The Essential 7: A Simple SEO Checklist for Higher Rankings

Note: Before proceeding, this simple SEO checklist started as a 2019 guest post by Nikola Roza. The original seven-step checklist remains the spine of the page because those on-page basics matter.

I updated the advice for how search works now: search intent, helpful content, Rank Math, internal links to the pages you already have, and what to skip (padding word count, treating TF-IDF as a secret weapon).

Read the first word of the introduction properly; do know that I like my SEO to be simple and effective. That is why I developed a system, a pattern of actions I follow before hitting the publish button (I call it my simple SEO checklist).

Use this as a pre-publish pass, not a full SEO strategy. If traffic already dropped, run the 30-day revive plan first. If you need the writing structure, use Write a Blog Post That Actually Ranks. Originally by Nikola Roza (2019). Updated by Lisa, September 2026.

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Your Path To Higher Google Rankings

Whenever you publish a new article, you have two courses of action before you:

You can sit back, relax, pour some coffee, and wait for Google to recognize your awesome work and give you the rankings you truly deserve.

Or you can get busy, bustle about, and make Google give you the rank you deserve.

I recommend the latter, and that’s why I wrote this article. In it, I give my own, simple SEO checklist that I follow to the T before hitting that blue “publish” button.

#1- Content-Length- Go For The Average

2026 update: Average word count is a starting point, not a goal.

• Open the top 5 results and match format (list, steps, short answer) first. If they’re 1,200-word how-tos, don’t publish a 4,000-word essay unless you add proof they don’t have.
• Long-tail pages can stay tighter. Head terms need completeness, not padding.

• In Rank Math or Yoast, use Content AI as a gap check, not a quota.

#2- Get Your Basic Metadata Right

2026 update: Rank Math’s or Yoast SERP preview is the only tool you need here. Put the keyword early in the title when it still reads as a human wrote it.

Keep the slug short (/simple-seo-checklist/). Write the meta as ad copy for the click; Google may rewrite it.

Don’t waste 20 minutes on character-count theater.

a) Meta Title For Your Simple SEO Checklist

Meta title, also called SEO title, is the blue link you see in the SERPS when you perform a search.

It’s the second most important on-page SEO factor (after the content itself), and it pays handsomely to write it well.

Here’s how:

• SEO title must be short- anything over 60 characters or 600 px will be cut off in the SERPs
• Include your target keyword, and at the beginning if possible– if not, don’t sweat it
• Write to get a click— SEO is important, but user engagement is crucial. Tell them what they’ll gain if they click.

Writing good meta titles is an art, NOT a science. Meaning, you can read and reread those tips until you’re blue in the face, but only by practicing and practicing, and then some more, will you get proficient with it.

Here’s the SEO title for this post:

It’s short, to the point, promising, and inviting. And it took me a lot of time to learn to write like that.

Bottom line– don’t feel bad if your SEO titles suck the first few times. Practice makes perfect.

Pro tip:

Use Portent’s tool to visualize how your meta title will look. You can also see your URL and meta description.

b) URL for a Simple SEO Checklist

Short and sweet.

Really- that’s the advice.

• Short URLs rank better.
• Plus short URLs give a nice overview of the page.
• And short URLs are easy to read.

There is no reason not to be concise, as it’s both SEO- and UX-friendly.

c) Meta Description

The meta description is your ad copy, your “why” this page exists, and “why” they need to click it.

To write them well, you have 2 options:

a) Expand the SEO title’s message

You have more room here, so make good use of it by telling something more about:

• the awesome gain of clicking on your listing,
• and the huge loss of not doing it.

Also, this is an easy way to insert your keyword here, as it won’t look like keyword stuffing.

Here’s the meta description for this post:

“A simple SEO checklist- for you. Don’t get bogged down with the fluff. Do what matters the most and move on; with your business AND your rankings”

Let’s break it down real quick:

• A simple SEO checklist– my target keyword
• Don’t get bogged down with the fluff– fear of losing precious time
• Do what matters the most- what they get (most bang for their buck)

See? It works!

(But it takes practice to write like that)

b) Use ad copy- literally speaking

If your keyword is a lucrative one, you can bet there’ll be a tonne of ads above organic listings.

Your job is to scan and pick up pattern words; i.e., those that come over and over.

This copy is valuable because it is usually tested to death. Use the words in your meta desc. And you’ll get more clicks- guaranteed.

#3 Heading Tags- Relevancy Booster and More

2026 update: One H1. H2s should sound like the questions people type (and the ones AI Overviews lift). Keyword in the H1 once.

Don’t force the phrase into every H2. A table of contents that uses those H2s still helps scanners and gives you clean jump links. Yoast or Rank Math will flag a missing H1; it will not save a page of clever-but-unclear headings.

a) H1 (the headline)

This is your post’s true headline and is not visible from the SERP itself. So, they have no impact on CTR.

