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Category: SEO

  • On-Page SEO Checklist: 20 Things to Fix

    On-Page SEO · Checklist

    On-Page SEO Checklist: 20 Things to Fix

    On-page SEO is the half of ranking you fully control — and usually the fastest to improve. Run any page against these 20 fixes, clear the ones that apply, and watch it climb. Every item says what to do and why it matters.

    20Fixes
    07Areas
    FreeNo tools needed

    You can have great content and still lose to a weaker page that’s simply optimised better. On-page SEO is what closes that gap — the titles, headings, content and links you control on the page itself, with no need to wait on backlinks or Google’s crawl schedule.

    This checklist covers 20 fixes across seven areas, ordered the way you should actually work: intent and keywords first, then the tags searchers see, then structure, content, media, links and the technical finish. Work top to bottom. If you’d rather tick these off as you go, grab the printable version from our on-page SEO checklist — this post is the explained edition of it.

    Where the fastest wins hide

    If you only have an hour, spend it on fixes 1, 4 and 12 — search intent, your title tag, and matching the depth of what already ranks. Those three move rankings more than the other seventeen combined. The rest compound on top once the foundation is right.

    01

    Get the intent and keywords right first

    Optimise the wrong page and nothing else matters. Start here.

    FIX 01

    Match the page to search intent

    Before you touch a single tag, confirm the page gives searchers the format they expect. Search your target query and study page one — if the results are how-to guides and yours is a product page, no amount of tweaking will rank it. Matching search intent is the first move, not an afterthought.

    FIX 02

    Map one primary keyword to the page

    Every page should own exactly one primary keyword, with a few related terms supporting it. Two pages chasing the same term compete with each other and split your ranking signals. Keep a simple keyword-to-URL map so this never happens by accident.

    FIX 03

    Cover the topic, not just the keyword

    Google ranks pages that answer the whole question, not ones that just repeat the phrase. List the sub-questions and related terms a reader expects, then make sure each is addressed. Depth of coverage beats keyword density every time.

    02

    Title, meta description and URL

    The three things a searcher sees before they ever reach your page.

    FIX 04

    Write a unique, front-loaded title tag

    Your title tag is the single biggest on-page click driver. Put the primary keyword near the front, keep it under about 60 characters so it isn’t cut off, and give a reason to click. Never reuse a title across two pages — our lesson on title tags and meta descriptions shows the formula.

    FIX 05

    Craft a meta description that earns the click

    The description doesn’t rank you directly, but it wins the click, and click-through feeds back into performance. Write 120–160 characters, work in the keyword, and end with a reason to click. Don’t leave it blank — Google’s auto-guess is rarely as persuasive as yours.

    FIX 06

    Keep the URL short and readable

    A clean, lowercase, hyphenated URL with your keyword in it is easier to read, share and rank. Drop dates, stop words and ID strings. And never change a URL that already ranks without a 301 redirect in place.

    03

    Headings and structure

    How you organise the page tells Google what it's about.

    FIX 07

    Use exactly one H1

    The H1 is your headline and your clearest topic signal. Use one per page, and check your theme isn’t quietly wrapping the site title in a second H1. It can echo the title tag, but it doesn’t have to match it word for word.

    FIX 08

    Build a logical heading hierarchy

    Headings should nest in order — H2s for main sections, H3s beneath them — never picked for font size. A clean heading structure helps readers scan and helps Google understand how the page is organised.

    FIX 09

    Add a table of contents for long posts

    For anything over about 1,500 words, a jump-link table of contents improves the reading experience and can earn you sitelinks in search. It also forces you to structure the piece properly in the first place.

    04

    Content quality

    This is where most rankings are won or lost in 2026.

    FIX 10

    State the answer in the first 100 words

    Both the reader and the crawler decide fast whether the page is relevant. Work the primary keyword naturally into your opening and answer the core question up front. No stuffing needed — once is enough.

    FIX 11

    Write for humans, then optimise

    Short paragraphs, plain language, descriptive subheadings, formatting that survives a phone screen. Dense walls of text lose readers before your value lands, and dwell time isn’t something you can fake. Good content optimisation serves the reader first.

    FIX 12

    Match or beat the depth already ranking

    Read the top three results end to end. Your job isn’t to match them — it’s to be visibly more useful. Add the angle, example or clarity they’re missing before you publish. That’s the difference between content that ranks and content that just exists.

    FIX 13

    Add original value — data, examples, screenshots

    First-hand material is the clearest signal of real experience, which is exactly what Google’s helpful-content systems reward. Your own screenshots, numbers and worked examples set the page apart from competitors who only summarise.

    05

    Images

    Usually the heaviest part of the page, and the most overlooked.

