Does SEO seem like an endless mess of confusing tasks? Well, that’s because it kind of is – IF you don’t have the right guide! A clear direction is all you need to start incorporating SEO into your regular blogging routine. By spending a few minutes here and there with a simple checklist, and you’ll be improving your rankings in no time – and most importantly, maintaining those new rankings!
In this post you’ll find a range of introductory tasks that are essential for running a healthy blog – some to do right now, some you’ll need to check in on regularly, and others you can essentially leave on auto-pilot. While it seems like a lot to begin with, remember to break it down – one task at a time, and one day, week or month at a time.
Not sure how to do something? Simply click the orange title to be taken to a range of free content covering tasks, and our products that cover checks and tools in full.
Getting Started with SEO
Installing Google Analytics: see how your audience is really reaching and interacting with your site.
Installing YoastSEO: a simple WordPress plugin that makes this list even easier.
Verifying Google Search Console (GSC): understand your blog’s relationship with Google.
Submit Sitemap to GSC: while Google may eventually find all the pages on your site, why leave it to chance? Give them a heads up with a list of all your pages.
Keyword Research: your readers use keywords to find your site, and Google uses them to understand your content – are you using the right ones?
Set up rank checking: before you make any big changes, get ready to measure their impact! Record your current rankings for your keywords.
Keywords in Page Titles: by putting your keywords in your titles, you’ll send a stronger signal to Google about what your post really covers.
Format URLs: simple, direct URLs are easy for the user to remember, and create a sense of trust by showing the page actually contains the promised content.
Correct Heading Structure: we use headings for a reason! Help your readers easily navigate your content, with additional benefits for Google.
Images Optimised: at the correct file sizes, with ALT tags & descriptive file names.
Migrate to HTTPS: your readers deserve a secure browsing experience – and Google knows it too. Avoid in-browser penalties by migrating ASAP.
Daily SEO Checks
Keyword Rankings: check in to see if your rankings are stable. Make sure to record any shifts in position on your rank tracker.
Monitor Traffic: with Google analytics – understand your peak times and bounce rates.
Check Referring Sites: see how users are visiting your site from across the web with Google Analytics.
Link Your Posts: get your content out there! Take advantage of Internal Linking on your own site, and spread the word across social media.
Weekly SEO Checks
Check For Sitemap Errors: in Search Console, to allow search robots to easily crawl your blog. Fix and re-submit updated sitemaps.
Check For Crawl Errors: in Search Console. These show where and why search robots have had problems accessing content across your site.
Track Goal Conversions: stay on top of your performance by measuring conversion rates and regularly looking for ways to improve with Google Analytics.
Run Traffic & Conversions Report: with Google Analytics. Compare current to previous performance, and look for any trends or dramatic increases/decreases in visitors.
Keyword Performance: evaluate how your current keywords are performing – are there variants or alternatives you can test for better results?
Check Google Analytics: for dramatic changes in Source/Medium traffic.
Competitor Analysis: see where your competitors are referenced across the web, and look for new linking opportunities.
Monthly SEO Checks
Check Your Index: with Search Console for any anomalies or strange behaviour.
Compare Trends and SC: look for any shifts in audience behaviour and necessary keyword updates.
Screaming Frog: look for any broken links, duplicate or missing content, errors and crawl problems across your site.
Links To Your Site: look for any unusual sites linking to your content, such as scraping sites – remove as necessary.
How many of these tasks have you seen before, or worked on? Are you READY to dive into SEO? Join our community and keep us updated!
