What is the on-page SEO checklist for 2025?
Use this checklist to ensure your website meets the latest on-page SEO best practices:
1. Content Optimization
Use target keywords naturally in the title, headers, and throughout the content.
Write unique, engaging, and high-quality content that matches user intent.
Structure content with short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings (H1, H2, H3).
Incorporate LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords for semantic relevance.
Optimize for featured snippets by answering questions clearly and concisely.
2. Meta Tags
Write a unique and compelling meta title (50-60 characters) with the target keyword.
Create a meta description (120-155 characters) that includes the primary keyword and a call-to-action.
Ensure the meta tags are relevant and descriptive for each page.
3. URL Structure
Keep URLs short, clean, and descriptive.
Use hyphens (-) to separate words in the URL.
Include the primary keyword in the URL.
4. Mobile Optimization
Use a responsive design that adjusts seamlessly to all devices.
Ensure buttons and links are easy to click on mobile devices.
Optimize for Core Web Vitals on mobile, especially loading speed.
5. Technical SEO Elements
Include only one H1 tag per page and use it for the main heading.
Add descriptive alt text to all images.
Compress images to improve load times (use WebP or other next-gen formats).
Ensure proper implementation of canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.
6. Internal Linking
Link to related pages within your site to improve navigation and context.
Use descriptive anchor text with keywords for internal links.
Ensure there are no broken internal links.
7. Structured Data
Implement schema markup to enhance search visibility (e.g., FAQ schema, product schema).
Test structured data with Google’s Rich Results Test tool.
8. Loading Speed
Optimize page load time to be under 2 seconds.
Use a reliable content delivery network (CDN).
Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files.
9. User Experience (UX)
Ensure intuitive navigation with a clear menu structure.
Avoid intrusive interstitials (pop-ups) that can disrupt user experience.
Optimize for Core Web Vitals:
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): ≤ 2.5 seconds.
FID (First Input Delay): ≤ 100 ms.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): ≤ 0.1.
10. External Links
Link to authoritative, relevant external sources.
Set external links to open in a new tab if necessary.
11. Multimedia Optimization
Include optimized videos and images to enhance engagement.
Use video transcripts or captions for accessibility and better indexing.
12. Regular Updates
Refresh outdated content with current data and trends.
Add new sections or expand existing ones to keep content relevant.
By systematically following this on-page SEO checklist, you can ensure your website is optimized for search engines and provides an excellent user experience.