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On-page SEO checklist: the checks to run before a page goes live
An on-page SEO checklist is a set of checks on one page's title tag, headings, copy, links, images and speed. Work through it for every page you publish or change, starting with search intent. Test each item on the live page, not the template, because templates often cause the errors.
This checklist is for the page itself, not the whole site. It covers the checks most likely to hold a page back, and it shows where the sources disagree, so you know which numbers to test rather than copy.
What does on-page SEO cover?
On-page SEO covers the content and HTML of a single page. It is the part of search engine optimization you control directly on the page itself. Surfer's checklist, updated 9 September 2026, describes it as optimising site elements from user experience, such as load speed and readability, to technical items such as schema markup.
On-page work does not fix a page Google cannot find. Wikipedia's entry on SEO notes that most pages are found through links from pages already indexed, and that an XML sitemap can be submitted through Google Search Console. Check indexing before you edit copy. Our technical SEO checklist covers that layer. This checklist assumes the page is indexable and asks whether it is the best answer to the search it targets.
Which checks come first?
Start with intent. A page built around the wrong question will fail every other check. Write one sentence that names the search, the reader and the action you want, then check that the title, first paragraph and main heading all promise the same thing. If the page targets a commercial term but reads like a guide, change the page before you touch the metadata.
Is the search intent clear in the first 100 words?
Put the primary keyword in the first paragraph and check that the answer appears early. Surfer's guide recommends the keyword in the first 100 words, along with the title tag, meta description, URL, headings and image alt text. Use it where it reads naturally. The first paragraph should answer the question the heading asks, not describe the page.
Does the title tag match the page?
The title tag is the headline part of the search result. Google's guide says a good title is unique to the page, clear, concise and accurately describes the contents. Put the target phrase near the front, make it specific, and make sure no two pages share the same title. Templates that generate duplicate titles are a common cause of cannibalisation, where two pages compete for one query.
Is the URL short and descriptive?
Use short, readable URL structure with hyphens between words. Surfer recommends hyphens instead of underscores, because hyphens help crawlers separate the words. Include the target phrase only if it fits. Do not change a live URL without a redirect, or you will lose the links and history it carries.
Does the page have one H1 and a logical heading order?
Use one H1 that states the page's main topic. Then use H2 and H3 headings to show the sections under it. Google's starter guide says that heading order does not matter for Search itself, but headings help people navigate. So the test is whether a reader can follow the page from the headings alone, not whether the levels match a rule.
Which checks cover the body copy?
Once the page is aimed correctly, check the copy against the questions it must answer. Use secondary keywords and related terms where they fit, and make sure each section covers one sub-topic.
Are secondary keywords and related terms used?
Related terms, long-tail variations and synonyms show a search engine that the page covers the topic in depth. Surfer's guide makes this point, and the Process Street template asks for a list of five to eight LSI keywords. Treat that list as a prompt for the subject matter, not as a quota. The phrase LSI is a tool term. Google does not publish an LSI algorithm, so the test is whether the page explains the topic fully.
Is keyword density within reason?
Check that the copy does not repeat the phrase unnaturally. Surfer suggests roughly one or two uses per 100 words, and warns that overuse can be flagged as keyword stuffing. Older guides give a density target of about 1.5%, but that figure comes from an older source and should not drive your edits. Read the page aloud instead. If a sentence repeats the phrase without adding anything, rewrite it.
Does the copy help a real reader?
Google's guide asks site owners to provide headings for navigation and to make text easy to read and well organised. Use short paragraphs, lists where the content is a list, and tables for comparisons. Surfer recommends paragraphs of two or three sentences. Check that each section answers a question a reader would ask, in its first sentence where possible.
Which checks cover links?
Links connect the page to the rest of your site and to sources that back up its claims.
Does the page link to the next useful page?
Google's guide says links are a good way to connect users and search engines to other parts of a site. Add two or three internal links to closely related pages, using descriptive anchor text. Avoid "click here". Surfer and Process Street both recommend two or three. Ralf van Veen's Dutch checklist suggests a maximum of five to seven per page. Treat that as a ceiling, not a target.
