Title Tag, Meta Description, URL (Points 1-5)
1. Primary keyword in title tag within first 60 characters.
2. Meta description 140-160 chars, includes primary keyword, has a CTA.
3. URL slug is short, contains primary keyword, no stopwords.
4. Canonical URL set correctly.
5. Open Graph + Twitter card tags present for social sharing.
Content Structure (Points 6-12)
6. One H1 per page, contains primary keyword.
7. H2 sections cover related secondary keywords.
8. Word count appropriate for intent (1500+ for informational pillars, 600-1000 for transactional).
9. Skimmable: short paragraphs, bullet points, bold key sentences.
10. Includes a TL;DR or summary at top.
11. FAQ section near bottom (helps grab People Also Ask features).
12. Internal links: 3-5 to other pages on your site, 2-3 outbound to authority sources.
Images & Media (Points 13-17)
13. All images compressed (WebP format, <100KB each).
14. Descriptive filenames before upload (not IMG_4523.jpg).
15. Alt text on every image, includes keyword where natural.
16. Lazy loading enabled for below-fold images.
17. Embedded video transcripts visible to crawlers.
Technical (Points 18-22)
18. Page loads in <2.5 seconds (Core Web Vitals: LCP).
19. Mobile-friendly tested in Google Mobile-Friendly Test.
20. No render-blocking JavaScript.
21. Schema markup: Article + FAQ + Breadcrumb where relevant.
22. HTTPS, no mixed content warnings.
Authority Signals (Points 23-27)
23. Author byline with link to author page (E-E-A-T).
24. Publication date + last updated date visible.
25. Citations to credible sources (research, studies, official docs).
26. Comments enabled or community engagement signals.
27. Page receives at least 1 internal link from another high-traffic page on the site.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How important is on-page SEO?
Critical. On-page work accounts for 30-40% of ranking impact and is the part you have 100% control over. Off-page (backlinks) and technical contribute the rest.
Should I use an SEO plugin?
Yes — Yoast or Rank Math on WordPress, or built-in tools if you're on Webflow/Framer. They catch ~70% of on-page issues automatically.
How often should I update on-page SEO?
Refresh top-traffic pages every 6 months. Refresh pages that have dropped rankings within 30 days of detection. Don't touch pages performing well — there's no positive ROI in fixing what works.
What's the most overlooked on-page SEO factor?
Internal linking. Most sites have 1-2 internal links per page when they should have 5-8. Strong internal linking can boost rankings 20-30% without any new content.