SEO Checklist – How to Optimize Your Website Yourself? Step by Step

Doing your own website SEO doesn’t require a specialist degree. It does require a plan – and consistency in following through. If you run a business and want customers to find you on Google without paying an agency, this SEO checklist is for you. You’ll find specific steps grouped into five areas: technical setup, keywords, blog content, link building, and tracking results.

Before you start – what to have on hand

Three free tools are the absolute minimum before you optimize anything.

Google Search Console (GSC) – a free tool from Google that shows you which queries your site shows up for, how many clicks you get, and whether Google can see your subpages at all. If you don’t have it yet – set up an account at search.google.com/search-console and verify your domain. It takes about 10 minutes.

Google Analytics (GA4) – shows you where visitors come from, how long they stay, and which subpages are most popular. GA4 data helps you decide what to write and what to fix.

SeoStation – a tool for tracking keyword positions in Google. You enter the phrases you care about and check regularly whether your site is climbing.

One extra thing worth installing right away: Detailed SEO Extension – a free Chrome extension. Click the icon on any page and you’ll see meta title, meta description, H1-H6 headings, canonical links, and other SEO data. Useful for analyzing your own site and peeking at the competition.

Part 1 – technical optimization

A site can have great content and strong backlinks, but if Google can’t read it properly – none of it matters. The technical layer is the foundation we start from.

Can Google even see your site?

Before you start thinking about positions and content, check one thing: whether your site is indexable. In other words – whether Google has permission to read it and show it in search results.

Open Google Search Console, go to the “Pages” tab and check how many of your subpages are indexed. If you see zeros or worryingly low numbers – something is blocking indexing. If your site is new it’s actually normal that it’s not indexed yet – you can use the Detailed SEO Extension mentioned earlier to check whether the page is indexable:

The most common causes:

• The robots.txt file contains a Disallow: / rule, which tells Google’s bots “don’t come in here”. Check it at yoursite.com/robots.txt.
• Your subpages have a noindex meta tag set – a marker that tells Google “don’t show this page in results”. You can check this with the Detailed SEO Extension I mentioned earlier, or in the page source by right-clicking, choosing View Source, and searching for the <meta name=”robots” tag.
• No sitemap (sitemap.xml) – the file that tells Google what subpages exist. It should be available at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml and submitted in Google Search Console.

If your site runs on WordPress – I recommend installing the RankMath plugin. Even the free version is enough. RankMath automatically generates a sitemap, lets you easily set meta title and description for each subpage, suggests SEO content optimizations, and gives you control over indexing of individual pages. It’s basically an SEO command center built into your WordPress dashboard.

SSL certificate – the padlock next to your address

Check whether your site’s address starts with https:// (not http://). The padlock in the browser bar means the connection is encrypted. Google has treated SSL as a ranking signal for years – sites without a certificate can be flagged as “not secure”, which scares off visitors and lowers rankings.

Most hosting providers offer a free Let’s Encrypt certificate. If your site is still on http – contact your host. Implementation takes a few clicks.

Responsiveness – the mobile version of your site

Over 60% of internet traffic comes from phones. Google primarily indexes the mobile version of a site (so-called mobile-first indexing). If your site looks bad or breaks on a phone – you’re losing positions.

Check your site on a phone. Is the text readable without zooming? Are buttons big enough? Does anything “spill” off the screen? You can do a quick test in your desktop browser – press F12, then click the phone icon in the top-left corner of the dev tools. You can also use a Chrome extension that emulates how pages look on phones Mobile Simulator – responsive testing tool.

Loading speed

Go to PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) and enter your site’s address. The tool scores performance from 0-100 and shows specific issues to fix.

You don’t need a score of 100. But if you’re below 50 – it’s worth taking action. The most common culprits are oversized images (they should be compressed and in .webp format), too many plugins (on WordPress), and no caching (the WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache plugin solves this fast). The server itself is a VERY important factor here – I wholeheartedly recommend hostido with a plan that includes REDIS Cache – a very fast Polish hosting provider with a great price.

