On-Page SEO Checklist

On-page SEO is the foundation that everything else is built on. Before you invest in link building, content promotion, or technical fixes, make sure every piece you publish is properly optimized at the page level. This checklist covers every on-page factor that matters in 2026 — from the basics to the nuances that separate good optimization from great.

Run this checklist on every piece of content before publishing, and on a quarterly basis for your highest-value existing pages.

Why On-Page SEO Still Matters

With AI-driven search, semantic understanding, and increasingly sophisticated ranking algorithms, some marketers assume on-page SEO is less important. The opposite is true. Google's ability to understand your content has increased — which means it's better at identifying when your content is not doing what it claims to be doing.

Proper on-page optimization doesn't mean stuffing keywords. It means making it as easy as possible for both humans and search engines to understand what your page is about, who it's for, and why it's the best result for a given query.

Pre-Writing SEO Checklist

Do these before the writer starts drafting:

• Primary keyword confirmed — single focus keyword for this page
• Search intent verified — content format matches what Google is already ranking (informational/commercial/transactional)
• Target word count set — based on top 3 competing pages (not shorter, not excessively longer)
• SERP features identified — is there a featured snippet, PAA box, or knowledge panel to target?
• Keyword cannibalization checked — no other page on your site is targeting this keyword

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Title Tag Checklist

The title tag is one of the most important on-page signals. It appears in search results as the blue link.

• Length: 50-60 characters (use a SERP snippet preview tool to check)
• Primary keyword included: Near the beginning of the title if possible
• Compelling: Does it make someone want to click? Use numbers, power words, or specificity
• Matches H1: Title tag and H1 can differ slightly, but should be closely aligned
• Unique: No other page on your site has the same title tag
• Brand included: Add | [Brand Name] at the end (optional but recommended)

Title Tag Formulas That Work:

[Primary Keyword]: [Benefit or Promise]
How to [Primary Keyword] in [Timeframe/Steps]
[Number] [Primary Keyword] [Benefit] in [Year]
[Primary Keyword] Template: [Secondary Value Prop]
The [Superlative] Guide to [Primary Keyword]

Example: "Content Brief Template: Free Download + How to Write One"

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Meta Description Checklist

Meta descriptions don't directly affect rankings, but they significantly impact click-through rate (CTR).

• Length: 150-160 characters
• Primary keyword included: Google bolds keywords in meta descriptions that match the query
• Value proposition clear: Why should someone click this over the other results?
• CTA included: "Learn how," "Download free," "See examples" — soft action words drive clicks
• Unique: Each page should have its own meta description
• No duplicate from page content: Meta descriptions should be written independently

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URL Slug Checklist

• Primary keyword in slug: /blog/content-brief-template not /blog/post-12345
• Short and descriptive: 3-6 words maximum
• Hyphens, not underscores: Use - not _ between words
• No stop words: Remove "a," "and," "the," "in," etc. unless essential for readability
• Lowercase only: No capital letters in URLs
• No special characters: No commas, apostrophes, or symbols
• No dates in slug: Unless the content is genuinely time-specific (news, events)

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Header Structure (H1, H2, H3) Checklist

• Only one H1 per page: The H1 is the page title — there should be exactly one
• H1 includes primary keyword: Exact or close variation of your target keyword
• H1 matches or is close to title tag
• H2s used for major sections: Each main topic area gets an H2
• H3s used for subsections: Subtopics within H2 sections
• Primary keyword in at least one H2: Natural usage, not forced
• Secondary keywords appear in H2/H3 headings: Distributed naturally
• No keyword stuffing in headers: Headers should be descriptive and human-readable first
• Headers create a logical outline: If you extracted just the headers, the structure would make sense

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Content Body Checklist

Keyword Usage

• Primary keyword in first 100 words of body text
• Primary keyword density 0.5-1.5%: For a 1,500-word post, the keyword appears ~8-22 times
• Secondary keywords used naturally: Each secondary keyword appears at least once
• Semantic/LSI terms included: Related concepts that Google expects to see on a page about this topic
• No keyword stuffing: Keyword usage reads naturally to a human

How to check: Use Ctrl+F to count keyword occurrences. Divide by word count × 100 for density %

Content Quality Signals

• Minimum word count met: Matches or exceeds the average of top 3 ranking pages
• Question from search intent answered within first 200 words (for informational queries)
• Original insights, data, or examples included: Not a paraphrase of other sources
• External links to authoritative sources: Minimum 2-3 links out to credible sources
• All statistics cited with source links
• Content is accurate and up to date
• E-E-A-T signals present: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
  • Author bio with credentials
  • First-person experience or case studies
  • Sources cited
  • Publish/update date visible

Readability and Formatting

• Sentences average under 20 words
• Paragraphs are 2-4 sentences maximum
• Bullet points used for lists of 3+ items
• Numbered lists for sequential steps
• Bold text used for key terms and takeaways
• No unexplained jargon or acronyms
• Tables used for comparison data
• Callout boxes or blockquotes for key insights
• Content scannable: A reader should be able to get the main points just from headers and bold text

