WordPress SEO is based on sound technical foundations, useful pages and a good understanding of your customers’ search queries. This 25-point checklist helps you check the essential elements before a website goes live, following a redesign or during an audit. It is not a substitute for a comprehensive analysis, but provides a practical checklist.
For each point, note ‘OK’, ‘needs correcting’ or ‘not applicable’, then prioritise the actions according to their impact and difficulty. Start with the issues that prevent exploration or conversion before spending time on minor adjustments.
Check that the pages use a secure connection and that HTTP versions redirect correctly to HTTPS. Fix mixed media and internal links that still point to the old version.
Check the visibility settings and robot tags. A test environment may be deliberately excluded from search engines, but this setting must be removed from the public site once it is ready.
Check the sitemap generated by your SEO tool and submit it to Google Search Console. It should contain the canonical URLs you want to be crawled, not admin pages or unnecessary URLs.
Use clear, short and consistent URLs. Avoid changing URLs unnecessarily. If a URL does need to be changed, set up a 301 redirect to the relevant page and update any internal links.
Test the pages on a range of screen sizes. Menus, buttons, tables and forms must remain legible and usable without the need to zoom in or scroll horizontally unnecessarily.
Measure several pages using PageSpeed Insights and examine the images, server, cache and scripts. Don’t just settle for a score: also check the actual user experience and the site’s functionality.
Check for broken links, outdated URLs and redirects. A page that has been deleted without a suitable replacement may continue to return a 404 error; do not redirect all errors to the home page.
Check that the files and the database are backed up to a separate location and that the restore process has been tested. Security and availability help to ensure the continuity of the website.
A page should serve a specific purpose: to compare, to learn, to find a service or to contact a provider. Avoid creating several almost identical pages that target the same search query without offering any distinct value.
Use a clear and relevant H1 heading, which is usually unique to the main content. H2 and H3 headings should help to structure the text, not simply be used to make the text larger.
Write a title that accurately describes the page and naturally incorporates the main topic. A length of around 50 to 60 characters is an editorial guideline, not a guarantee that the full title will be displayed in Google.
Summarise the page’s value in a natural-sounding sentence and include a relevant call to action. Around 150 characters is a useful guideline, but Google may choose a different snippet depending on the search query.
Provide the key answer early on, set out the steps and give examples, then address any secondary questions. Do not artificially pad out an article just to reach a certain word count: covering the topic thoroughly and ensuring clarity are more important.
Compress images, choose suitable dimensions and write descriptive alternative text where appropriate. Alternative text is not a list of keywords.
Check prices, dates, screenshots, links and claims. Do not change the publication date without an actual update. Clearly state any limitations where prices or rules may vary.
Each priority service must be accessible via a logical navigation path, the home page or a relevant category page. Avoid orphan pages that visitors cannot find via internal links.
An article about slowness might link to an optimisation or design service, whilst an e-commerce guide might lead to the shop package. The link should be helpful to the reader and relevant to the context.
Use ‘find out more about our WordPress maintenance service’ rather than ‘click here’. Links should clearly state where they lead to and sound natural.
Set out a clear next step, such as requesting a quote, contacting the agency or viewing an offer. Avoid having too many competing buttons, as this can make it difficult for users to choose.
Send test messages from your mobile and computer, and check that messages are being received, that confirmations are coming through, and that spam protection is working. A broken form can cause you to lose potential customers, even if the page is well-optimised for search engines.
Check the company name, contact details and public information on the website and professional profiles. Do not add a physical address if the company does not receive customers at that location.
For an eligible business, keep the categories, opening hours, services and contact details on the Google Business profile up to date. Do not create multiple profiles to manipulate the results.
A page targeting a specific town or city must meet a genuine local need. Avoid duplicating the same page simply by changing the name to refer to different towns or cities.
Check the property, indexing errors, search performance and excluded pages. Impressions and clicks help identify content that needs improving.
Track quote requests, clicks on contact details and purchases using a tool configured in accordance with the relevant privacy regulations. Traffic alone is not enough to assess the website’s commercial effectiveness.
Start by addressing indexing issues, server errors, important pages that are inaccessible and forms that aren’t working. Next, improve titles, content, page speed and internal linking. Finally, fine-tune the details and measure the results. A tracking sheet showing the person responsible, priority, date and status prevents audits from being repeated without any action being taken.
If your website isn’t getting any visitors, start by checking whether the pages can be indexed and whether they appear in relevant search results. Our article Why doesn’t your website appear on Google? Add possible causes to this checklist.
Elvis Web can analyse the website’s structure, priority pages, technical foundations and opportunities for content improvement. A useful audit should result in a prioritised list of actions, not just a score. SEO results depend on the website, the sector, the competition and the time it takes for Google to index the changes.
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No. Yoast helps to manage certain aspects, but it is no substitute for an editorial strategy, a sound site architecture, high-quality content and technical checks.
The timeframe varies depending on the site’s history, the level of competition, the quality of the corrections and the crawl frequency. It is important to monitor trends over several weeks and months.
Use the main topic naturally where relevant. Forced repetition makes headlines less readable and offers no guaranteed benefit.
No. A realistic posting frequency with useful content that is relevant to your services is better than a large number of superficial articles.
Yoast metrics are writing aids. An orange score does not automatically mean that the page is poorly optimised for search engines; review the recommendations and prioritise those that genuinely improve the page.
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