404 errors

A 404 page is what users see when they click a link that goes nowhere. A few of these aren’t a problem. The issue is when important subpages – like an offer page or blog post – return a 404.

In Google Search Console, in the “Pages” tab, you’ll find a list of pages with errors. Fix them with 301 redirects to the right addresses, or just repair the broken links.

Mini technical checklist

• The site is indexable (no robots.txt block, no noindex)
• Sitemap.xml exists and is submitted in GSC
• SSL is active (https://)
• The site is responsive (looks good on a phone)
• PageSpeed Insights – score above 50 (ideally above 80)
• No critical 404 errors on important subpages
• SEO plugin installed and properly configured (e.g., RankMath for WordPress)

Part 2 – keywords and site structure

Keywords are the phrases your potential customers type into Google. If you run a plumbing business in Chicago – someone is searching “plumber Chicago”, “burst pipe emergency Chicago cost”, or “kitchen faucet replacement how much”. Each of these phrases is a potential customer. Provided you have a subpage on your site that answers it.

How to pick the phrases to target?

Start with common sense. Write down 10-20 phrases you think customers type when searching for your service or product on Google. Then verify them with data.

Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account – you don’t need to actually run any campaign) shows monthly search volume and how competitive a phrase is.

The golden rule: at the start, target long-tail phrases. Instead of “plumber” (massive competition) – “plumber Chicago Lincoln Park pricing”. Fewer people search for it, but those people are closer to a buying decision. And it’s easier to break into the TOP 10 for that kind of phrase.

One subpage = one main keyword

Each subpage on your site should target one main keyword. The home page – a brand and general phrase. A service page – a specific service. A blog post – a specific customer question.

Don’t try to rank a single subpage for ten different phrases at once. Google “gets confused” and doesn’t know what the page is actually about.

Each page has only one H1

This is a basic rule that many people forget. The H1 heading is the page title – there should be exactly one on each subpage. It contains the main keyword and tells Google (and the reader) what the page is about.

Easy to check – open Detailed SEO Extension on any subpage and click the “Headings” tab. See two or three H1s? That’s an error – fix it in the page template or content editor.

Below the H1, use H2 headings for main sections and H3 for subsections. This hierarchy organizes the content and helps the search engine understand the structure of the information.

Meta title and meta description – your business card in Google

Meta title is the title you see in search results – that blue, clickable line of text. It should be up to 60-70 characters, contain the main keyword, and encourage the click. Don’t force the company name in – unless your brand is well-known.

Meta description is the gray text under the title in results. Up to 155-160 characters. Google doesn’t always display it (sometimes it generates its own snippet), but it’s worth filling in. A well-written description boosts click-through rate (CTR), and that indirectly affects positions.

In RankMath, you edit both elements directly under the content editor – with a preview of how they’ll look in Google.

Note: Sometimes Google picks the title or meta description on its own, despite a manually set one.

Topical map – a content plan

Before you start writing blog articles (more on that in a moment), it’s worth creating a topical map. It’s nothing more than a plan of topics that cover your industry – from broad to specific. With it, you don’t write random posts but build a coherent content network where every article reinforces the others.

Example: if you run a coffee shop, your topical map might look like this – “types of coffee” as the main topic, and under it: “arabica vs robusta”, “how to brew coffee in a Chemex”, “which coffee grinder to choose”, “what does single origin mean”. Each of these is a separate blog post that links to the others and to your offer page.

Part 3 – the company blog as a visibility engine

You have a company website with “About”, “Offer”, “Contact” pages and… that’s it? Google sees a static site that gives it no reason to come back. A blog changes that. Every new post is a new subpage, a new phrase, a new chance to show up in search results.

Why does a company blog build positions?

Google favors sites that regularly publish valuable content. When you write articles answering real customer questions, you build something SEO specialists call topical authority. The point is for Google to “see” that your site is a credible source of information in a given field.