Does that mean you can be careless about writing them? I mean, once they click- they’re in!

And your job is done.

Well, of course not. But you knew that already, right?

Headlines have a huge impact on bounce rate and pogo-sticking, which are crucial user experience signals. Meaning, when people land on your page, the first thing they’re going to see is your headline. And it has to be compelling enough to keep them reading.

Like with SEO titles, writing headlines is an art, but here are some basic tips for you to start learning

• Try not to be clever– people hate to think online
• Be explicit and bodacious- best headlines tell them what they’ll get if they read on, and what they’ll miss out on if they don’t
• Use a target keyword- it’s natural, and people expect to see it, as it’s a clue that they’re on the right page
• Don’t use more than one keyword. You can overdo it, and people are not stupid

Simple SEO Checklist Protip

Coschedule has a great tool that can help you nail some awesome headlines. Make sure you use it.

b) H2-H6 (the subheaders)

According to Content King, keywords in “smaller” heading tags are still a ranking factor. They help you rank higher by boosting your post’s relevance to the keyword you’re targeting.

From that advice, we gather that we should use a keyword wherever it makes sense.

I said it and repeat it: “Where it makes sense.” Please don’t go and try to stuff keywords where they clearly don’t belong.

Header tags are a very small ranking factor, and it is probable that when over-optimized, they turn into spam signals for

• your page.
• your site.
• for your brand.

It’s scary, I know. One little element, so dangerous. Dwell on it for a moment, then continue reading.

Pro tip: use content tables as further relevancy boosters

Tell me:

When you see a typical table of contents, what does it usually consist of? Sub-headers turned into clickable anchors. And that anchor, when clicked, transports you to parts of the page you want to read.

Well, isn’t it possible that keywords in subheaders, combined with the same ones in the content table (but turned into internal links), send strong relevancy signals to Google about what your page is about and what keyword cluster it should rank you for?

I think it is possible, and I think that is the case with content tables. Of course, the effect is small, but it’s free and completely passive, so it’s worth doing.

👉 In other words, the page becomes more relevant for those keywords and ranks higher for them.

#4 Images SEO Image Hack For Relevancy Boosting

2026 update: Alt text is for people first, ranking second. Describe the image, then tie it to the nearby heading. Keyword on the first relevant image only.
Compress so Largest Contentful Paint doesn’t sink the page. A pretty hero with empty alt and a 2 MB file fails this step.

Rank Math’s or Yoast’s image fields + a compressed featured image = done.

#5- Internal Linking For SEO

2026 update: This is still the fastest lift you control.

The day you publish, add links from older, relevant posts to this one, and 2–5 links out to your real pillars, not to 80 “cornerstone” labels. Use Link Whisper or Rank Math suggestions, then edit the anchor so it sounds like you.

Exact-match on every link is a 2014 habit. Orphan pages and bloated cornerstone lists are the current problem.

a) Link Relevantly

Links are the most important factor for Google. So saying that they pay attention to them is a huge understatement.

In fact, the Penguin algorithm is designed specifically to hunt bad links.

And link relevancy is a telltale sign of link quality. The link that is thematically relevant to your site helps you.

The one that is off-topic hurts you.

And get too many of those- you get a penalty.

Now you’re thinking, “That’s the case with backlinks; we’re talking about internal linking here”!

The same rules apply! Relevancy must be maintained.

The only difference is that you won’t be demoted because of internal links, but they will be nullified. Meaning they’ll become sterile and won’t pass PageRank and other link goodies.

b) Use Anchor Text

This is common advice, but it bears repeating as it is important.

You can use keywords with internal links, yes, even exact match anchors are fine. Of course, as always in SEO, there’s a cap as to how far you can take it. You don’t want to end up like Matt Diggity and his ergonomic chair disaster.

Here’s a healthy link anchor distribution you can follow, boost your SEO, AND sleep well at night:

• Target anchor- 50%
• URL- 25%
• Generic- 25%

c) Use Internal Link Co-Occurrences

Google uses words around backlinks to determine the link’s relevancy. Because they don’t want to give weight to a non-relevant link.

👉 The same applies to words around internal links. The difference is that you control the words you use, so make them count for you.

[d) Your New Post Craves Authority- Give Them What They Want

Google doesn’t assign Page Rank to new posts and pages right away. In fact, they remain sterile for the first 3 months or so. And that’s one of the reasons why posts take their sweet time to start ranking for stuff.

But the thing is- it’s not their fault!

And you should help them. And here’s how:

👉 Point relevant internal links to your new post right away.

This post is about “on-page SEO”, so I’ll be combing through Lisa’s site

like this: site:inspiretothrive.com on-page SEO

And voila- several dozens of posts ready to share their link equity with their new infant brother.

