A practical guide to improving your rankings,
traffic, and discoverability
Technical Foundations (Google must be able to crawl you)
☐ My website loads in under 3 seconds (check out gtmetrix
☐ Website works perfectly on mobile
☐ HTTPS/SSL installed
☐ No broken links or 404 errors (ask me how to check)
☐ Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
☐ Robots.txt configured correctly
☐ Pages are indexable (not accidentally “noindex”)
☐ Images are compressed and optimised
☐ Core Web Vitals are passing
On-Page SEO Basics (what Google reads)
☐ Every page has a unique title tag
☐ Every page has a meta description
☐ Proper H1, H2, H3 structure (Google yourself)
☐ Keywords used naturally (not stuffed)
☐ Each page targets ONE clear topic
☐ Internal links between related pages
☐ Image alt text added
☐ URLs are short and readable
☐ No duplicate content
Content & Authority (why Google trusts you)
☐ Service pages clearly explain what we do
☐ FAQs answering real customer questions
☐ Blog or resource section updated regularly
☐ Case studies or proof/results shown
☐ Contact details clearly visible
☐ Google Business Profile optimised (does your address come up when you search your name?)
☐ Reviews/testimonials displayed
☐ Location keywords included (for local SEO)
☐ Competitor content benchmarked (request a competitor analysis)
AI & Modern Search Readiness (NEW & IMPORTANT)
This is where most businesses fall behind.
☐ Content answers questions clearly (not fluffy text)
☐ Pages use simple, conversational language (AI prefers this)
☐ FAQ sections added for AI snippets
☐ Structured data/schema markup implemented
☐ Lists, bullets & summaries used (AI-friendly formatting)
☐ Top questions in our industry covered (People Also Ask style)
☐ Content demonstrates expertise (not generic AI-written fluff)
☐ Brand mentioned consistently across web/social
☐ Business info consistent everywhere (NAP data)
☐ Pages optimised for featured snippets
*Bonus:
☐ We track whether our content appears in AI Overviews / featured results
Conversion Readiness (traffic must convert)
☐ Clear calls-to-action on every page
☐ Contact form works properly
☐ Click-to-call buttons on mobile (test your website on your phone)
☐ Lead magnets (checklist/audit/guide) offered
☐ Thank-you pages track conversions
☐ Google Analytics & tracking installed
☐ Remarketing audiences set up
Score Yourself
Give yourself 1 point for each ✓
0–15 → At risk (urgent fixes needed)
16–30 → Average (easy wins available)
31–45 → Strong foundation
46+ → Competitive advantage
Want us to run this checklist for you and show exactly what to fix first?
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