Google Ranking Factors SEO Checklist to Boost Performance

Domain Factors

Check the age of the domain:
For Google, the longer a domain's age, the better it is as a ranking factor. Legit domains are often paid for many years in advance.

Check the history of the domain:
Volatile ownership can give a negative signal to a Google. In some cases, a penalt may carry over to the new owner.

Use the country code top-level domain:
Having a country code (ccTLD) like .ca or .uk can help your website rank locally, as ccTLDs are considered a strong signal that the website is targeting a specific country.

Content Quality & Relevance

Identify thin, outdated, or underperforming content:
Flag thin, outdated, or low-traffic pages; decide whether to update, combine, or remove them.

Evaluate alignment with search intent (informational, commercial, etc.):
Check that content matches the user’s intent: informational, commercial, or transactional.

Assess content depth, topical coverage, and originality:
Review depth and originality; cover topics comprehensively, not just superficially.

Check E-E-A-T signals: author bios, external citations, transparency:
Show E-E-A-T signals with clear author bios, reputable citations, and contact details.

Audit use of media: images, videos, tables, or visuals for UX and SEO value:
Use images, videos, and tables to boost engagement and on-page experience.

Benchmark top content against competitors in SERPs:
Benchmark top pages against leading competitors to spot content gaps.

User Experience & Core Web Vitals

Regularly check your Core Web Vitals report:
Make it a habit to check your Core Web Vitals report in Search Console. Google has officialy confirmed that Core Web Vitals is a ranking factor.

Optimize Largest Contentful Paint:
Reduce the time it takes for the main content of a page to load, ensuring a fast perceived load experience.

Reduce Interaction to Next Paint:
Minimize the wait between a user's interaction (e.g., click, tap) and the browser's response to ensure good responsiveness.

Minimize Cumulative Layout Shift:
Prevent layout shifts of the page during loading, providing visual stability and preventing frustrating user experiences.

Ensure a positive page experience:
Work on the UX of your website. Ensure your site has good navigation, minimal intrusive interstitials, and a visually appealing design alongside technical CWV.

Reduce server response time:
Optimize server-side processes and hosting to ensure a rapid Time To First Byte, which is foundational for overall page speed.

Crawlability & Indexability

Optimize your crawl budget:
Configure your robots.txt file to effectively guide bots, preventing the crawling of non-essential pages while allowing access to critical content.

Submit and maintain accurate XML Sitemaps:
Ensure your XML sitemaps are up-to-date, include all indexable URLs, and are submitted correctly to Google Search Console.

Address all crawl errors and HTTP status codes:
Regularly monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors (e.g., 404s, server errors) and implement appropriate redirects or fixes.

Effectively handle duplicate content:
Use canonical tags, noindex, or robots.txt directives to consolidate SEO value and prevent issues arising from duplicate or near-duplicate content.

Ensure JavaScript-rendered content is crawlable:
Verify that any content reliant on JavaScript is fully rendered and accessible to Googlebot, utilizing tools like GSC's URL Inspection.

Backlinks & Off-Page Authority

Acquire backlinks from relevant websites:
Obtain backlinks from reputable websites related to your niche.

Diversifying your backlink profile:
Do not limit yourself to one type of backlink. Obtain links from reputable domains, such as resource pages and industry-specific directories.

Disavow harmful backlinks:
Check your backlink profile regularly to catch any spammy or unnatural links that could harm your site and disavow them.

Diversify your anchor texts:
Make sure your anchor text is natural and balanced between branded, naked URL, generic, and partial-match keywords to avoid over-optimization penalties.

Analyze competitor backlinks:
Study competitors' backlink profiles to find new link-building opportunities.

Mobile-First Indexing

Ensure your site is mobile-friendly:
Regularly use Google's official tools to confirm your pages are mobile-friendly and address any identified issues. Google switched to mobile-first indexing.

Verify mobile responsiveness:
Test your site's layout on different screen sizes.

Optimized mobile page speed:
Address any issues that affect mobile performance. It is critical for ranking and user experience.