    FIX 14

    Write descriptive alt text

    Alt text is an accessibility requirement first and an image-search ranking factor second. Describe what the image shows, and leave decorative images with an empty alt attribute. There’s more in our image SEO lesson — and don’t stuff keywords.

    FIX 15

    Compress and name images before upload

    Images are usually the heaviest thing on the page. Serve modern formats, resize to display dimensions, lazy-load anything below the fold, and rename files descriptively first — seo-checklist.jpg tells Google more than IMG_4471.jpg ever will.

    06

    Links

    Where your authority flows, and where trust is built.

    FIX 16

    Add internal links with descriptive anchors

    Internal links spread authority and guide readers deeper into your site. Link to related pages using descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text — never ‘click here’ — and make sure every important page is reachable. Our internal linking lesson covers how to do it at scale.

    FIX 17

    Link out to credible sources

    Citing primary sources — official documentation, research, government data — builds trust with readers and quality raters. A page that backs its claims reads as more authoritative than one that simply asserts them.

    07

    Technical on-page and experience

    The finishing layer that lifts a good page higher.

    FIX 18

    Add the right schema markup

    Structured data won’t rank you on its own, but it can win rich results that take up more space and more clicks. Add Article schema to posts and FAQ schema where you have genuine FAQs — our schema markup lesson shows which types matter. Only ever mark up content that’s actually visible.

    FIX 19

    Confirm the page is fast and mobile-friendly

    Google indexes the mobile version, and page experience is a ranking factor. Check tap targets, legibility without zoom, and your Core Web Vitals in the field — real user data, not just a lab score.

    FIX 20

    End with a clear call to action

    Traffic with no next step is a vanity metric. Give each page one obvious action matched to its intent — read the next guide, download the checklist, get in touch — so rankings actually turn into results.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is on-page SEO?
    On-page SEO is everything you optimise on the page itself to help it rank and to help people who land on it — the title tag, headings, content, images, internal links and structured data. It's the half of SEO you fully control, which is why it's usually the fastest place to see improvement.
    What's the difference between on-page and technical SEO?
    On-page SEO is about the content and its markup on a single page — titles, headings, copy, images. Technical SEO is about the site as a whole being crawlable and fast — indexing, site speed, sitemaps, canonicals. They overlap around page experience, but on-page is page-level and technical is site-level.
    Do I have to do all 20 for every page?
    The content and title items apply to every page. Some — like a table of contents or FAQ schema — only fit certain pages. Treat the list as a filter: run every page against it and apply what's relevant. A blog post and a service page won't tick exactly the same boxes.
    Which on-page factor matters most?
    Search intent, followed by your title tag. If the page doesn't match what the searcher actually wants, nothing else rescues it, and if the title doesn't earn the click, your ranking never converts into traffic. Get those two right before you sweat the smaller items.
    Does keyword density still matter in 2026?
    No, not as a number to hit. Google reads topics and meaning now, not keyword counts. Use your primary keyword naturally where it fits — title, first paragraph, a heading or two — and spend your effort on covering the topic fully instead of repeating a phrase.
    How often should I run this checklist?
    Run it on every new page before you publish, and revisit older pages when their traffic slips. A quick pass on your top pages every few months catches decayed content and outdated titles before they cost you rankings.
    Can I do on-page SEO without paid tools?
    Yes. Google Search Console shows you which queries a page earns and where it ranks, and your own eyes handle intent, titles and content. Paid tools speed up keyword and competitor research, but every item on this checklist can be done for free.

    Work through it on your own pages

    Grab the printable on-page checklist to tick these off page by page, then go deeper on any fix with the free SEO course.

    Get the On-Page SEO Checklist
    Free SEO Course41 lessons — the full method behind every fix on this list. Internal linking lessonHow to connect your pages so authority actually flows. Website audit checklistZoom out from the page to the whole site.

  • How to Set Up Google Business Profile (Step by Step)

    Local SEO · Step-by-step

    How to Set Up Google Business Profile (Step by Step)

    Your profile is the most valuable free real estate Google gives a local business — it is what shows up when someone nearby searches for exactly what you sell. Here is how to set it up properly in 2026, including the video verification most new profiles now have to pass.

    Updated 2026  ·  ~9 min read  ·  Beginner

    When someone pulls out their phone and searches “dentist near me” or “best biryani in Kothrud,” Google answers with a little map and three business listings above everything else. That block is the local pack, and getting into it starts with one free thing: a properly set-up Google Business Profile.

