the URL slug.
Max length: 75 characters.
Avoid numbers and special characters.
Use lowercase letters.
Replace spaces with hyphens (-).
7) Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO uses AI to analyze 500 factors of your page’s content against your top competitors. It offers reliable information on what’s working right now for your specific keyword.
Use Surfer SEO to identify semantically related keywords and a number of times you should add them.
Use Surfer SEO to identify the recommended content length.
Use Surfer SEO to identify the number of images to include.
8) Meta title
Meta title (also called title tag or title link) is the text that appears in the SERP. It should accurately describe what the post is about and set reader expectations. Google automatically determines the title link, but you can indicate your preferences by following best practices for influencing title links:
Include your primary keyword at the beginning
Max length: 60 characters
Add emotion and provide a value proposition
9) Meta description
A meta description (snippet) is a summary of the page. When someone reads a meta description, they should be able to understand what is on offer and whether it is worth their time. According to Google Search Central, the content on the page is used to automatically determine the appropriate snippet. Previous research also indicates that Google rewrites meta descriptions over 70% of the time. However, here are general things to consider:
Include your primary keyword in the first part of your copy.
Max length: 120 characters.
Include compelling CTA.
10) Header tags (H1-H6)
Header tags are used to organize the content on a page. They rank in order of importance, from H1 to H6, with H1 being the title.
Use your primary keyword at the beginning of your H1 tag.
Wrap subheadings in the H2, H3, H3, H4, H5, H6 tags.
11) Links
It is essential to link to relevant resources and ensure all links are working properly.
Develop a clear strategy for how you want your pages to be linked together.
Use internal links.
Link out to authority sites in your blog post. This will show Google that your content is well-referenced and trustworthy.
Use keyword-rich anchor text.
And what is the ideal length of a blog post?
Google does not recommend sticking to a specific word count just because you heard a rumor that it’s Google’s secret word party number.
However, everyone’s scratching their heads, trying to figure out the magic formula.
You can use SurferSEO Content Editor to identify the recommended content length based on competitors’ articles that rank for your target keywords.
And here are several research findings to consider.
Brian Dean found that the average word count of a Google top 10 result is 1,447 words. According to Semrush, 7,000+ word articles drive almost four times more traffic and 43% more shares than articles of average length (900–1,200 words). And Wix has found that the ideal word lengths for different types of posts are:
Newspaper articles, product descriptions and encyclopedia entries: 600–800 words
“What is …” blog posts: 1,300–1,700 words
“How to …” articles: 1,700–2,100 words
Golden blog post length: 2,300–2,500
Pillar pages and guides: 4,000+ words
Obviously, long-form content is the “winner” here, but there isn’t any “perfect” content length. For example, an article on making a delicious apple pie will take a lot more words than a simple recipe with only three ingredients.
