SEO is a long-term commitment, according to experts in the field, like Mediagroup. On the other hand, SEO checklists don’t make this fact clear. Instead of listing discrete activities, they read as if SEO is concluded once you’ve completed them all.
Let’s check it out.
A Checklist of SEO Basics
Let’s start with some SEO fundamentals that everyone should have in their arsenal. These won’t immediately raise your ranking, but they’re essential for getting ahead in Google.
Setting up Google Search Console
GSC lets you assess the performance of your website in organic search. Did we mention it’s free to use?
These are some of the things you can use GSC for:
- Check out which keywords you rank for.
- See your site’s ranking positions.
- Quickly pick up errors on your site.
- Upload sitemaps for your site.
Setting up Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools is the Google Search Console of Bing. Make sure to set this up to check on your Bing statistics easily.
Setting up Google Analytics on Your Site
Google Analytics is a free analytics tool that shows you how many people visit your site, where they’re coming from, and how they’re interacting with it.
Linking Google Search Console to Google Analytics allows you to view Search Console metrics in Analytics.
Install the SEO Plugin of Your Choice
If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need to use an SEO plugin to assist with things like sitemaps and meta tags.
Check out the most popular plugins:
- Yoast SEO
- Rank Math
- The SEO Framework
You don’t need an SEO plugin if you’re using Shopify or another website platform.
Create and Submit a Sitemap
Sitemaps allow search engines to crawl and index your pages easily. You can view your sitemap at the following URLs:
- /sitemap.xml
- /sitemap_index.xml
- /sitemap
Create a Robots.txt File
Robots.txt is a simple text file that instructs search engines where they can and can’t crawl your site.
You should always have a robots.txt file. It’s critical if you want to prevent search engines from crawling your site or parts of it. For example, if you run an eCommerce business, you may not want them to crawl and index your cart page.
You can test whether you already have a robots.txt file by visiting yourdomain.com/robots.txt. If you discover a plain text file, you’re done. If nothing else shows up, Google for “robots.txt generator” and create one.
A Checklist for Technical SEO
Technical SEO problems frequently prevent a website from achieving its full potential. Here are the fundamental technical best practices that everyone should adhere to.
Plan the Structure of Your New Website Carefully
It’s critical for people and search engines to find everything on your website easily. As a result, you’ll want to establish a sensible site structure.
You should use internal links to connect the leaves of the tree. Visitors and search engines should have access to all of your site’s pages, so every branch on the map should be an internal link to enable them to do so.
Ensure that Google Can Crawl Your Site
Because Google can’t properly index non- crawlable content, it’s worth double-checking the Coverage report in Google Search Console for any notices or exclusions about robots.txt.
You can remove the rule preventing Google from indexing any of the banned sites by editing your robots.txt file.
Ensure that Google Can Index Your Site
The terms “crawling” and “indexing” are sometimes used interchangeably. Although search engines may crawl a page, they cannot index it. If there’s a noindex robot meta tag or an x-robots-tag on the page, indexing is out of the question. Google displays information about noindex URLs in the Coverage report.
Remove the ‘noindex’ tag if you have pages that should be indexed but aren’t.
Always Use HTTPS
The HTTP Secure (HTTPS) ranking factor is a confirmed lightweight ranking determinant. If you’re not already using HTTPS, it’s time to make the change.
Aside from the ranking boosts, HTTPS will safeguard your visitors’ data. It’s especially vital if you have any contact forms on your website. If you’re requesting passwords or payment information, it’s critical, not just essential.
Ensure Your Website Is Available at a Single Domain
Visitors should not be able to access your website from several places. This might lead to crawling, indexing, and security concerns.
Go to httpstatus.io and type in the following URLs:
- http://www.yourdomain.com
- https://www.yourdomain.com
- https://yourdomain.com
- http://yourdomain.com
Three of them should automatically redirect to the fourth if everything is working correctly. You’ll need to create a permanent 301 redirect if it doesn’t happen.
It’s also critical that your website’s accessible version is the secure edition if you’re using HTTPS (you should be). That would be either https://yourdomain.com or https://www.yourdomain.com.
Keep an Eye on Page Speed
Since 2010, Google’s Penguin algorithm has prioritized page speed when calculating a website’s overall quality. Since early 2018, mobile page speed has been incorporated into the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
It’s obvious why. It’s inconvenient to have to wait for a search result to load. That’s why the chance of a bounce grows as page speed deteriorates.
You may check the speed of your web page using tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix.
In Conclusion
Make sure to check in on the above factors often as small changes can affect your ranking. Reach out to experts who work with this daily for that extra SERP boost.
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