One article won’t change anything. Ten articles on related topics – now we’re talking. Thirty thematically coherent posts with sensible internal linking – that’s the level where you start to outrank competitors who don’t blog at all.

What to write on a company blog?

Don’t write “about the company” and don’t praise your products in every post. Write about your customers’ problems.

Think about it: what questions do your customers ask you over the phone, by email, in Facebook messages? Each such question is a ready-made article topic. “How much does window replacement cost?” – article. “What paint color should I pick for the living room?” – article. “Is a heat pump worth the investment?” – article.

A few proven formats that rank well:

• How-to guides – “How to choose X”, “How to do Y step by step”
• Comparisons – “X vs Y – which is better for your business?”
• Question answers – “How much does…”, “Is it worth…”, “When to replace…”
• Lists – “7 mistakes when…”, “5 ways to…”

AI as an assistant, not the author (!)

Writing blog content takes time. AI tools can help – but use your head.

For writing assistance I recommend Claude (claude.ai). It’s an AI model that handles English well and can help draft articles, polish style, and brainstorm headlines. Worth digging into its features – things like Skills (ready-made instruction sets for specific tasks; Claude even has a skill for creating your own skills ;)) or Knowledge base (you can “feed” it materials about your industry so it writes more accurately).

For research – besides Claude itself – check out Perplexity Pro. It works like a search engine, but instead of a list of links it gives you a ready, sourced answer. You can pick up the annual subscription much cheaper on g2a.com – if you know, you know 😉

But – and this matters – don’t hand the whole job over to AI. Treat these tools as an assistant for research and first drafts. The final content should carry your expertise, your experience, your opinions. Google is getting better at spotting “empty” AI-generated content. And your customers even more so.

One more thing: always fact-check. AI is capable of making up data, statistics, even quotes. Verify every number and every fact at the source – or just rely on what you know from your own practice. Your industry knowledge is worth more than the best prompt.

Blog article structure – mini checklist

• One H1 with the main keyword
• Article summary / a substantive “quick answer” to the question in the article title in the first paragraph (ideally containing the main keyword in bold and italics)
• H2 and H3 headings split the text into logical sections
• Meta title up to 60-70 characters with the keyword
• Meta description up to 155-160 characters, encouraging the click
• Internal linking – within the article you link to other posts and subpages on your site
• Alt attribute on images – every image has an alt description (tell Google what’s in the picture)
• The text is substantive and grounded in your knowledge (not just AI generation)
• Extra elements like valuable graphics, screenshots, tables, or lists

Part 4 – link building, or links from external sites

Technical optimization and content are half the success. The other half is signals from outside – links pointing to your site from other websites. Google treats every such link as a kind of recommendation: “Hey, this site is worth attention”.

But not every link is created equal. One link from a valuable, topical portal is worth more than a hundred links from random, low-quality sites.

How does Google evaluate links?

Imagine you run a renovation company. A link to your site from a popular construction and renovation portal is like a recommendation from a recognized expert. A link from a random hamster-breeding blog gives you almost nothing – and might even look suspicious.

Google takes into account:

• Topicality – is the linking site from your industry or thematically related?
• Domain authority – does the linking site itself have a good reputation in Google’s eyes? (you can check this with the DR parameter in Ahrefs / Ahrefs also offers a free Ahrefs SEO Toolbar extension)
• Organic traffic – do real people from Google visit that site? If yes, Google values it
• How the link is placed – is the link naturally woven into the content, or shoved into a footer or a list of a hundred other links?
• Anchor text – the text the link is “attached to”. If you run a plumbing business and the anchor reads “plumber Chicago” – that signals to Google what your site is about

Sponsored articles on content portals – the most effective form of link building

The best method for getting valuable links is publishing articles on topical portals. The pattern is simple: you write (or commission) a substantive article that goes live on an external portal with organic traffic and good SEO metrics. Inside the article is a link to your site.