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Image and Media Checklist

• All images have alt text: Descriptive, includes keyword naturally where relevant
• Alt text is descriptive: "content-brief-template-example.png" is not alt text — "Screenshot showing a filled-in content brief template for a blog post about SEO" is
• Images compressed: No image file exceeds 200KB; use JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics
• Featured image present and sized correctly: 1200×630px for social sharing
• Images are relevant: Every image adds context or value, none are purely decorative
• No stock photos that look like stock photos: Real screenshots, original diagrams, or high-quality relevant images
• File names are descriptive: content-brief-template.jpg not IMG_2847.jpg

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Internal Linking Checklist

• Minimum 3 internal links from this page to other relevant pages
• Minimum 1-2 existing pages link TO this new page (update after publishing)
• Anchor text is descriptive and keyword-relevant: Not "click here" or "read more"
• Links to pillar page (if this is a cluster piece)
• Links to related cluster pieces where contextually relevant
• No orphan page: This page is linked from at least one other page on the site

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Technical On-Page Checklist

• Canonical tag set: <link rel="canonical" href="[page URL]"> — especially important for paginated or filtered pages
• No duplicate content: This page's content doesn't appear (without canonical) elsewhere
• Page loads fast: Lighthouse performance score above 70 on mobile
• Mobile responsive: Page displays correctly on all screen sizes
• No broken links: All outbound links resolve correctly
• HTTPS: Page loads via https:// not http://
• No render-blocking resources: JavaScript and CSS loads don't block page rendering
• Core Web Vitals passing:
  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): under 2.5 seconds
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): under 0.1
  • FID/INP (Interaction to Next Paint): under 200ms

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Schema Markup Checklist

Schema markup helps search engines understand your content and can earn rich results.

For blog posts and articles:

• Article schema: Author, datePublished, dateModified, headline, image

For how-to content:

• HowTo schema: Steps, tools, supplies

For FAQ content:

• FAQPage schema: Question and Answer pairs

For product/tool pages:

• Product schema: Name, description, price, rating

Validate at: schema.org/SchemaValidator or Google's Rich Results Test

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Post-Publish Checklist

After publishing, complete these additional checks:

• Page indexed: Submit URL to Google Search Console "URL Inspection" → Request Indexing
• Open Graph preview: Test at developers.facebook.com/tools/debug
• Twitter card preview: Test at cards-dev.twitter.com/validator
• Internal links updated: Add links from relevant existing pages to this new page
• Performance baseline recorded: Note publish date in your rank tracker
• Scheduled for 30-day review: Mark calendar to check ranking and performance

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On-Page SEO Quick Reference

Element	Optimal	Warning Zone	Action Required
Title Tag Length	50-60 chars	61-70 chars	Over 70 chars
Meta Description	150-160 chars	130-149 chars	Under 130 or over 160
H1 Count	Exactly 1	—	0 or 2+
Keyword Density	0.5-1.5%	1.6-2.5%	Over 2.5%
Image Alt Text	All images	>80%	Under 80%
Page Load (mobile)	Under 2.5s	2.5-4s	Over 4s
Internal Links	3-7	2	0-1
Word Count vs. Top 3 Avg	±10%	-20%	-30% or more

How Averi Handles On-Page SEO

When you publish from Averi's content queue to WordPress, Framer, or Webflow, the platform automatically checks on-page SEO requirements before publishing: title length, meta description, keyword placement, and internal link suggestions. You get a pre-publish SEO checklist generated from your content rather than a generic tool that doesn't know your strategy.

Publish SEO-optimized content with Averi →

Further Reading

• how to create AI-optimized content that actually ranks
• how to maximize SEO for AI-generated content
• the modern SEO content workflow from keyword to publish
• Averi's Strategy Map to integrate on-page SEO into a cohesive content strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

How important is keyword density in 2026?

Keyword density is a guideline, not a rule. Google's NLP capabilities mean it understands synonyms, context, and intent — you don't need to use the exact keyword phrase repeatedly. Focus on naturally covering the topic comprehensively rather than hitting a specific density number. That said, the keyword should appear in the title, H1, and early in the content.

Does the order of H2 headings matter for SEO?

Somewhat. The first H2 is weighted slightly higher than subsequent H2s. More importantly, the logical flow of your headings matters — content that flows from broad to specific generally serves readers (and search engines) better than a random assortment of sections.

Do I need to include every item on this checklist for every post?

The Pass/Fail items (title tag, meta description, H1, keyword in first paragraph, image alt text) should be present on every published post. The remaining items are best practices — hit as many as you can without making the process cumbersome.

How do I check whether my page is properly indexed?

Search site:yourdomain.com/your-page-url in Google. If the page appears in results, it's indexed. Alternatively, use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool for more detail about when it was last crawled and any indexing issues.

Should I go back and update old posts with this checklist?

Yes — and it's one of the highest-ROI SEO activities you can do. Start with your highest-traffic or highest-potential pages. Adding missing title tags, writing meta descriptions, fixing internal links, and compressing images on 20-30 existing pages can meaningfully improve your overall site performance.