WordPress SEO Checklist: 75 Items to Boost Your Website

General Setup

Use an SEO-friendly theme (lightweight, schema-ready):
Choose a clean-coded theme that loads quickly, is mobile-responsive, and includes or supports structured data markup.

‍Set your preferred domain version (with or without www):
Ensure your site consistently uses one version to avoid duplicate URLs and split link equity.

Enable pretty permalinks with keyword-rich URLs:
Go to Settings → Permalinks and choose the “Post name” structure to make URLs clean, short, and SEO-friendly.

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Set site title and tagline accurately in WordPress settings:
Configure the global site title and tagline to reflect your brand and support homepage SEO and click-throughs.

‍Submit your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools:
Connect your site to monitor indexing, crawl issues, keyword performance, and overall search visibility.

SEO Plugin Configuration

Install and configure a trusted SEO plugin:
‍These plugins help manage metadata, sitemaps, canonical tags, schema, and indexing rules in one place.

Set global meta title and description templates:
Create consistent default title and description formats for posts, pages, and archives to save time and enforce SEO consistency.

Enable XML sitemap generation:
Ensure your sitemap is enabled and auto-updating with every new page or post to guide search engine crawling.

Configure social metadata (Open Graph, Twitter Cards):
Optimize how your pages appear when shared on social media by adding image, title, and description meta data.

Set up breadcrumbs via plugin or theme:
Add breadcrumb navigation to improve user experience and internal link structure while enabling breadcrumb schema.

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Indexation & Visibility

Ensure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked:
Make sure the “Search engine visibility” box is turned off in WordPress settings to allow indexing after site launch. Block sensitive or useless folders like /wp-admin/ and avoid over-indexing paginated or filtered pages.

Noindex low-value pages (e.g., admin, tag archives, author pages if needed):
Prevent search engines from indexing pages that provide little or duplicate value using plugin settings or meta directives.

‍Exclude internal search result pages from indexing:
Internal search pages often create crawl waste and low-value content, so block them using noindex rules or robots.txt.

‍Submit and monitor sitemaps via Google Search Console:
Upload your sitemap URL and check regularly for warnings or excluded pages that may indicate crawl problems.

Use robots.txt to control crawl access if necessary:
Block sensitive or useless folders like /wp-admin/ and avoid over-indexing paginated or filtered pages.

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Content Optimization

Write unique, keyword-optimized meta titles and descriptions:
Create custom titles and descriptions for each page to improve relevance, CTR, and rankings.

‍Use one H1 per page and maintain proper heading structure:
Every page should have a single H1 reflecting the main topic, followed by a logical use of H2–H4 subheadings.‍

Include target keywords naturally in page content:
Integrate keywords seamlessly without stuffing to maintain readability and meet relevance expectations.

Optimize image alt text and filenames:
Describe images with relevant, descriptive alt text and rename files with keywords before uploading to improve accessibility and image SEO.

‍Link internally to related posts and cornerstone content:
Use contextual internal links to boost authority and visibility of key pages and keep users engaged longer.

Category, Tag & Archive Optimization

Avoid thin tag/category archive pages:
Limit the creation of archives with little or no content and avoid indexing tags or categories with only one post.

Add unique descriptions to category and tag pages:
Add custom text that explains the topic of the archive and helps it rank for category-level queries.

Decide which archive types to index vs. noindex:
Use SEO plugin settings to selectively allow indexing of relevant archives and block ones that duplicate content.

Prevent duplicate content from overlapping taxonomies:
Avoid assigning the same post to multiple similar categories or tags that create redundant archive pages.‍

Clean up unused categories and tags
Delete or merge taxonomies that are no longer relevant or contain no posts to reduce clutter and crawl waste.

Media & Image SEO

Compress images using a plugin:
Automatically reduce image file sizes during upload to improve site speed and maintain quality.

‍Serve next-gen formats like WebP:
Use WebP format to load images faster without sacrificing quality, especially on mobile devices.

Add descriptive alt text to all images:
‍Help screen readers and search engines understand what your images show by using accurate alt text for every image.

Use lazy loading for images and embeds:
Improve load time by delaying image and video loading until they enter the viewport, especially for long pages.

‍Rename image files with relevant keywords before uploading:
Descriptive filenames give image SEO an extra boost and make media files more discoverable.

Page Speed & Performance

Use a caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache):
Enable page caching to reduce server response time and improve page load speed for returning visitors.

Minify CSS, JS, and HTML:
Compress code to reduce file sizes and page load time without changing appearance or functionality.

‍Use a reliable CDN (e.g., Cloudflare, BunnyCDN):
‍Distribute assets across global servers to speed up delivery for users across different locations.

Optimize database with a performance plugin:
Clean out revisions, spam comments, and transients to keep your database lean and fast.

Limit use of heavy page builder plugins if not needed:
Avoid unnecessary plugins that add excessive HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which can slow down your site.

Mobile Optimization

Use a responsive theme that works across all devices:
Ensure your theme adapts fluidly to all screen sizes, offering a consistent and accessible experience.

‍Test Core Web Vitals and mobile usability in Search Console:
Check for issues related to layout shift, slow load times, or tap target sizing in GSC’s Mobile Usability and Page Experience reports.

