gopikasdigital.com

on page seo checklist for new websites

1. Page Basics (Critical)

Unique page URL

  • Short, readable, lowercase

  • Uses hyphens (/on-page-seo-checklist/)

  • Avoid parameters and unnecessary folders

Title tag (≤ 60 characters)

  • One primary keyword per page

  • Keyword near the beginning

  • Compelling, human-readable
    Example: On-Page SEO Checklist for New Websites (2025)

Meta description (≤ 155–160 characters)

  • Clear value proposition

  • Includes primary keyword

  • Encourages clicks (not a ranking factor, but boosts CTR)


2. Content Optimization

One H1 per page

  • Includes primary keyword

  • Matches search intent

Logical heading structure

  • H2s for main sections

  • H3s for subsections

  • No skipped heading levels

Keyword usage

  • Primary keyword in:

    • H1

    • First 100 words

    • URL

    • Title & meta

  • Use related keywords & synonyms (avoid stuffing)

Content quality

  • Original and helpful

  • Satisfies search intent (informational, commercial, etc.)

  • Covers topic more completely than competitors

Content length

  • No fixed rule, but aim to fully answer the query

  • Avoid thin pages (<300 words unless intentional)


3. Internal Linking

Internal links to related pages

  • Use descriptive anchor text

  • Link from high-authority pages to new pages

  • Ensure every important page is reachable within 3 clicks

No orphan pages

  • Every page should have at least one internal link pointing to it


4. Images & Media

Image file optimization

  • Descriptive filenames (on-page-seo-checklist.png)

  • Compressed images (fast load times)

Alt text

  • Describes the image

  • Includes keyword only if natural

  • Helps accessibility and image search

Lazy loading

  • Improves page speed for image-heavy pages


5. Technical On-Page SEO

Fast page speed

  • Core Web Vitals:

    • LCP < 2.5s

    • CLS < 0.1

    • INP < 200ms

  • Use caching, compression, CDN if possible

Mobile-friendly design

  • Responsive layout

  • No horizontal scrolling

  • Readable font sizes

HTTPS enabled

  • SSL certificate installed

  • Redirect HTTP → HTTPS


6. Indexing & Crawlability

Indexable page

  • No noindex tag (unless intentional)

  • Not blocked in robots.txt

XML sitemap

  • Submitted to Google Search Console

  • Includes only canonical URLs

Clean canonical tag

  • Points to the preferred URL

  • Prevents duplicate content issues


7. Schema & SERP Enhancements (Optional but Powerful)

Structured data (Schema)

  • Article / BlogPosting

  • FAQ (if applicable)

  • Product / Organization / Breadcrumbs

Rich result eligibility

  • Helps improve visibility and CTR in search results


8. UX & Engagement Signals

Clear above-the-fold value

  • User understands the page purpose immediately

Readable formatting

  • Short paragraphs

  • Bullet points

  • White space

Clear CTAs

  • Guide users to next steps

  • Reduce bounce rate


9. Final Quality Checks

✅ No broken links
✅ No duplicate titles or meta descriptions
✅ Correct language & spelling
✅ Matches search intent exactly


Pro Tip for New Websites 🚀

Focus on:

  1. Search intent

  2. Content quality

  3. Internal linking

  4. Technical cleanliness

These matter more than advanced SEO tricks early on.

If you want, I can:

  • Turn this into a printable checklist

  • Customize it for blogs, SaaS, ecommerce, or local sites

  • Run a sample page audit based on your niche

 
 

 

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