Such an article sits in context – Google sees that the link comes from valuable content on a thematically related site and treats it as a recommendation.

What to look for when choosing a portal:

• Topic – the portal should be tied to your industry or at least broadly related. Construction firm → portal about renovation, real estate, home building.
• Organic traffic – the portal should have real readers from Google. A site with zero traffic won’t pass much value to you.
• Content quality – browse other articles on the portal. Do they look like solid material, or a pile of spam? If you see dozens of short, unrelated promotional posts – steer clear.
• Domain metrics – DR (Domain Rating), organic traffic, number of TOP 100 keywords. You can check this in Ahrefs or in free tools that give ballpark numbers.

Where to find such portals? There are platforms that broker sponsored publications, gathering offers from hundreds of publishers in one place – you filter by topic, metrics, and price. We at SEO MAG offer sponsored publications on 440+ high-quality content sites – but regardless of which source you use, watch out for portal quality and topical fit.

Other ways to acquire links

Sponsored articles are the most effective method, but not the only one. It’s worth diversifying your link profile – Google likes naturalness.

Industry directories and NAP listings – NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone. Add your business to industry directories (e.g., trade portals, local business directories). Links from those are usually nofollow (they don’t pass “SEO juice” directly), but they build consistency of information about your business across the web, which matters especially for local SEO.

Social media profiles – Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google Business Profile. Their links are nofollow, but they diversify the link profile and drive traffic.

Guest posting – writing guest articles on industry blogs. You pitch the blog owner a valuable article in exchange for placing a link to your site in it. Solid approach, though it takes time to build the relationships.

Forums and comments – careful here. Genuine participation in industry discussions can give you a link and build the brand. But mass-spamming forums with “great site, check out mysite.com” – that’s a fast track to a Google penalty.

Local portals and online newspapers – if your business does something interesting locally, local media will gladly write a brief about it. A link from a local news portal is very valuable.

What NOT to do – mistakes that can hurt

Link building is an area where it’s easy to shoot yourself in the foot. A few mistakes I see most often:

Buying hundreds of cheap links “in bulk” – “500 links for $15” packages are a road to nowhere. Such links usually come from link farms – sites built solely to sell backlinks. Google recognizes them easily and can ignore them or even penalize the site they point to.

Same anchor every time – if every link to your site has the anchor “plumber Chicago cheap”, it looks unnatural. A natural link profile mixes things up: company name, URL, keywords in different forms, generic anchors like “here”, “this page”, and so on.

Links from sites completely off-topic from your site – a link to a construction company from a cooking blog gives you almost no value. It can even look fishy.

All links from one source – if you have 50 links and they all come from one domain, that’s a signal to Google that something is off. Diversify – 10 links from 10 different domains is better than 50 from one.

Mini link-building checklist

• You regularly (e.g., once a month) acquire 2-5 links from topical portals
• The portals have real organic traffic and a topical match with your industry
• Anchors are varied (brand, keywords, URL, generic)
• The link profile is diversified (sponsored articles, directories, social media, guest posts)
• You don’t buy cheap “bulk” links
• You check portal quality before publishing an article on it

Part 5 – tracking and patience

How to track progress?

Google Search Console – check the “Performance” tab regularly. Compare month-over-month periods. A growing number of impressions is a good sign – even if clicks are still few.

SeoStation – track positions for the 20-30 most important phrases. Check weekly or every two weeks. Don’t panic when a position drops a few spots – those are normal fluctuations. React when the drop is large and persists for 2-3 weeks.

Google Analytics – track organic traffic. Is it growing? Which subpages bring the most visitors? That data tells you which topics to develop on the blog.

What to do when results aren’t showing? Above all – don’t panic and don’t change strategy every week. SEO needs time. Do check, however:

• Are the articles indexed? (GSC → paste the URL and check)
• Are your target phrases too competitive at the start? (maybe start with easier ones)
• Are the links you’re getting from valuable sources?
• Does the content actually answer user questions?

FAQ – frequently asked questions about DIY SEO