SEO Onboarding Checklist: Streamline Your Client Success

Initial Client Discovery & Assessment

Conduct a thorough business discovery call:
Interview client stakeholders to understand business goals, target audience, competitive landscape, and success metrics that will guide SEO strategy.

Record the existing marketing activities:
Review existing marketing channels, campaigns, and strategies to understand how SEO integrates into the overall marketing plan.

Identify target audience and develop buyer personas:
Define ideal customer profiles by including demographics, pain points, and search behaviors to guide keyword targeting and content strategy.

Establish primary business objectives:
Clarify whether the focus is on lead generation, e-commerce sales, brand awareness, or other goals to align SEO strategies with business outcomes.

Review previous SEO efforts and their results:
Review past SEO work, penalties, or issues to understand the site's history and prevent repeating unsuccessful strategies.

Document budget and resource limitations:
Assess financial constraints and internal resources to develop practical timelines and define achievable deliverables.

Set reasonable expectations and deadlines:
Educate clients about SEO timelines and set realistic expectations for results based on their current site status and competition.

Identify the key stakeholders and decision makers:
Map out who will be involved in approvals, content creation, and implementation to improve communication and project management.

Technical SEO Audit & Setup

Perform comprehensive site crawl:
Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to identify technical issues including broken links, duplicate content, and crawl errors.

Verify Google Search Console access:
Gain access to existing GSC property or set up new one to monitor search performance and identify technical issues.

Set up Google Analytics tracking:
Configure or verify GA4 implementation with proper goal tracking to ensure data collection aligns with business needs and compliance requirements.

Conduct Core Web Vitals assessment:
Analyze page speed, mobile usability, and user experience metrics to identify performance issues that affect rankings and user satisfaction.

Check mobile responsiveness and usability:
Test website functionality across devices to ensure mobile-first indexing standards are met and user experience is optimized.

Analyze site architecture and navigation:
Review URL structure, internal linking, and site hierarchy to find opportunities for better crawlability and user experience.

Verify SSL certificate and security:
Ensure proper HTTPS implementation and identify any mixed content or security issues that could affect rankings or user trust.

Review robots.txt and XML sitemaps:
Review crawl directives and sitemap structure to make sure search engines can find and index key content correctly.

Competitive Analysis & Market Research

Identify primary organic search competitors:
Research who ranks for target keywords to analyze the competitive landscape and measure current performance against competitors.

Analyze competitor content strategies:
Analyze competitor blogs, landing pages, and content types to find gaps and opportunities in the market.

Review competitor backlink profiles:
Analyze competitor link-building strategies and identify high-value linking opportunities that could benefit your client's website.

Study competitor keyword targeting:
Analyze the keywords competitors rank for to spot missed opportunities and gauge keyword difficulty.

Benchmark competitor technical performance:
Compare site speed, mobile experience, and technical SEO implementation to identify competitive advantages or disadvantages.

Analyze competitor social media presence:
Analyze competitor social strategies and engagement to grasp the broader digital marketing landscape and identify opportunities.

Document competitive positioning:
Create a competitive analysis report highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities related to main competitors.

Identify industry trends and opportunities:
Research broader industry trends that could influence SEO strategies or open up new content and targeting opportunities.

Keyword Research & Strategy Development

Conduct comprehensive keyword research:
Use various tools to find primary, secondary, and long-tail keywords that match business goals and customer search habits.

Analyze current keyword rankings:
Document current rankings to set a baseline and identify quick wins for improvement.

Map keywords to buyer journey stages:
Organize keywords by awareness, consideration, and decision stages to create content that aligns with user intent and funnel position.

Prioritize keywords by opportunity:
Score keywords based on search volume, difficulty, business relevance, and competitive landscape to prioritize efforts on the highest-impact terms.

Identify content gaps and opportunities:
Identify keyword themes where competitors lack content to set strategic content priorities.

