SEO Checklist

English / 简体中文

1. Basic Setup 🏗️

Domain and Hosting 🌐

  • Choose a memorable and brand-related domain name
  • Use reliable hosting services to ensure 99.9% uptime
  • Ensure the domain has HTTPS encryption
  • Set up domain-specific email to enhance professionalism
  • Consider using Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) for different language markets
  • Implement DNS prefetching to improve page load speed

Website Structure 🗺️

  • Use a clear site structure and navigation
  • Create a simple URL structure
  • Implement breadcrumb navigation
  • Use XML sitemaps
  • Ensure a flat site structure with no more than three levels of depth
  • Create an HTML sitemap to improve user accessibility
  • Use canonical tags to handle duplicate content
  • Set up and optimize a favicon

Search Engine Tools 📊

  • Set up Google Search Console
  • Set up Bing Webmaster Tools
  • Submit website sitemap
  • Check for crawling errors
  • Analyze search traffic and keywords

2. Technical SEO ⚙️

Crawling and Indexing 🕷️

  • Submit XML sitemaps to Google and Bing
  • Create and optimize the robots.txt file to ensure Googlebot is not blocked
  • Ensure important pages are not blocked by noindex tags
  • Fix 404 error pages to ensure the site is running smoothly
  • Use Google Search Console to check indexing status
  • Implement structured data (Schema.org)
  • Use hreflang tags to handle multilingual content
  • Implement dynamic rendering to improve the indexing of JavaScript content
  • Automate the update of XML sitemaps

Website Speed Optimization ⚡

  • Use PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals to analyze speed
  • Compress images and use WebP format
  • Enable browser caching and Gzip compression
  • Use a CDN to speed up access
  • Reduce HTTP requests
  • Optimize CSS and JavaScript files
  • Use lazy loading
  • Implement Critical CSS
  • Consider using HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 protocols

Mobile Optimization 📱

  • Ensure responsive design
  • Use Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool
  • Optimize mobile page load speed
  • Implement AMP technology (if applicable)
  • Ensure appropriate touch element spacing
  • Optimize mobile font size and line spacing
  • Consider implementing Progressive Web App (PWA) technology
  • Optimize mobile images for size and resolution

3. Keyword Research 🔍

Keyword Discovery 💡

  • Use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush for research
  • Identify long-tail and short-tail keywords
  • Analyze competitor keywords
  • Track keyword trends
  • Study user search intent
  • Use Google Trends to analyze seasonal keywords
  • Consider optimizing long-tail keywords for voice search

Keyword Selection 🎯

  • Choose relevant and high-search-volume keywords
  • Distribute keywords across relevant pages
  • Create a keyword matrix
  • Use LSI keywords and semantic related terms
  • Consider keyword difficulty and competition
  • Select keywords based on the user journey stage (awareness, consideration, decision)
  • Optimize localized keywords for different geographical locations
  • Utilize 'People Also Ask' questions

4. On-Page Optimization 📝

Content Optimization ✒️

  • Use unique titles for each page (within 60 characters), avoid keyword stuffing
  • Write compelling meta descriptions (150-160 characters) relevant to the content
  • Include keywords in the first paragraph and H1 tag
  • Organize content with H2 and H3 tags
  • Ensure content is original and high-quality, free from spam, with expert sources
  • Regularly update content to maintain relevance and timeliness
  • Optimize image ALT text
  • Use structured content formats like tables and lists
  • Implement content differentiation strategies to provide unique value
  • Consider using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools to optimize content relevance
  • Use content scoring tools to evaluate content quality

URL Structure 🔗

  • Create concise, descriptive URLs, avoiding excessive parameters
  • Include keywords in URLs
  • Use 301 redirects to fix broken URLs
  • Implement canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content issues
  • Consider using HTTPS protocol-first HSTS strategy
  • Handle URL parameters to avoid duplicate content issues

Internal Linking 🧩

  • Use keyword-rich anchor text
  • Increase internal links to important pages
  • Fix broken internal links
  • Create content pillars and topic clusters
  • Implement reasonable internal linking depth
  • Use internal link analysis tools to optimize link structure
  • Consider implementing dynamic internal linking strategies

