On-Page SEO Checklist
for 2026

Title Tag

Contains primary keyword Keyword appears near the beginning Under 60 characters (doesn't get cut off) Unique (not used on any other page) Compelling (makes people want to click)

Formula that works: Primary Keyword – Benefit | Brand

"Free SEO Audit Tool – Check Your Site in 60 Seconds | SEO Pulse Check"

"Home"

"SEO | SEO Audit | Free SEO Tool | Best SEO"

Meta Description

Contains primary keyword (naturally) Under 155 characters Includes a call-to-action Unique for each page Accurately describes the page content

"Check your website's SEO health in 60 seconds. Free analysis of performance, accessibility, and technical SEO issues. No signup required."

Note

Google sometimes rewrites meta descriptions. Write them anyway—they often still show.

URL Structure

Contains primary keyword Short and readable Uses hyphens, not underscores Lowercase only No unnecessary parameters or numbers

Good yoursite.com/seo-audit-checklist

Bad yoursite.com/p=123&category=4

Heading Structure (H1, H2, H3)

Only ONE H1 per page H1 contains primary keyword H2s break content into logical sections H3s for subsections under H2s Headings are descriptive (not "Introduction")

Good Structure Example:

H1: How to Improve Your Website's SEO

H2: Technical SEO Basics

H3: Site Speed Optimization

H3: Mobile Responsiveness

H2: Content Optimization

H3: Keyword Placement

Content Quality

Answers the search query completely Better than the current top 5 results Easy to scan (short paragraphs, bullets, headers) Includes examples, screenshots, or data Written for humans (not keyword-stuffed) No thin content (aim for depth, not word count)

The real test: Would you be satisfied if you landed on this page after searching?

Keyword Usage

Primary keyword in title tag Primary keyword in H1 Primary keyword in first 100 words Primary keyword in at least one H2 Related keywords/synonyms used naturally NO keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing (don't do this)

"Looking for SEO tips? Our SEO guide covers SEO basics and advanced SEO strategies for SEO success in SEO."

Natural usage (do this)

"Looking for ways to improve your search rankings? This guide covers the fundamentals and advanced strategies that actually work in 2026."

Images

Compressed (under 200KB for most images) Descriptive file names (not IMG_3847.jpg) Alt text on every image Alt text describes image AND includes keyword (when natural) Width and height attributes set (prevents layout shift) Using modern formats (WebP)

File name: seo-audit-checklist-example.webp

Alt text: "Screenshot of an SEO audit checklist showing common issues"

Internal Links

Links to related content on your site Uses descriptive anchor text (not "click here") Important pages have more internal links pointing to them Links are useful to the reader No orphan pages (every page has at least one internal link)

Good

"Learn more about Core Web Vitals and how they affect rankings"

Bad

"Learn more about Core Web Vitals here"

Mobile Optimization

Page looks good on mobile Text is readable without zooming Buttons/links are easy to tap No horizontal scrolling Images resize properly

Reality check: Over 60% of searches happen on mobile. If your page is bad on mobile, you're losing most of your potential traffic.

Page Speed

Page loads in under 3 seconds Images are compressed CSS/JS is minified Browser caching is enabled No render-blocking resources Core Web Vitals pass

Biggest quick wins:

1. Compress images (often cuts load time in half)
2. Remove unused plugins/scripts
3. Enable caching

The Quick Version (Use for Every Page)

Title Has keyword, under 60 chars, unique

Meta Has keyword, under 155 chars, has CTA

URL Short, has keyword, lowercase

H1 One per page, has keyword

Content Answers the query, easy to scan

Images Compressed, has alt text, dimensions set

Links 3-5 relevant internal links

Mobile Looks good, loads fast

Speed Under 3 seconds

Priority Order: What to Fix First

If you're overwhelmed, fix these first:

Tools to Help

Make It a Habit

On-page SEO isn't a one-time thing.

Every new page should follow this checklist. Every existing page should be reviewed periodically. Set a monthly reminder to audit your top 5-10 pages.