SEO is not as simple as waiting for an article to be published. SEO needs to be holistic and try to be truly successful in all areas. This is the case, and it would certainly be so in 2021 and beyond.
However, this is the only way to do this, and there is a lot to think about and focus on. It is effortless to get lost in SEO and forget about other factors when trying to optimize one factor after another. We have created this checklist to organize your thoughts so that you never miss the rhythm.
1. Check the meta tag
Examining and optimizing meta tags are the two basic steps of using on-page SEO. This was an important part of any SEO checklist because it contains one of the most important ranking factors: tag.
When optimizing your tag tags, ensure that the target keyword is present while the user makes a good copy to attract clicks. Optimizing meta tags also leads to optimize meta descriptions, and while it is not a ranking factor, it is essential for clickthrough rate.
When examining meta tags, most people forget that the meta robot.txt is a feature of the tag that can cause significant errors. A simple “no index” tag can completely ruin a page’s ranking because it literally tells Google that the page will not appear in search results. By expanding the robot exclusion checker, you can quickly view the Metrobot attribute of a page without specifying the source code.
2. Search for repeat content
Duplicate content can cause two main problems: the ability to flag Google as spam and the dilution of keywords on your site. It is good to note that repetitive content is not just the content of the article body. Duplicate meta tags and subheadings can negatively affect rankings.
In cases where duplication of content cannot be avoided (e.g., two product pages with the same article and description but different sizes, etc.), use canonical labels to avoid dropping rankings.
3. Check for malicious sites
You need to optimize the new pages of your site and the existing ones. Regardless of your efforts, check your list of targeted keywords that are not on the first page. Find targeted keywords on Google and take a quick look at Google Rewards, because for now, the best way to determine what a targeted keyword is.
After assessing your keyword intent, try to rank and adjust your content. Do the results show the products? You may also need to display products on your page. The intent of the search is always to expect users to react as expected, so adjust your content accordingly. Yes, the number of keywords and words in an article is still significant, but if your content does not satisfy what the user is looking for in a particular keyword, they will always perform better than those.
4. Optimization for basic web debate and page experience
Essential web debates and page experience reinforce SEO factors that will be incorporated into Google’s algorithms in 2021, and there is no doubt that both of these should be on the checklist.
Three metrics argue the basic web vitals:
- Largest Contentful Paint
- First Input Delay
- Cumulative Layout Shift
On the other hand, the page experience incorporates existing SEO factors that we have now grouped to help Google better evaluate the user experience on a site. It does not include HTTPS, a mobile-friendly solution, secure browsing, and no interstitial ads. The original web debates are actually included in the page experience, but this is a big topic that is often fully discussed on its own.
You can use Google’s various fields and lab tools to assess how your site is building based on these new SEO factors. PageSpeed Insights, Google Lighthouse, and Core Web Vitals Chrome extension, to name a few.
5. Augment Old Blog Post
Expanding articles published a year ago is a great SEO strategy that can increase your traffic. The strategy here is to look at the blog posts that have been completed before but then dropped. Due to the loss of old information, they lost their rankings, and new articles from other sites started to improve them.
This is an option that most website owners forget because most focus on publishing new articles when they already have the tools to save them time.
Expanding older blog posts can be different; Blog posts may need to be re-created, but some require only a few changes. Whatever it is, it is a good strategy that can definitely provide you more traffic.
6. Use Schema Markup
No, structured data is still not a ranking factor, but you should never underestimate the value you can bring to your site. If you apply schema markers correctly to your pages, they will be eligible for Google-rich results, which can increase your clickthrough rate in Google search results.
Many people ignore structured data because not only is it a ranking factor, but manually implementing schema notation can take a lot of time and effort. But fortunately, there are a lot of tools that can help automate the process. You can easily install plug-ins if you use WordPress or use schema generators free to use online. This makes schema notation very easy and requires web development knowledge.
7. Use AMP
Using AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages on your site automatically truncates your page, excluding your headers, content, and images. It provides the best experience for mobile users as it loads websites at a breakneck speed.
Many people are still confused about the ranking of the site in AMP’s contribution. Google has already confirmed that AMP is not a ranking factor – meaning that enabling AMP on your site will not result in ranking. However, Google has also stated that speed is a ranking factor, and AMP actually makes the page load faster.
Installing AMP on your site is not difficult, and web development knowledge is not required if you use WordPress. You can simply install the official AMP plug-in and then select which parts of the site the AMP version will create.
Note that AMP is not for everyone. Because AMP reduces website design, the visuals used to convert customers may not be visible. I do not recommend using AMP on product pages and product category pages on e-commerce sites. If this is the case for you, then focus more on making your site mobile-friendly without using AMP.
8. Check the internal connection
Internal linking is essential for the structure of your site and also helps in ranking. Essential pages on your site should include several internal links. Internal linking helps users navigate and transform your site. This can help Google understand the context of your pages through the anchor text used for internal links, how the anchor text works in the backlink.
Another purpose of internal link checking is to destroy link links by pointing to old, non-existent pages or redirect URLs on your site. Linking to URL 404 stops the flow of link juice and is a wasted opportunity. On the other hand, redirection reduces the link’s permissions, so it is better to link directly with link redirection.
9. Check the site in Google Search Console
If you have not already done so, you should do it ASAP. Checking your site in Google Search Console is the first step to appearing on Google. There really isn’t much to say about the move. Just log in to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google Account. Follow the steps to check your site, and that’s it! Google needs to crawl your site and then index it.