Does the page link to credible sources?
Link to reputable sources that back up a figure or a definition, and check that every link works. Process Street suggests two to four outbound links per 1,000 words. Surfer recommends linking to authoritative sources and warns against low-quality sites. A broken outbound link tells a reader the page was not checked.
Which checks cover images and media?
Is every informative image described in alt text?
Write alt text that describes the image in a short phrase. Process Street recommends keeping alt text under 125 characters and avoiding keyword stuffing. Surfer says it should be concise and informative, and may include a target keyword where it fits. Decorative images can have empty alt text. Check the alt text on the live page, because CMS plugins often leave it blank.
Do file names and video support the page?
Use descriptive file names, such as on-page-seo-checklist.webp, rather than camera defaults. For video, use a clear title, a description and captions. Surfer and Process Street both recommend captions for accessibility.
Which checks cover speed and mobile?
Does the page load quickly?
Measure the page with PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Surfer sets a target score above 90 and suggests compressing images, using WebP, lazy loading, minifying code and using a CDN. Process Street adds browser caching and removing unnecessary plugins. Check both mobile and desktop results, because mobile is where most pages lose time.
Does the layout work on a phone?
Google uses mobile-first indexing, so check the mobile version of every page. Surfer recommends testing with Google Lighthouse and using responsive CSS. Check that the main content, the call to action and the navigation are visible without zooming or sideways scrolling.
Which checks cover structured data and trust?
Is the schema markup valid?
Schema markup helps a page qualify for rich results. Use JSON-LD, match the markup to what is visible on the page, and test it with Google's Rich Results Test. Ralf van Veen's checklist recommends JSON-LD, and Process Street suggests a plugin for generating markup. Do not add markup for content a visitor cannot see.
Does the page show who wrote it?
Show an author, a date and, where it matters, the credentials behind the advice. Surfer lists author bios, expert quotes and transparent editorial policies as ways to show experience and trustworthiness. For local businesses, check that the name, address and phone number match across the site and directories. This is what Surfer calls NAP.
Which numbers should you trust?
The sources disagree on several limits. Google's guide gives no character counts, and its advice is qualitative. The table below sets the figures side by side, so you can see which ones are guidance and which are old.
| Element | Ralf van Veen (Dutch, updated Jan 2025) | Surfer (updated Sep 2026) | Process Street (undated) | Travelpayouts (updated Nov 2021) | Google's starter guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title tag | 50 to 60 characters | 50 to 60 characters | Not stated | Not more than 60 characters | Unique, clear, concise |
| Meta description | 120 to 155 characters | Under 160 characters | About 320 characters shown, trim to about 300 | About 160 characters | Short, unique to the page |
| Internal links | 5 to 7 per page at most | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3 | Not stated | Links connect users and search engines |
| Alt text | Not stated | Concise, may include keyword | Under 125 characters | Up to 15 words | Descriptive text |
| Keyword density | Not stated | 1 to 2 per 100 words | Not stated | About 1.5%, from an older source | Avoid stuffing |
Use these figures as checks, not targets. Google chooses how much of a title or description to show, based on the query and the device, so the only reliable test is the search result itself. Run a search for the page's target phrase and read the snippet as it appears. Edit only if the snippet cuts off the point or shows the wrong text.
How do you run the checklist on a live page?
Use the live page, not the draft, for these steps. The checks are much faster when you test the published version.
- Read the page as a searcher. Write down the question it answers and check that the first paragraph answers it.
- Check the title tag and meta description in the page source or your CMS, and confirm they are unique across the site.
- Confirm the URL is short, uses hyphens and has a redirect if it changed.
- Check the heading structure: one H1, then H2 and H3 headings that read well on their own.
- Add two or three internal links to related pages and check each anchor text is descriptive. Check outbound links resolve.
