The SEO checklist.36 steps, in the order they pay off.

Everything a site needs to rank in Google and show up in AI answers, from setup to links. Tick items as you finish them; your progress stays in this browser.

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Set up

One-time work that lets you see what search engines see.

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Add your site to Google Search ConsoleIt shows which searches bring visitors, which pages are indexed and what errors Google finds.
Add your site to Bing Webmaster ToolsBing also feeds ChatGPT search, Copilot and DuckDuckGo. You can import your site from Search Console in a minute.
Install analyticsGoogle Analytics or a privacy-first tool, so you can see which pages turn visitors into customers.
Submit your XML sitemapAdd its address in Search Console and Bing, and make sure every listed page opens.Check it with our free tool
Check robots.txtMake sure Google, Bing and AI search bots are allowed, and that the file lists your sitemap.Check it with our free tool

Keywords

Pick searches you can win before you write a word.

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List the problems your customers search forStart from questions you hear in sales and support, not from your product's name.
Check search volume and difficultyFavour keywords with steady searches and low difficulty; a new site wins those first.
Match the search intentLook at the current top results. If they are guides, write a guide; if they are product pages, a blog post will not rank.
Give each page one main keywordTwo pages aiming at the same search compete with each other. Merge them or pick a different angle.
Plan clustersGroup related keywords around one main guide and link the smaller articles to it.

On each page

The tags and structure Google reads first.

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Write a unique title under 60 charactersTopic first, then why to click, then the brand.Check it with our free tool
Write a meta description of 120 to 160 charactersSay what the reader gets. It does not rank pages, but it wins clicks.Check it with our free tool
Use one H1 with the main keywordThen H2s for each subtopic, in order, so the page reads as an outline.
Put the keyword in the first 100 wordsAnd keep writing naturally after that; density is not a target.Check it with our free tool
Keep addresses short and readableyoursite.com/blog/vegetable-garden, not /p?id=4821.
Describe every image in alt textSay what the image shows. It helps screen readers and image search.

Content

What makes a page worth ranking.

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Answer the question at the topGive the short answer in the first paragraph, then the detail. Readers and AI answers both look there first.
Cover what the top results cover, and moreNote the subtopics every ranking page includes, then add the one they miss.
Show experienceYour own numbers, photos, examples and opinions. Google rewards what only you could write.
Cite sources for factsLink figures to where they come from. It builds trust with readers and with AI answers that quote you.
Link to your related pagesEvery new article should link to two or three older ones and get links back from them.
Publish on a scheduleSites that add useful pages every week grow faster than those that publish in bursts.
Update pages that slipRefresh facts, dates and sections on pages losing clicks in Search Console.

Technical

Make sure Google can reach, read and load every page.

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Use https everywhereAnd redirect every http and non-www or www variant to one version.
Check that important pages can be indexedNo noindex tag, not blocked in robots.txt, and a canonical that points to the page itself.Check it with our free tool
Make pages fast on phonesAim for a largest image or text block that shows in under 2.5 seconds on mobile.Check it with our free tool
Fix broken links and redirect chainsPoint links straight at the final address; redirect deleted pages to their closest replacement.
Add structured dataOrganization on the homepage, Article on posts, Product on products, Breadcrumb everywhere below the homepage.Check it with our free tool

AI search

Be the source ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews quote.

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Allow AI search botsOAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot need to read your pages to cite them.Check it with our free tool
Write question headings with short answersAn H2 phrased as a question, followed by a two-sentence answer, is the passage AI tools lift.
Add an FAQ with markupReal questions from customers, answered plainly, with FAQPage schema.Check it with our free tool
Keep key text in the HTMLMany AI crawlers do not run JavaScript; content loaded later may be invisible to them.

Links and reputation

Signals from outside your site.

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Claim your Google Business ProfileEssential for any business with a location or service area.
List your business where buyers lookIndustry directories, review sites and marketplaces, with the same name, address and phone everywhere.
Earn links with things worth citingOriginal data, free tools and in-depth guides attract links without asking.
Get mentioned where your audience readsGuest posts, podcasts and community answers put your name in front of people and AI models alike.

Questions

Can't find what you're looking for? Contact our support team

With setup: Search Console, a sitemap and a robots.txt that lets search engines in. Then pick keywords you can win, and publish pages that answer them better than what ranks today.

Most new pages need three to six months to reach their position. Sites that publish useful pages every week build momentum faster.

Mostly not: AI answers draw on pages that rank well. The extra steps are allowing AI search bots, answering questions in short self-contained passages and keeping key text in the HTML.

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The SEO checklist.36 steps, in the order they pay off.

Set up

Keywords

On each page

Content

Technical

AI search

Links and reputation

Questions

Where should I start with SEO?

How long does SEO take to work?

Is SEO different for AI search?

Is my progress saved?

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