Essential On-Page SEO Checklist for Effective Website Optimization

In this blog, I’ll show you how you can do your website’s on-page SEO for free. I’ll use free tools and an easy method to prove to you that SEO can be free and easy! Now before you start, you might want to download the free on-page checklist that I have prepared for you.

This free checklist can help provide a clear and consistent framework for carrying out all the tasks you need to do. Right now, you’re just 11 steps away from your website’s on-page optimization.

on page optimization definition

On-page SEO refers to the practices you implement directly on your website to improve its ranking in search engine results. Here’s how we do it.

The step by step on page checklist

1. Do some Keyword research:

One of the mistakes that most beginners make when they’re producing content for their website is that they just start writing before doing any keyword research. When your website is new, you can’t rank any term.

When you start right out of the gate, you should start targeting long-tail keywords, you should use keyword research tools, find less competitive terms, and start wrapping content around them. I have another tutorial on how you can do keyword research for free. You can check it out here.

After you find the right keywords, you can start writing a blog. Ensure your blog’s content is unique and addresses the needs and questions of your target audience.

A 1000-2000 word blog that is split into 2-3 sentence short paragraphs is ideal for in-depth coverage and readability. After you publish your post, try to update it now and then. Google cares about that.

2. Title Tags

Creating Compelling Titles is even more important than writing the blog itself. No one can see how wonderful your blog posts are if they don’t click on your URL. So try to write titles that can grab your readers’ attention.

A good title should include your targeted keyword; it should not be too short and not too long to get cut in the SERPs (search engine results pages).

A good title shouldn’t be too short because people don’t really realize what they will get out of reading the rest of your blog. And it shouldn’t be too long, Long because it gets caught up in SERP (search engine result pages). My advice is not to go near 6-7 word blog headlines because that will get people to click on your blog most of the time.

Try to use adjectives in your title: the best, the cheapest, incredible, free. They all will get people to click on your blog. Try to use numbers or the year. Cause numbers really work. People click if they know your blog has been updated recently. To write complete titles, you can use this free headline generator tool named Portent.

3. Meta Descriptions

Another important element that can persuade users to click is to write engaging meta descriptions. What is a meta description? A meta description is a short summary of the content on a web page that appears below the page title link in the search engine results pages.

A good meta description should summarize the Content of the blog, it should have your targeted keywords, and it should be under 160 characters for optimal display.

4. Header Tags:

Headers can show the structure of your blog. Remember this EVERY BLOG POST MUST HAVE HEADERS. Header tags are HTML elements used to define headings in a web page. They range from `<h1>` to `<h6>`, with `<h1>` being the most important and `<h6>` the least.

These tags help organize content, making it easier for readers to navigate and understand the hierarchy of information. Search engines use these header tags to understand the content’s structure and relevance, which can improve a page’s ranking in search results.

Here’s how you should use each tag:
– H1 Tag: Use one H1 tag per page, incorporating the primary keyword.
– H2 and H3 Tags: Utilize H2s for main sections and H3s for sub-sections.

5. URL Structure

Creating SEO-Friendly URLs can help search engines better understand your content. A good URL should be descriptive and short; it should reflect the page content and include the targeted keyword in it.

A good URL should use lowercase Letters as URLs are case-sensitive. It should reflect your site’s hierarchy (e.g., `example.com/category/item`).

6. Image Optimization

Use unique relevant quality Images (I usually use small or medium images. To compress your images you can use the free tool TinyPNG.

Your images should have descriptive name images that incorporate keywords (e.g., “blue-widget.jpg” instead of “IMG1234.jpg”). Each image should provide descriptive alt text to help google realize what the picture is all about.

7. Internal Linking

Every blog should have links to relevant pages, it enhances navigation and user experience, plus it’ll make it easier for Google Bots to find your other blogs. Every internal link should have descriptive anchor text that indicates the linked page’s content.

8. Engagement Metrics

For the sake of both search engines and your sales try to include a Call to Action (CTAs) at the end of each blog. It can be anything like signing up, purchasing, showing them other related blogs, etc.

Now that you’ve made it until here, you can ask all your questions in the comment section, I answer all the comments. Or you can subscribe to my newsletter to get free tutorials delivered to your inbox.