- Check alt text on every informative image, and compress any file over the size your speed test flags.
- Run PageSpeed Insights and Google's Rich Results Test on the live URL, then fix anything they report that affects the content.
What undoes good on-page work?
Most on-page problems come from templates and repetition, not from one bad page.
Are pages duplicating each other?
Duplicate content splits signals between pages and confuses search engines about which version to index. Surfer recommends canonical tags, sitemaps and redirects to fix it, and says the Page Indexing report in Search Console can identify duplicates. Check for duplicate titles and descriptions across the site, not just within one page.
Is the content still accurate?
Refresh older pages with new information, especially where facts change. Surfer lists not updating old content as a common on-page mistake. Put a date on pages where the answer depends on current prices, rules or statistics.
When should you hire help?
Run this checklist yourself on a few pages first. It takes less time than it looks, and it teaches you what your site's templates get wrong. If the same problems appear on dozens of pages, or the site is too large to check by hand, a page-level review by a specialist makes sense. Our on-page SEO service covers that work, and our local SEO checklist covers the local checks for businesses that serve a town or region.
01What is an on-page SEO checklist?+
An on-page SEO checklist is a set of checks on one page's title tag, headings, copy, internal links, images and speed. You run it on each page you publish or change. It works best when it is applied to the live page rather than the draft.
02What are the most important on-page SEO elements?+
Search intent, the title tag, the URL, the main heading and the first paragraph matter most. If these do not match the search, the other checks will not rescue the page. Next, check internal links and the quality of the copy.
03How long should a title tag be?+
Most guides give 50 to 60 characters, and Google's own guide says a good title is unique, clear and concise. Search engines decide how much of a title to show, so test the snippet in search rather than relying on a character count.
04How long should a meta description be?+
Sources give different limits, from about 120 to 160 characters, and one suggests trimming to about 300 to fit a published date on the snippet. The safest approach is to keep it short, unique to the page and accurate, then check the result in search.
05How many internal links should a page have?+
Surfer and Process Street both recommend two or three internal links to closely related pages. Ralf van Veen's checklist sets a maximum of five to seven. Use the number that fits the page, with descriptive anchor text, rather than a fixed count.
06Does keyword density still matter?+
Keyword density is not a ranking target. Repeating a phrase unnaturally can read as keyword stuffing, which Surfer warns can be penalised. Use the target phrase where it fits, then use related terms and plain wording elsewhere.
07Do I need alt text on every image?+
Every informative image should have alt text that describes it. Decorative images can have empty alt text. Process Street recommends keeping alt text under 125 characters, and Surfer says it should be concise and informative.
08Which tool should I use to check page speed?+
PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix are the two tools Surfer names. Check the mobile and desktop results, and fix the largest issues first, such as oversized images, unused scripts and slow hosting.
09Does schema markup help a page rank higher?+
Schema markup does not guarantee a higher ranking. It can help a page qualify for rich results, which change how the result looks in search. Test the markup with Google's Rich Results Test, and make sure it matches what the visitor sees on the page.
10Should I use the same checklist for every page?+
Use the same core checks for every page, but adapt the detail. A product page needs product specifications and reviews checked. A local service page needs the business name, address and phone number checked against the Business Profile. A guide needs its sources and dates checked.
11How often should I run an on-page audit?+
Run the checklist whenever you publish or significantly change a page. Run a site-wide review after a template change, a migration or a drop in search traffic. A quarterly review of your most important pages is a sensible routine.
12Can I fix on-page SEO without a developer?+
Many on-page changes, such as titles, descriptions, headings, copy and alt text, can be made in most content management systems. Speed fixes, schema markup and template problems often need a developer, so check the technical side before you rewrite copy.
13What is the difference between on-page and technical SEO?+
On-page SEO concerns the content and HTML of a page, such as its title, headings and copy. Technical SEO concerns how the site is built, including crawling, indexing and speed. Technical problems come first, because a page that cannot be indexed cannot benefit from on-page work.
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