Research local search opportunities:
Analyze location-based keywords and local search trends if the business targets specific geographic markets.

Document seasonal keyword patterns:
Identify keywords with seasonal fluctuations to schedule your content calendar and campaign timing for maximum impact.

Create keyword mapping spreadsheet:
Organize all keyword research into an actionable document that directs content creation and optimization priorities.

Content Audit & Planning

Inventory existing content assets:
Catalog all existing website content, including pages, blog posts, resources, and multimedia, to understand what's already available.

Analyze content performance metrics:
Analyze traffic, engagement, and conversion data for existing content to identify top-performing and underperforming assets.

Identify duplicate and thin content:
Identify pages with low content quality or duplication problems that can be merged or enhanced to improve SEO results.

Assess content quality and relevance:
Assess if existing content aligns with current user needs and search intent to determine whether to prioritize updates or replacements.

Map content to target keywords:
Assign primary and secondary keywords to existing content and identify areas where new content is needed.

Plan content optimization priorities:
Create a roadmap for updating existing content based on potential impact and available resources.

Develop content creation calendar:
Outline new content topics, formats, and publishing schedule aligned with keyword strategy and business goals.

Establish content quality standards:
Establish guidelines for content length, depth, formatting, and optimization to maintain consistent quality across all assets.

Tools & Platform Setup

Configure rank tracking software:
Set up tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or dedicated rank trackers to monitor keyword positions and search performance.

Implement SEO monitoring tools:
Install tools for continuous technical monitoring, site health assessments, and automated problem detection.

Set up backlink monitoring:
Set up tools to track new and lost backlinks, assess link quality, and find link building opportunities.

Install heat mapping and user behavior tools:
Implement Hotjar, Crazy Egg, or similar tools to analyze user behavior and find areas for improvement.

Configure automated reporting:
Create dashboards and automated reports that monitor essential SEO metrics and deliver frequent performance updates.

Create project management workspace:
Create shared project spaces in tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday for task management and collaboration.

Set up client communication channels:
Establish regular meeting schedules, reporting routines, and communication preferences for ongoing project management.

Document tool access and credentials:
Maintain a secure record of all tool logins and access permissions for team members and client handoff.

Initial Quick Wins Implementation

Optimize title tags and meta descriptions:
Update missing or poorly optimized title tags and meta descriptions to improve click-through rates and search visibility.

Fix critical technical issues:
Address high-priority technical problems like broken redirects, crawl errors, or security issues that impact search performance.

Improve page loading speeds:
Implement quick speed optimizations like image compression, caching, or plugin optimization for immediate performance gains.

Optimize Google My Business profile:
Complete and optimize local business listings with accurate information, photos, and posts to improve local search visibility.

Submit updated XML sitemaps:
Ensure search engines have current sitemaps that include all important pages and remove any outdated or incorrect entries.

Implement basic schema markup:
Add fundamental structured data like Organization or LocalBusiness schema to improve search result presentation.

Fix obvious content issues:
Correct spelling errors, update outdated information, or add missing content that's quick to implement but impactful.

Set up Google Analytics goals:
Configure conversion tracking and goal measurement to start collecting performance data immediately.

Team Training & Process Setup

Train client team on SEO basics:
Educate internal stakeholders about SEO fundamentals and how their roles contribute to search success.

Establish content review processes:
Create workflows for content creation, review, and approval that maintain SEO standards while fitting client operations.

Document SEO guidelines and standards:
Provide written guidelines for content optimization, technical requirements, and ongoing SEO best practices.

Set up communication protocols:
Establish regular meeting schedules, reporting cadences, and escalation procedures for issues or questions.

Create task assignment procedures:
Define who handles different types of SEO tasks and how work gets prioritized and completed.

Establish quality assurance processes:
Create checklists and procedures to ensure all SEO work meets standards before implementation.

Train on SEO tools and platforms:
Provide access and training on relevant SEO tools that client team members will use for ongoing optimization.

