Basic SEO Checklist
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is the process of improving the performance, experience, and authority of your website so it can gain better visibility in search engines like Google.
Specifically, SEO is about ranking higher in organic search results so not paid or sponsored results (via Google Ads for example).
At My Website Online, we offer plans that include your website with the Basic SEO package so you are fully ready to get started!
Basic SEO Checklist for your website
1. Set Up Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a very powerful free SEO tool. It is designed to help you track your site’s performance in Google search. Setting up Google Search Console is a key first step in your SEO process.
It provides useful features that let you:
See which keywords bring you the most traffic
Index all your pages on Google
Submit your sitemap
Fix website errors
See your Core Web Vitals scores
2. Set Up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the best ways to see and analyse all the data about your traffic. Whether you have a website to promote your business or an E-commerce website, Google Analytics will offer you insights into the performance of your website, such as your visitors’ behaviour, demographics, and all other relevant information about important KPI’s.
Google Analytics lets you:
See how much traffic you get from Google
Find the pages on your site that bring you the most traffic
See if your traffic is increasing or decreasing (and by how much)
Identify other sites and search engines that send you traffic
See your visitors’ demographics
Understand your average engagement rate, page views, and time on site
3. Install Yoast SEO (WordPress and Shopify)
Yoast is the most popular SEO plugin on the planet.
Yoast makes it super easy to optimise your WordPress and Shopify website for search engines.
It helps you with technical SEO things like sitemaps, keywords, meta descriptions. It can also allow you to speed up and automate day-to-day SEO tasks with AI.
Yoast SEO is versatile and ideal for beginners who need an all-in-one SEO solution.
4. Set up Google Business Profile
Whether you are a restaurant, store, or service provider, your Google Business Profile will increase visibility and engagement.
It helps customers do business with you easily and directly with product inventory, ordering, bookings, quotes, and more.
It is free and will allow you to rank better in search results, build trust, and receive reviews to build up your reputation.
You can add essential information such as your address, a phone number, pictures of your products and services, opening hours, etc.
5. Optimise your Website content
An important way to rank higher on Google Search results is by optimising your website content. Elements such as relevance, speed, optimised images and videos help Search Engines consider your website and improve its score.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, uses relevant keywords, and follows the above SEO best practices.
Title Tag Tips:
Appears as the interactive title in search engine results
It should clearly show what your page is about
Include relevant keywords
Keep it short: aim for 50-60 characters
Make it catchy to get clicks
Meta Description Tips:
Shows up below the title in search results.
Gives a quick summary of your page
Use it to expand on the title and make users want to click
Aim for 150-160 characters
Best practices for both:
Use relevant keywords naturally
Be clear and accurate about your content
Write in a way that makes people want to click
Stay within the character limits
Don’t overuse keywords
Make each page’s title and description unique
6. Content Optimisation: Quality, Relevance, and Engagement
Good content is key for SEO. Search engines are getting better at spotting valuable content that helps users. Focus on creating informative, engaging, and relevant content that matches what people are searching for.
Good practice for content optimisation:
Quality over quantity: Write in-depth, well-researched content. Avoid shallow content that doesn’t offer much value.
Use keywords wisely: Include your target keywords naturally in your content, headings, and subheadings. Don’t overuse them.
Make it easy to read: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists. Use simple language that everyone can understand.
Encourage interaction: Ask questions, invite comments, and use images and videos.
7. Backlinks: Why links to your site matter?
In SEO, backlinks are very important. When other websites mention you by linking to your content, it’s like they’re saying to search engines, “Hey, this stuff is very good; you should check it out!” This can push your site higher up in search results.
Search engines trust websites that other good sites link to.
But not all backlinks are the same. Here’s what makes a good backlink:
Relevance: The site linking to you should be about similar stuff.
Authority: Links from well-known, trusted sites count more.
Anchor text: The words in the link should tell what the linked page is about.
Natural links: Get links honestly through good content, not by trying to cheat.
Remember: Building good backlinks takes time and work. Focus on making great content that people want to link to.
8. Measuring and Analyzing SEO Performance
To improve your SEO, you need to know how your site is doing. That’s why it is important to regularly analyse the performance of your site and measure improvements over time.
That’s where Google Search Console and Google Analytics come handy. These free tools give you important info about how your website is doing in search results and how people use your site.
Here is a list of Key SEO Metrics to measure:
Traffic
Page views
Avg page per visit
Time spent
Traffic source (organic, socials, email, google ads, etc.)
Bounce rate (high bounce rate means your content isn’t matching what people were expecting)
Demographics (age, country, city, gender, etc.)
Conversion (purchase, sign up, newsletter)
By using both tools, you get a full picture of your SEO and website performance. You can see which keywords bring in traffic, find areas to improve, and track how your SEO work is paying off.