Basic SEO Checklist for 2025

🔍 1. Keyword Research

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs.

• Find long-tail keywords with high intent and low competition.
• Focus on user search intent (informational, transactional, navigational).

🏷️ 2. On-Page SEO

• Title Tag (include main keyword, max 60 characters)
• Meta Description (include keyword, max 160 characters)
• H1 Tag with main keyword
• Use H2, H3 for subheadings with variations of the keyword
• Keyword in the first 100 words
• URL structure (short, descriptive, include keyword)
• Internal linking to related pages/tools/articles
• External linking to credible sources

🖼️ 3. Content Optimization

• High-quality, original, helpful content
• Keyword density (naturally integrated)
• Use bullet points, tables, bold, italics to improve readability
• Optimize for featured snippets (answer format, list, steps)
• Add multimedia (images, videos, infographics)

📱 4. Mobile & User Experience

• Responsive design (mobile-friendly)
• Fast loading speed (use PageSpeed Insights to test)
• Clear navigation
• No intrusive popups

⚙️ 5. Technical SEO

• Use HTTPS
• XML Sitemap and submit to Google Search Console
• Robots.txt configured properly
• Fix crawl errors (check in Search Console)
• Use schema markup (RankMath plugin can help)
• Canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content

📈 6. Off-Page SEO

• Quality backlinks from relevant sites
• Submit to niche directories (if helpful)
• Social media sharing and engagement
• Influencer or blogger outreach

🛠️ 7. Tools to Use

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• Google PageSpeed Insights
• RankMath or Yoast SEO
• Ubersuggest / Ahrefs / SEMrush

🔄 8. Ongoing Maintenance

• Regularly update old content
• Check for broken links
• Track rankings and improve pages that drop
• Add new internal links as new content is added