    Most guides stop at “click verify and you’re done.” This one walks you through every step the way it actually works in 2026 — including the video verification that now catches people off guard — and shows you how to set the profile up so it is ready to rank, not just to exist. If you want the wider picture of how local rankings work, our lesson on local ranking factors is the companion to this guide; your profile is the foundation everything else sits on.

    What you’ll need before you start

    • A dedicated Google account for the business (10 minutes to create if you don’t have one)
    • Your exact business name, address and a phone number you actually answer
    • A smartphone with the Google Maps app installed — you’ll almost certainly need it to record the verification video
    • A few real photos: your storefront, inside, your team, your products
    • 15 quiet minutes at your business location for the verification recording

    Setting up your profile, step by step

    Work through these in order. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes, plus the wait for Google to review your verification.

    01

    Sign in with the right Google account

    Before anything else, decide which Google account owns this profile. Use a dedicated business account — not your personal Gmail, and definitely not an agency’s or a former employee’s. This account becomes the primary owner of the listing, so it needs to be one your business will control for years. If you already have a Google account for the business, sign into that. If not, create one first, then come back.

    02

    Find your business on Google Search or Maps

    Google retired the old standalone dashboard, so you now start from Search or the Google Maps app. Search for your exact business name. If a listing already exists — Google may have auto-generated one — you will see an option to claim it. If nothing comes up, you will be offered the option to add your business to Google. Claim an existing listing rather than creating a duplicate; duplicates are a common cause of trouble later.

    03

    Enter your real business name

    Type your business name exactly as it appears in the real world — on your signboard, your bills, your storefront. Do not add your city or your services to it. “Sharma Dental” is correct; “Sharma Dental — Best Dentist in Pune, Braces & Implants” is keyword stuffing, and it is one of the fastest ways to get suspended. Your category and content do the ranking work, not a padded name.

    04

    Choose your primary category carefully

    This is the most important decision in the whole setup. Your primary category tells Google which searches you are eligible to appear in, so it deserves real thought. Search the way your customers would, see which category your best-ranking local competitors use, and match the intent. Add secondary categories only for services you genuinely offer — one primary plus a few honest secondaries beats a long list of loosely related ones.

    05

    Set your location or service area

    If customers come to you, add your storefront address exactly as it appears on official documents. If you go to customers — home services, freelancers, delivery businesses — set yourself up as a service-area business: you still enter an address for verification, but you hide it from the public and list the cities or pin codes you serve instead. Never invent an address or use a virtual office; a mismatch here triggers suspensions.

    06

    Add your contact details

    Enter the phone number customers actually reach you on — a local mobile number is completely fine and often best for Indian small businesses. Add your website if you have one. Keep these details identical to what appears on your site and other listings, because consistent contact information is one of the trust signals Google weighs when it decides how much to surface you.

    07

    Verify your profile — usually by video in 2026

    This is where the process has changed most. For nearly all new profiles, Google now requires video verification, and it chooses the method for you — you cannot pick postcard or phone if video is what it offers. See the callout below for exactly how to pass it. Older, previously unclaimed listings sometimes still get a phone or email code, but assume video and be ready for it.

    08

    Fill in every remaining field

    A half-finished profile ranks below a complete one, so treat this as mandatory, not optional. Add your full opening hours, including special hours for festivals and holidays. Write a genuine business description. Set your opening date. Turn on the attributes that apply — wheelchair access, parking, payment methods, whether you offer home delivery. Every field you complete is a small relevance and trust signal.

    09

    Add real photos

    Profiles with genuine photos get noticeably more calls and direction requests than bare ones. Upload a clear logo and a cover image, then real shots of your exterior (so customers recognise the place), your interior, your team and your products or work. Avoid stock photos — Google and customers both reward the real thing. Come back and refresh these every quarter.

    10

    Add products, services and your first posts

    Use the products and services sections to list what you sell with short descriptions and prices where it helps. Then publish a post — an offer, an update, an event — to show the profile is active. A profile that keeps posting looks alive to both Google and customers, and posts occupy more space in your listing.

    The 2026 video verification, explained

    This is the step that trips people up, so it’s worth doing right the first time. For most new profiles Google now asks for a live video walkthrough, recorded through the Google Maps app on your phone — you cannot film it separately and upload it later, and you cannot do it on desktop.

    In one continuous, unedited recording, show three things: the area around your business (street signs, nearby shops, your building number), your own signage and entrance (ideally unlocking or entering), and proof you operate there (equipment, stock, your billing counter, tools of the trade). Aim for a steady 60–90 seconds. Google reviews it in anywhere from a few hours to a few days, then emails you the result. Fail it and you simply record again — but a clean first take saves you days of waiting.