Create a user-friendly navigation:
Design navigation elements (menus, buttons) that are easily tappable and accessible on touchscreens, avoiding tiny elements or crowded layouts.

Eliminate pushy notifications on mobile:
Avoid pop-ups or banners that can affect your user experience on mobile devices.

Content and Search Intent

Match the content to the keyword's search intent:
Categorize the search intent of the target keyword, like informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial, to tailor content accordingly.

Optimize for the "People Also Ask" section:
Structure content to directly answer common PAA queries and related questions, increasing visibility in rich results.

Integrate primary and LSI keywords naturally:
Incorporate target keywords and semantically related terms seamlessly into content to demonstrate comprehensive topical coverage without keyword stuffing.

Structure content for featured snippets:
Format content (e.g., lists, tables, concise definitions) to be easily extractable by Google for featured snippet opportunities.

Align content format with search intent:
Choose content formats (e.g., how-to guide for informational intent, product page for transactional intent) that best satisfy the user's query type.

Site Architecture & Internal Linking

Implement a logical and shallow site hierarchy:
Design a clear, intuitive site structure where vital content is easily accessible within a few clicks from the homepage.

Create strong topic clusters and pillar pages:
Organize content into thematic groups with a central pillar page linking to supporting cluster content, boosting topical authority.

Utilize descriptive and keyword-rich internal anchor text:
Use relevant and varied anchor text when internally linking to other pages to convey context and pass link equity.

Identify and link orphaned content:
Ensure all valuable pages are linked internally from other relevant pages, preventing orphaned pages that search engines might miss.

Optimize breadcrumb navigation:
Implement clear, hierarchical breadcrumbs to improve user navigation and provide additional contextual signals to search engines.

Security & Safety

Implement the HTTPS protocol:
Make sure your website uses the HTTPS protocol and has a valid SSL certificate to encrypt user information.

Address all mixed content warnings:
Fix any cases where secure (HTTPS) pages load insecure (HTTP) resources, as this can weaken security signals and harm user experience.

Protect user personal data:
Execute best data privacy and security practices to safeguard sensitive user information. This is especially important for e-commerce and sites with logins.

Malware and security vulnerabilities:
Regularly scan your site for malware, phishing attempts, and other security breaches that could result in Google warnings or de-indexing.

Building Authority Beyond Links

Ensure consistent brand name usage:
Maintain a consistent spelling and capitalization of your brand name across all online properties.

Build a strong brand presence across relevant platforms:
Actively manage your profiles on social media, review sites, and industry directories where your target audience gathers.

Cultivate positive brand mentions and sentiment:
Encourage positive reviews and discussions about your brand on different platforms, indicating brand health to search engines.

Optimize your Google Business Profile (if applicable):
For businesses with a physical location, a well-optimized GBP enhances overall brand authority and local search performance.

Link to and from relevant entity pages:
Where appropriate, link to trusted sources or your official pages to strengthen your brand's credibility.

Timeliness & Relevance

Regularly refresh your content:
Regularly update existing content with new information, data, and insights to maintain its relevance and E-E-A-T.

Audit content for decay and update strategically:
Identify content whose performance is declining and prioritize it for comprehensive updates rather than just minor tweaks.

Publish new, relevant content consistently:
Maintain a regular publishing cadence of high-quality, new content to signal an active and valuable resource to Google.

Address trending topics and news (where relevant):
For appropriate niches, create timely content around current events or trending topics to capture spikes in search interest.

Ensure "Last Updated" dates are accurate and visible (when applicable):
For informational content, displaying accurate update dates can reinforce freshness for both users and search engines.

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Maria Harutyunyan

A well-structured approach is the cornerstone of successful SEO. That's why we’ve developed a series of in-depth checklists designed to streamline your SEO strategy. From building high-quality backlinks and optimizing your WordPress site to tackling on-page SEO and technical optimizations, our checklists offer precise, actionable steps to help you confidently navigate every aspect of SEO.

April 3, 2025

Google Ranking Factors Checklist to Improve Visibility and Authority