Now:

Since I’m a guest here (thanks Lisa, it’s an honor), it’s up to her to link to this post and boost it quite a bit.

But this is the process YOU can apply to your site, and I suggest you do because more internal links = fewer backlinks.

The only drawback of this technique is that it can only be used on the posts you care about the most. Because you also don’t want your post to be littered with links.

#6- External linking for SEO simple checklist

2026 update: Link out to sources you’d send a client to: a primary study, a tool you use, a page that finishes the thought.

Don’t link to a Wikipedia definition your reader already knows, and don’t park 40 links in the footer and call it SEO. A few clean outbound links help trust.

Random outbound links leak attention and make the page look unfinished.

a) Put Yourself In The Same Tier As The Big Guys With A Simple SEO Checklist

You want to show Google that you hang out with the squeaky-clean dudes in your niche. The ones where if you joined Panda and Penguin together, and Panda brings his telescope, and Penguin brings his microscope, they’d still be able to find absolutely nothing.

And their eyes would hurt from so much white hat brightness.

You achieve this by linking out to mega-authority sites. It’s the single easiest way to hint to Google- ” yes, I belong”.

Pro tip

Linking out to influencers is the easiest way to start doing outreach. Everyone loves a pat on the back for a job well done.

For example, when I wrote this article on infobunny.com, I liked a bunch of influencers (including Lisa). But I didn’t do it willy-nilly. I knew I would contact them right after the fact.

Here’s my email to Lisa:

And here I am contributing to her site.

Is it just because I linked to her once? No

As per her words, I also

• shared her stuff,
• commented on her site,
• engaged on Quora,
• And I write very well (I say decent- my writing is decent, nothing special),

Bottom line– be helpful, be part of the community, give; and in due time you will receive too.

b) Don’t Link Out To Strangers or “Strange Sites”

• Porn,
• Pharma,
• Gambling,

You know it; we all do. Don’t link to any site you wouldn’t want to show to a family member.

Google takes this seriously, so when you link to the good guys, you get bonus points. When you link to bad guys, you get negative points.

c) Page Rank Is Finite- Your Link Count Should Be Too

Page Rank flows through all links, internal and external. That is true for the old PR model and the updated version.

The conclusion is simple- limit the number of links on the page.

When you waste PR on unnecessary links, you also weaken your internal links, which are supposed to be helping you rank.

Because they pass equity throughout your site and help you rank better, especially your money pages, which are typically reviews and don’t get backlinks at all.

What are unnecessary links?

Here are 3 sources of unnecessary links, and it’s up to you to decide how it applies to your site

#1- Huge Menus

A menu with dozens of links is often viewed, but its links are rarely clicked on. Those remain unused to your dismay and to the despair of every other page that wants to rank, but can’t because it doesn’t have sufficient Page Rank flowing to it.

Solution– make your menu as simple as possible and see your rankings grow across the board.

#2- Bulky footers

Take a look at this miss:

Does it look “right” to you?

It’s wrong!

Dozens of unnecessary links steal PR from other links that need it more. Don’t have a bulky footer. Make it skinny and reap the rewards of a fit-in-shape website 🙂

#3- Bad Practice Linking Out

Bad practice is anything that isn’t specific.

For example, people mention SEO somewhere on the page, so they link to Wikipedia’s page on SEO.

Those links are a waste of PR and everyone’s time because people reading SEO articles already know what SEO is. And people reading an article on, for example, building links with images know what backlinks are and don’t need to leave your site to relearn it.

Instead, use focused internal/external linking.

For example:

• If I talk about Twitter marketing, I’d link to Lisa’s article.
• If I talk about link building, I’ll link to Sandeep’s article (I recently discovered it; it’s great!).

Good practice linking is just plain good sense.

#7- Increase Your Post’s Share Potential

2026 update: Click-to-tweet is optional. What matters more: one block a person (or an AI overview) can quote, a short “do this next” list, and a graphic people can save. Set Article schema and the social preview in Yoast or Rank Math so the share card isn’t a mess.
Then promote it from posts that already get traffic. A tweet box without a clear takeaway doesn’t move 2026 rankings.

Bonus: Skip TF-IDF as a ranking hack

2026 update: You don’t need a TF-IDF tool to finish this checklist. Match the job the top results are doing, then stop.

• Cover the subtopics the ranking pages actually cover.
• Answer the query in the first screen.
• Use Rank Math or Yoast Content AI as a gap check, not a quota.
• If a phrase is only there to game a score, cut it.

Conclusion: On-Page SEO Never Seemed So Easy

Seven checks. Do them on every post you still want to rank. Then stop tinkering and ship.

For a site that’s slipping, this checklist is step two: audit and refresh first.

Have you done all of these 7 steps? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below: 👇

Disclosure: This Inspire To Thrive blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Some sections and an image were drafted with AI tools and carefully reviewed/edited by me.