Table of Contents
On-page SEO covers everything on a single page that affects how well it ranks and how clearly it communicates to both visitors and search engines. Run through this list on any page that matters to your business.
1. A unique title tag
Every page should have its own title tag, ideally under 60 characters, with your primary keyword near the front rather than buried at the end.
2. A compelling meta description
Meta descriptions don't directly affect rankings, but they're what shows up in search results and influence whether someone clicks — write one that states the specific benefit of clicking through, under about 155 characters.
3. One clear H1
Each page should have exactly one H1 heading that states what the page is about, matching (but not necessarily identical to) the title tag.
4. A logical heading structure
Use H2s for main sections and H3s for subsections beneath them, in order — skipping from H1 straight to H4, or using headings purely for font size, confuses both readers and search engines about the page's structure.
5. A short, descriptive URL
yourdomain.com/wordpress-security-tips reads better to both humans and search engines than yourdomain.com/post?id=4821 or a URL stuffed with unnecessary words.
6. Internal links to related content
Link naturally to two or three other relevant pages on your own site — this helps visitors find more of what they need and helps search engines understand how your content relates.
7. Alt text on every image
Every meaningful image needs a short, accurate description in its alt text field, both for accessibility and because search engines can't otherwise interpret image content.
8. Page speed
Run the page through Google PageSpeed Insights or check Core Web Vitals in Search Console — slow-loading pages both frustrate visitors and rank worse, especially on mobile connections.
9. Mobile-friendliness
View the page on an actual phone, not just a resized browser window — check that text is readable without zooming and buttons aren't too small or close together to tap accurately.
10. Structured data where relevant
Schema markup — for articles, products, reviews, or FAQs — helps search engines display richer results, like star ratings or FAQ dropdowns, directly in the search listing.
Key takeaway: None of these ten checks require paid tools — running through them on your most important pages once a quarter catches most of the easy wins that get overlooked as a site grows.