‍Ensure tap targets and fonts are mobile-friendly:
Make sure buttons, links, and text are readable and easy to interact with on small screens.

Remove unnecessary mobile popups or interstitials:
Avoid popups that cover main content or are difficult to close, as they can frustrate users and hurt rankings.‍

Use AMP only if truly needed and carefully managed:
Accelerated Mobile Pages can improve speed but limit customization and tracking, so implement only when necessary.

Structured Data & Schema Markup

Implement basic schema via plugin:
Add structured data for content types like Articles, Products, and LocalBusiness to qualify for enhanced search results.

‍Validate schema using Google’s Rich Results Test:
Check for errors and ensure your structured data is properly implemented before expecting rich result eligibility.

‍Avoid duplicate schema markup from multiple plugins:
Disable schema features in secondary plugins or themes to prevent conflicting or redundant markup.

Use custom schema where plugins fall short (FAQ, How-To):
Add manual schema using JSON-LD for content types like FAQs, Reviews, or Events when plugins don’t offer native support.

Monitor Search Console for structured data errors:
Review the Enhancements section for alerts or warnings that could affect eligibility for rich snippets.

Security & SEO Hygiene

Install an SSL certificate and force HTTPS sitewide:
Enable HTTPS and redirect all HTTP URLs to ensure encryption, build trust, and comply with browser standards.

Use a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, iThemes Security):
Protect your site from brute force attacks, malware, and login abuse to maintain site integrity and uptime.‍

Hide WP login and admin URLs from bots:
Obscure or protect your admin area to reduce the risk of unauthorized access attempts and bot activity.

Block spam comments and remove unapproved ones:
Spammy comments create low-quality content and can harm SEO, so use moderation tools and anti-spam plugins.

Regularly back up the site and keep plugins/themes updated:
Keep your site secure and minimize downtime risks by maintaining updates and running automated backups.

Sitemap & Robots Management

Submit sitemap_index.xml to Google/Bing:
Use your SEO plugin’s sitemap URL and verify its successful submission and parsing in search engine consoles.

‍Disallow unnecessary URLs in robots.txt (e.g., /wp-admin/):
Block administrative pages or scripts that don’t belong in search engine indexes using a clean robots.txt file.

Regularly audit indexed pages for crawl waste:
Check for low-value or duplicate pages that are indexed and remove or noindex them to improve crawl efficiency.

Exclude feed and attachment pages if not used:
Disable or noindex RSS feeds and media attachment pages if they don’t provide standalone value.

‍Keep sitemap clean of redirected or noindexed URLs:
Your sitemap should reflect only indexable, canonical URLs to avoid confusion and wasted crawl budget.

Backlinking & Off-Page SEO

Build links through guest posts, directories, PR, and partnerships:
Earn backlinks from relevant, high-authority sources to improve domain authority and rankings.

Monitor backlinks using GSC or Ahrefs:
Track new, lost, and toxic links to measure growth and address link profile risks.

Disavow spammy backlinks when necessary:
Use Google’s Disavow Tool to neutralize links from harmful sources that could trigger penalties or trust issues.

Promote content to attract natural backlinks:
Distribute high-quality content through outreach, social media, and email to attract editorial links.

Use internal linking to distribute link equity:
Balance your site’s authority by linking from strong pages to those that need a boost or are newly published.

Local SEO (If Applicable)

Install a local SEO plugin or configure schema manually:
Use plugins like Rank Math or add custom schema to mark up address, phone, and business type.

Create a Google Business Profile and link to it:
Claim your business listing and include a link to your site to improve map visibility and branded search.

Use NAP details consistently across site and citations:
Ensure your business name, address, and phone number match everywhere to support local trust and ranking.

Add location-specific schema to contact or about pages:
Mark up business location details with LocalBusiness schema for visibility in local results and knowledge panels.

Create city or service area landing pages if targeting multiple regions:
Use unique, localized content to target specific geographic keywords and improve regional search coverage.

Content & Blog Optimization

Use categories strategically for blog organization:
Assign clear categories that reflect topics users and search engines care about, and avoid over-tagging.

Avoid duplicate content between posts and pages:
Ensure blog posts and landing pages are distinct in purpose and not targeting the same keywords with similar content.‍

Target long-tail keywords in blog topics:
Focus on specific, lower-competition keywords to drive qualified organic traffic and support product discovery.

Link blog posts to relevant product or service pages:
Use contextual links to drive SEO value and visitors from content to conversion-focused pages.

Update outdated posts to maintain freshness and rankings:
Refresh statistics, links, and dated content regularly to preserve or improve organic performance.

Ongoing SEO Maintenance

Track keyword rankings and organic traffic performance:
Monitor how your site performs for key terms and adjust strategy based on trends and performance shifts.

Monitor crawl errors and index coverage in GSC:
Regularly review GSC reports for issues that may prevent pages from being indexed or appearing in search results.

Update plugins, themes, and WordPress core regularly:
Keep your installation current to avoid vulnerabilities, improve performance, and stay compatible with SEO plugins.

Reoptimize underperforming pages quarterly:
Review low-ranking or low-converting pages and improve content, metadata, or internal links to revive their potential.

Perform a full SEO audit bi-annually:
Conduct a comprehensive audit every six months to identify gaps, issues, and opportunities across all SEO areas.

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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.

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