Most business websites are built to look good — but not all of them are built to rank. Whether you’re redesigning your site or just tightening things up, this SEO checklist will help you catch the small things that make a big difference.
From heading structure to image optimization, these are the fundamentals every modern website should follow — and they’re easier to implement than most people think.
Table of Contents
1. Use Headings With Intention
Search engines read your headings to understand your content structure. That means every H1, H2, or H3 tag should carry weight.
Don’t let your page builder decide for you. Avoid making sections like “Contact” or “Gallery” into heading tags unless they serve a content purpose. Use paragraphs or stylized text blocks when you don’t need hierarchy.
Best practice: Use only one H1 per page (your main title), followed by properly nested H2s and H3s that include keywords where it feels natural.
2. Write Custom Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are your chance to speak directly to searchers. Google may auto-generate them, but writing your own gives you control over how your page appears in results.
A strong description can boost click-through rate even if you’re not in the top spot.
Best practice:
- Keep it under 160 characters
- Include your primary keyword
- Make it compelling and human-readable
3. Optimize Image Metadata and File Sizes
Images do more than make your site look good — they can boost or break your performance.
File size: Keep each image under one megabyte, ideally under 500 kilobytes. Use the smallest image size that still looks crisp at its display size.
Formats & compression: Use modern formats like WebP when possible, and compress everything.
CDNs: Use a content delivery network to serve images quickly across regions.
Metadata: Rename files descriptively (e.g., van-interior-build.jpg) and add alt text that includes keywords naturally.
4. Craft Effective Title Tags
Your title tag appears in search results and browser tabs. It should be concise, keyword-rich, and written to convert.
Follow the 4 U’s formula: Useful, Unique, Ultra-Specific, and Urgent.
Best practice:
- Keep it under 60 characters
- Front-load the keyword
- Make it compelling, not robotic
5. Interlink Your Posts
Internal links help search engines crawl your site and guide readers to more value. They also strengthen your topical authority by showing content relationships.
Best practice:
- Link each post to at least one or two others
- Use keyword-rich anchor text where it makes sense
- Group related content into clusters or topic clouds
6. Ensure Your Sitemap Is Up to Date
Your sitemap helps search engines find your content. If it’s outdated, some pages might not get indexed at all.
Most platforms like WordPress handle this automatically if you use SEO plugins (like Rank Math or Yoast), but it’s worth double-checking.
Bonus tip: Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console to prompt reindexing.
7. Prioritize Responsiveness
Mobile-first indexing is the default now. If your site doesn’t perform well on mobile, it will impact your rankings.
Design your site like you’re building an app — clean, fast, and intuitive. If you missed it, we covered this in detail in our post:
How to Make Your Website Feel Like an App: 7 Responsive Design Tips That Convert
8. Index Pages Manually (When It Matters)
When you publish a new blog post or update key pages, you can request indexing manually through Google Search Console. It’s a small step that signals your site is active and regularly updated.
9. Update the Last Modified Date on Pages and Posts
Keeping your content fresh tells search engines your site is active and relevant. When you make meaningful updates — like adding new info, improving structure, or rewriting sections — make sure the “last updated” date reflects that.
This small detail can increase your visibility in search results and help boost credibility with users, especially on blog posts. But don’t fake freshness — only update the date when real changes are made.
Bonus: Disavow Toxic Backlinks
Sometimes, low-quality or spammy websites will link to yours — and too many of these links can hurt your domain authority. If you spot suspicious backlinks, you can submit a disavow file to Google to prevent them from being counted.
It’s not something to do casually — but if you’ve been targeted by spammy links or past SEO mistakes, this tool helps clean things up.
Best practice: Use Google Search Console to monitor backlinks and only disavow if you see a pattern of harmful domains.
Final Thoughts
SEO isn’t about gaming the system — it’s about making your site better for users and search engines. These tips don’t require massive effort, but they do require consistency.
At Decibel Peak, we build websites like ecosystems — where every piece supports the whole. If you want your site to generate traffic, build authority, and convert visitors into clients, it starts here.
Want help auditing your current site?
Let’s talk shop.
