Get a plan, they say. Yet, what plan should a website project creator follow when they want sustainable and objective success? Here is the technical SEO checklistthat will make your SEOproject thrive if you mark all as done!
Keyword Research
Creating an attractive website with a bright and harmonious design is one thing. Adding engaging, gripping, and informative content is another. Nevertheless, pinpointing the keywords you need is a separate science.
If you want to find out how todo it right, check out our guide on keyword research. The process might be time-consuming, but it will pay off 100%. Here are the actions to take:
- Brainstorm the list of potential queries related to your product or service;
- Check the commercial intent and monthly search volume for each query;
- Analyze the level of competition for every keyword;
- Add the most profitable keywords to your list.
Crawl-Crawl-Crawl
A website crawleris a necessity to make your website project visible to search engines. The first step is to check whether the website already has an index by Google. You can do it manually by typing "site:example.com" in the search bar. If there are no results, it means that your website hasn't had indexation yet.
The second step is to check whether any issues prevent Google from indexing your website. To do it, you will need a crawling tool. There are free and paid tools that have different functionality. But your website crawler must:
- Conduct analysis swiftly;
- Conduct audits for all components and resources, CSS, images, videos, etc.;
- Crawl Google and Bing at least (the best programs may also work with other browsers);
- Extract any content piece;
- Schedule audits and report to you systematically.
Of course, you will have to crawl your website multiple times. So, ensure that your tool of choice is convenient and performs efficiently. Moreover, you need a comprehensive audit that will show all strengths and weaknesses of your website.
XML Sitemap Check
An XML sitemap is a 100% must for every website, making it easier for search engines to scan your website. Creating an XML sitemap is not a problem using the right software. The main thing is submitting it to Google Search Consoleand Bing Webmaster Tools.
- A comprehensive XML sitemap must include:
- All pages of your website;
- Your website's media files (images and videos);
- External pages that you link to from your website.
It's a good idea to create an XML sitemap, even if your website is small. If you have a large website, it becomes crucial to submit an XML sitemap as it will help search engines index all its pages correctly.
Website's Content and Meta-Tags Optimization
After you have conducted keyword research and gathered a list of relevant queries, it's time to start working on your content. Here are the steps to take:
- Choose the right keywords for every page of your website;
- Use those keywords throughout the text, including the title, meta-description, headings, etc.;
- Ensure every page has at least 300 words of well-written and informative content;
- Ensure there are no broken links, as they signify that your website does not have high quality.
And note that there should not be keyword spam! The text must still be informative, logical, and dynamic. Using the keyword five times suffices if the text is around five hundred words or more.
5. Website's Loading Speed Improvement
The loading speed is one of the most significant factors that affect a website's ranking in search results. The ideal loading speed is 600 ms. That indicator should not rise even when you have an ad campaign running, and thousands of guests scroll your website. To check your website's loading speed, use free tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix. They will show you what slows down your website and how to fix it.
Mobile-Friendly Version Presence
The number of people prioritizing their smartphones to browse the Internet is constantly growing. In 2020, that number was around 60%. It's projected to increase to 65% in 2021 and 70% in 2022. Thus, having a mobile version of your website has become essential as most users will browse it from their smartphones.
The positive news is that you don't need to create a separate website for mobile devices. You can optimize your existing project for mobile browsing using different tools. For instance, there is Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.
User Experience Enhancement
Another ranking factor is the user experienceyour website provides. It would help if you ensured that every guest who comes to your website has a fantastic experience. Of course, the issues here become tasks to improve the user experience. The most practical way is to use Google Analyticsand monitor user behavior. Based on that data, you will see what prevents visitors from browsing your website further.
Structured Data Implementation
Structured data is a code you can add to your website to help search engines understand its content better. As a result, your website has more attainable chances of appearing in relevant search results.
There are different types of structured data, such as:
- Events;
- People;
- Products;
- Ratings and reviews, etc.
You can use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to add structured data to your website.
9. Website's Security Enhancement
Nowadays, one of the ranking factors is the security of websites. That's why having an SSL certificate on your website has become essential. It will encrypt the connection and prevent interference. Henceforth, your website will be more secure, and its ranking will improve.
10. Social Media Integration
Having social mediabuttons is also essential for its ranking. They will allow visitors to share your content on various social media platforms and will help you promote your website for free. And. of course, your project needs an appealing representation on social platforms. So, do not neglect your project's social pages!
Extra: Recrawl, Re-estimate, Refine
One technical SEOaudit is insufficient. Moreover, there will always be new issues like another broken link hiding in the depths of the blog. So, we recommend you add website recrawling to your list of quarterly tasks. Besides, you should check the organic traffic at least once a week and fine-tune your SEO strategyif necessary.
Final Words
We hope it will help you create a high-quality and well-optimized website. Do not forget to check your website regularly! Update its content, design, and functionality to ensure a high ranking in search results. We hope to see that your website is on the first Google page soon!