5. Link Building 🔗

Acquiring High-Quality Backlinks 🏆

  • Create valuable content to avoid spam links
  • Build industry partnerships
  • Use guest blogging and content marketing
  • Submit the site to high-quality directories
  • Participate in industry forums and community discussions
  • Create and share infographics
  • Run digital PR campaigns to gain media coverage
  • Leverage social media influence to build natural links

Monitoring Backlinks 👁️

  • Use tools to monitor link quality
  • Remove low-quality backlinks
  • Regularly review backlink reports
  • Exchange high-quality links
  • Use Google Search Console backlink reports
  • Control link acquisition speed to avoid unnatural link growth
  • Analyze competitor link strategies

6. Local SEO 📍

Optimizing Google My Business 🏢

  • Complete Google My Business profile including address, phone number, and business hours
  • Upload high-quality images and videos
  • Encourage and respond to customer reviews
  • Regularly update business information
  • Use Google Posts feature
  • Utilize Google My Business product catalog feature
  • Optimize the Q&A section of Google My Business

Local Directory Registration 🗂️

  • Ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information
  • Register with Bing Places, Apple Maps, etc.
  • Build local backlinks
  • Participate in local community events
  • Get coverage in local news media
  • Utilize industry-specific local directories
  • Consider using local structured data markup

7. Content Strategy 📚

Content Creation 🖋️

  • Regularly publish high-quality content
  • Use multimedia (images, videos, infographics) to enhance content appeal
  • Create content clusters
  • Research topics of interest to your audience
  • Develop long-form content
  • Create FAQ pages
  • Implement content localization strategies
  • Consider using user-generated content (UGC)
  • Develop interactive content (quizzes, calculators, etc.)

Content Distribution 📤

  • Promote content on social media
  • Use email marketing to distribute content
  • Collaborate with industry influencers
  • Regularly re-promote older content
  • Use content aggregation platforms
  • Consider paid promotion for high-value content
  • Use collaboration tools to improve distribution efficiency
  • Develop platform-specific content

8. Analytics and Reporting 📊

Setting Up and Using Analytics Tools 🔧

  • Install and configure Google Analytics (GA4)
  • Use Google Search Console to monitor indexing status
  • Set KPIs (organic traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate)
  • Regularly analyze data
  • Set up custom dashboards and reports
  • Integrate CRM data to track the full customer journey
  • Use heatmaps and session recording tools to analyze user behavior
  • Set conversion goals and funnel analysis

SEO Reporting 🗒️

  • Generate monthly SEO reports
  • Identify successes and areas for improvement
  • Adjust SEO strategy based on data
  • Track competitor performance
  • Analyze user behavior and conversion paths
  • Implement predictive SEO analysis
  • Create automated real-time SEO dashboards

9. User Experience Optimization 🎨

Page Load Speed 🚀

  • Optimize server response time
  • Reduce HTTP requests
  • Use asynchronous loading and lazy loading
  • Optimize CSS and JavaScript files
  • Implement preloading and preconnecting
  • Use service workers to enhance offline experience
  • Implement resource hints like preload and prefetch

Page Design 🎨

  • Ensure a clean, user-friendly design
  • Use an easy-to-navigate layout
  • Ensure cross-browser compatibility
  • Perform A/B testing to optimize user experience
  • Improve website accessibility (WCAG guidelines)
  • Implement micro-interactions and animations to boost engagement
  • Consider using emotional design principles

10. Preventing and Handling Spam Content 🚫

Avoiding Spam Content Policies

  • Do not use cloaking
  • Avoid doorway pages
  • Do not misuse expired domains
  • Do not use hidden text and links
  • Avoid keyword stuffing
  • Do not use spam links
  • Prevent bot traffic
  • Do not include malware
  • Avoid misleading functionality
  • Do not use duplicate content
  • Avoid deceptive redirects
  • Manage user-generated content

Security and Privacy

  • Implement SSL certificates
  • Regularly update CMS and plugins
  • Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication
  • Implement firewalls and security plugins
  • Comply with data protection regulations (GDPR)