    Pro tip

    Before you hit record, make sure your business name, address and phone number on the profile match your signboard and your documents exactly. Most video rejections are really address or name mismatches in disguise — Google can’t reconcile what it sees on camera with what you typed.

    Once you’re verified: make the profile actually rank

    Verification gets you visible. These four habits are what move you up inside the local pack, and they matter more than any one-time setting.

    Collect reviews, steadily

    Review count and how recently you got them are among the strongest local ranking signals, and nobody leaves a review unless you ask. Build a simple habit of requesting one after every completed job or sale, and reply to every review you get. We break down a repeatable system for this in our guide to a Google reviews strategy — it’s the single highest-return activity after setup.

    Keep your details consistent everywhere

    Your name, address and phone number should read identically on your website, your profile and every directory you appear in. These matching mentions are called local citations, and inconsistent ones quietly hold your rankings back. Fix the big Indian directories — JustDial, Sulekha, IndiaMART — first.

    Post and update regularly

    A profile that keeps posting offers, photos and updates signals an active business. It takes a few minutes a week and keeps you looking alive next to competitors whose profiles have been frozen since the day they set them up.

    Complete every field, then keep it current

    Hours change for festivals, you add a service, you move counter. Update the profile the same day. A profile that’s accurate and complete simply outranks one that’s stale — and it’s free to keep that way.

    Running more than one branch?

    Each physical location needs its own profile with its own address, phone and reviews — don’t try to cover several shops with one listing. Our lesson on multi-location SEO covers how to structure this without the profiles cannibalising each other.

    Common mistakes to avoid

    Almost every profile that struggles or gets suspended does one of these. Skip them and you’re ahead of most local competitors.

    Stuffing keywords into the business name“City Best Cheap Dentist” isn’t your name. It’s the number-one suspension trigger. Use your real name only.
    Using a fake or virtual addressPO boxes, coworking desks you don’t operate from, or a friend’s shop address will all eventually get flagged.
    Choosing a vague primary categoryPicking “Store” when you’re a “Bakery” throws away your strongest ranking lever. Be specific.
    Leaving the profile half-emptyNo hours, no photos, no description. Google reads incompleteness as a weaker, less trustworthy listing.
    Setting it up once and forgetting itStale hours and zero new reviews signal a dead business. A few minutes a week keeps you competitive.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is a Google Business Profile free?
    Yes, completely. Creating, verifying and managing your Google Business Profile costs nothing, and it never expires. Google makes its money from ads, not from listings, so every feature that matters for showing up in the map pack — your profile, photos, posts, reviews and messaging — is free to use.
    How long does Google Business Profile verification take in 2026?
    Most new profiles now go through video verification. Once you submit the video, Google usually reviews it within a few hours to a few days. If it is approved you get a confirmation email and your profile goes live; if it is rejected you can record and submit again. A clean first attempt that clearly shows your signage and location is the fastest route.
    Can I set up a Google Business Profile without a shop or office?
    Yes. If you visit customers instead of them visiting you — a plumber, a home baker, a freelance photographer — you set up as a service-area business. You enter your address for verification but then hide it from the public and list the areas you serve instead. Google is fine with this as long as your business is real and reachable.
    Can I use my mobile number for the profile?
    Yes, and for most Indian small businesses a mobile number is the right choice — it is the number customers actually reach you on. Use a number that stays consistent across your website and every directory, because a matching phone number is one of the trust signals Google checks.
    What is the most important field to get right?
    Your primary category. It is the single strongest lever you control for which searches you appear in. Pick the category that describes what your business primarily is, not everything it could arguably do, then add secondary categories for genuine additional services.
    Why would a Google Business Profile get suspended?
    The usual causes are a business name stuffed with keywords, an address that does not match reality, using a virtual office or a PO box as a storefront, or details that conflict with what Google finds elsewhere online. Keeping your name, address and phone number identical everywhere is the best protection against a suspension.
    Can I manage more than one location from one account?
    Yes. One Google account can manage many profiles, and each physical location gets its own profile with its own address, phone and reviews. If you run several branches, set each one up separately rather than listing all of them on a single profile.
    Do I need a website before I create the profile?
    No. A profile can rank and take calls with no website at all, and Google even offers a basic free site built from your profile. That said, linking a real website strengthens the listing, so add one as soon as you have it.

    Your profile is set — now build the local SEO around it

    A verified profile is step one. Our free local SEO checklist walks you through the citations, reviews and on-page work that turn a live profile into a ranking one.

    Get the free Local SEO Checklist
    Google Business Profile lessonThe deeper optimisation guide inside our free SEO course. Local ranking factorsWhat actually decides who wins the local pack. Free SEO Course41 lessons across technical, on-page, off-page and local SEO.