On-Page SEO Checklist: 23 Things We Check on Every Page

We published a page last year that checked every SEO box we could think of. Optimized title, clean URL, fast load time, internal links, the works. It sat at position 47 for three months. Then we noticed we'd completely missed the search intent — our page was a how-to guide, but Google was ranking product comparisons for that keyword. Reformatted the content, and it hit page one in four weeks.

On-page SEO isn't just about ticking boxes. But having a checklist prevents you from missing the obvious stuff while you focus on the strategic stuff. Here's the checklist we actually run through before every page goes live.

Title Tag and Meta Description

Title tag includes the primary keyword, ideally near the beginning. Keep it under 60 characters so it doesn't get truncated in search results. We've tested titles where the keyword is at the end vs the beginning — beginning performs better for CTR about 70% of the time.

Title is compelling enough to click. "Best Running Shoes 2026" is a keyword match. "Best Running Shoes 2026: Tested on 12 Trail Runs" gives a reason to click yours over the ten other results with similar titles.

Meta description is 150-155 characters, includes the keyword naturally, and tells the searcher what they'll get from this specific page. Google rewrites meta descriptions about 63% of the time (based on a 2023 Ahrefs study), but when your description does show, a good one noticeably lifts CTR.

URL Structure

URL is short and readable. /on-page-seo-checklist is better than /the-ultimate-on-page-seo-checklist-for-beginners-2026-guide. We aim for 3-5 words in the URL slug.

URL includes the primary keyword or a close variant. No stop words needed. No dates in URLs unless the content is inherently time-bound (like event coverage).

Content Structure

H1 tag exists and is unique. Only one H1 per page. It should match or closely reflect the title tag. We've seen sites with three H1 tags on a single page — it confuses the hierarchy and dilutes the signal.

H2 and H3 tags create a logical outline. If you extracted just the headings, they should tell a story on their own. Each H2 should cover a distinct subtopic. H3s break H2 sections into specific points.

Primary keyword appears in the first 100 words. Not forced in — worked into the natural opening. This helps both Google and the reader understand immediately what the page covers.

Content length matches the topic complexity. Some topics need 3,000 words. Some need 800. We don't pad content to hit a word count. The top-ranking pages for your keyword give you a rough guide — if they're all 2,000+ words, your 500-word post probably won't compete.

Internal Linking

At least 3-5 internal links to relevant pages. These should point to related articles, category pages, or pillar content. Use descriptive anchor text — "our guide to keyword research" not "click here."

Link from existing pages TO the new page. This is the step most people forget. Publishing a new page and not linking to it from anywhere else on your site is like opening a store with no road leading to it. We go back and add links from 2-3 existing relevant pages every time we publish something new.

Images

All images have descriptive alt text. "Screenshot of Google Search Console performance report showing click trends" is useful. "Image1" is not. Alt text helps accessibility and gives Google context about the image.

Images are compressed. We use WebP format and aim for images under 100KB. A single uncompressed PNG can add 2-3 seconds to load time, especially on mobile. Tools like Squoosh or ShortPixel handle this quickly.

File names are descriptive. google-search-console-performance.webp tells Google more than IMG_4523.webp.

Technical On-Page Checks

Page loads in under 2.5 seconds. Check with PageSpeed Insights. If it's over 3 seconds, you're losing visitors — about 53% of mobile users leave if a page takes more than 3 seconds, according to Google's own data.

Mobile-friendly layout. Test with Google's mobile-friendly test. Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are tappable without precision finger placement, and no content extends beyond the screen width.

No broken links on the page. Internal or external. Broken links signal neglect to both users and search engines. Screaming Frog catches these instantly.

Schema markup is implemented where relevant. Article schema for blog posts, FAQ schema if you have a FAQ section, HowTo schema for tutorials. Schema won't directly boost rankings, but it can get you rich results that dramatically improve CTR.

Canonical tag points to the correct URL. If you have any URL variations (with/without www, trailing slashes, parameters), the canonical tag tells Google which version to index. Getting this wrong can split your ranking signals across multiple URLs.

Readability and User Experience

Short paragraphs. 2-4 sentences max. On mobile, a desktop paragraph becomes a wall of text. Break things up.

Visual breaks every 200-300 words. An image, a subheading, a callout box, a bullet list. Something that gives the eye a place to rest. We've noticed that pages with visual variety consistently get better engagement time in GA4.

Outbound links to credible sources. Linking to authoritative references (government sites, research papers, official documentation) signals that your content is well-researched. We typically include 2-4 outbound links per article.

Before You Hit Publish

Preview the page on mobile. Seriously, actually look at it on a phone. Things that look fine on desktop — wide tables, long titles, oversized images — often break on mobile.

Read the first two sentences aloud. If they're boring, the page will struggle regardless of optimization. The opening determines whether someone stays or bounces.

Check that the page matches search intent. Google your target keyword. Are the top results how-to guides, product comparisons, listicles, or landing pages? Your page format should match what Google is already rewarding.

This checklist isn't static. We add and remove items as we learn what matters. The core principle stays the same though: on-page SEO is about making it easy for both Google and humans to understand what your page offers and why it's worth their time. Every check on this list serves one of those two goals.