A practical page-by-page checklist to ensure your website is fully optimised for search engines.
On-page SEO is the practice of optimising individual pages on your website to rank higher in search results. Unlike technical SEO or link building, on-page SEO is entirely within your control and can be improved without any external help. Here's a checklist you can work through page by page.
Title tags are the most important on-page factor. Each page should have a unique title tag that includes your primary keyword, location, and a compelling reason to click. 'Emergency Plumber Manchester - Fast Response, No Call-Out Fee' is far more effective than 'Home - ABC Plumbing Services'.
Your H1 heading should match your title tag closely and be the first thing visitors see. Use H2 and H3 subheadings to structure your content logically, incorporating secondary keywords naturally. Each page should have at least 300-500 words of unique, relevant content - thin pages struggle to rank.
Optimise your images with descriptive file names (boiler-repair-manchester.jpg, not IMG_4532.jpg) and alt text that describes the image content. Internal linking between related pages helps Google understand your site structure and passes authority between pages. Link from your homepage to your key service pages, and from each service page to related services.