Document emergency procedures:
Develop protocols for managing SEO emergencies such as traffic drops, penalties, or significant technical problems.

Link Building Foundation

Audit existing backlink profile:
Analyze the current link portfolio to identify strengths, weaknesses, and potentially harmful links that require attention.

Identify broken link opportunities:
Identify broken links on relevant websites that could be replaced with links to the client's content.

Research industry-specific link prospects:
Compile a list of industry publications, directories, and websites that could generate relevant, high-quality backlinks.

Analyze competitor link strategies:
Research where competitors get links to find new link-building chances and relationship prospects.

Create linkable asset inventory:
Identify existing content that could generate backlinks and plan the development of new link-worthy resources and tools.

Develop outreach templates:
Create personalized email templates for various types of link-building outreach that reflect the brand's voice and values.

Set up link tracking systems:
Implement tools and processes to monitor link building activities, response rates, and success metrics.

Establish relationship building plan:
Develop a strategy for building long-term relationships with influencers, journalists, and industry contacts to secure ongoing link opportunities.

Local SEO Setup

Claim and optimize Google My Business:
Complete your GMB profile with accurate business details, photos, posts, and customer engagement tools.

Audit local citation consistency:
Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone) details are consistent across all online directories and platforms.

Research local keyword opportunities:
Identify location-specific search terms and "near me" queries that can attract local traffic and customers.

Set up local schema markup:
Add LocalBusiness structured data to assist search engines in understanding location and service details.

Create location-specific content:
Create content focused on local market needs, events, and community interests to enhance local relevance.

Research local link building opportunities:
Identify local organizations, chambers of commerce, and community websites that can provide local citations and backlinks.

Monitor local competitor presence:
Monitor local competitors' visibility and strategies to spot opportunities and sustain a competitive edge.

Establish review management process:
Develop a system to promote positive reviews and respond professionally to all customer feedback.

Reporting & Communication Framework

Create baseline performance report:
Document starting metrics for rankings, traffic, conversions, and other KPIs to measure progress against the initial state.

Establish monthly reporting schedule:
Establish a regular reporting schedule that offers valuable insights without inundating stakeholders with data.

Design custom reporting dashboards:
Create visual dashboards that showcase key metrics and progress toward business goals in a clear, easy-to-understand format.

Define success metrics and KPIs:
Set clear, measurable goals that match business objectives and can be monitored over time.

Create executive summary templates:
Create concise report formats that clearly communicate SEO progress and impact to C-level stakeholders and decision makers.

Set up automated alert systems:
Set up notifications for major changes in traffic, rankings, or technical problems that need urgent attention.

Establish client check-in schedules:
Schedule regular meetings to assess progress, review strategy updates, and address questions or concerns.

Document lessons learned process:
Develop a system for capturing insights and optimizations that can guide future strategy and decision-making.

Long-term Strategy & Roadmap

Develop 6-month SEO roadmap:
Create a detailed plan that outlines major initiatives, content themes, and optimization priorities for the next six months.

Plan content marketing integration:
Align SEO strategy with overall content marketing efforts to maximize impact and resource efficiency.

Establish growth milestone targets:
Set achievable yet ambitious targets for increasing traffic, improving rankings, and boosting conversions over time.

Identify future optimization opportunities:
Document long-term projects such as site redesigns, new product launches, or market expansion that will affect SEO strategy.

Plan for algorithm update preparedness:
Set up monitoring and response procedures for significant search engine algorithm changes that might impact performance.

Create budget allocation recommendations:
Offer guidance on how to allocate resources among various SEO activities based on anticipated ROI and business priorities.

Establish continuous improvement processes:
Develop systems for continuous testing, optimization, and strategy improvement based on performance data and market shifts.

Document scaling and expansion plans:
Prepare for potential business growth or market expansion that may require SEO strategy adjustments and scaling of resources.

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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

SEO Onboarding Checklist: Set Up for Long-Term Search Success