Ultimate On-Page SEO Checklist for 2024

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the content on your page so that search engines can easily understand and include your pages in relevant search results. To effectively optimize your content for search engines, your on-page SEO techniques need to evolve to keep pace with the latest search engine algorithms and user behaviors. 

When it comes to following these best practices as you optimize your content, following an on-page SEO checklist helps to keep you in check and ensure you apply these techniques to every page you work on. So, to help your SEO efforts, we’ve put together, the Ultimate On-Page SEO Checklist for 2024 to help you stay ahead of your competitors and boost your rankings.

You can also use our On-page SEO Checker tool and let it identify all the elements needing some improvements.

Alright, let’s dive into it!

1. Meta Title

Think of meta titles as your content’s pitch to search engine algorithms and users. They give a quick summary of your page, so you need to make them count. Plus, they make a big difference in whether users click on your link in search results.

Your page’s meta title is typically the first thing users see in search results. Effective meta titles should follow all of these guidelines: 

• Include your primary keyword near the beginning of the title.
• Make each title unique and descriptive of the page’s content.
• Use power words or numbers to increase click-through rates when appropriate.
• Keep them under 60 characters to ensure they display fully in search results without being cut off.

Example meta title before optimization:

Example meta title after optimization:

2. Meta Description

Meta descriptions briefly summarize your page’s content and can influence a user’s decision to click through to your site. 

To optimize meta descriptions:

• Use 150-160 characters to guarantee the full description is displayed in search results.
• Naturally include your primary keyword and relevant secondary keywords.
• Write a clear, concise summary that accurately reflects the page’s content.
• Include a call to action to encourage clicks, e.g., “Boost your rankings today!” or “Shop now!”

Example meta description before optimization:

“Our website sells running shoes. We have many brands and styles available. Click here to see our selection of marathon running shoes.”

Example meta description after optimization:

“Find your perfect marathon running shoes. Expert reviews, top brands compared. Boost your endurance with the right fit. Shop now!”

3. Optimized Images and Videos

Using different types of media on your page is more than just making it look good or improving user experience. Optimizing your images and videos gives search engines more ways to understand and showcase your content. 

Add Alt Text

Alt text helps search engines understand the content of your images. To optimize using alt text, you should make sure it accurately describes the image content and context.
For example, instead of the alt text “shoes”,  “Cushioned marathon running shoes for long-distance endurance.” 

Use Descriptive Filenames

Descriptive filenames help search engines understand your media content. For example, renaming “IMG00001.png” to “lightweight-running-shoes-comparison-chart.png”. 

To optimize your file names, you should:

• Use relevant keywords in filenames, separated by hyphens.
• Keep filenames small but descriptive.
• Avoid using numbers or coded filenames (e.g., DSC12345.jpg).

Include Video Transcripts

If your site includes video content, create and upload video transcripts to provide additional context and improve accessibility.

Add Video Thumbnails

For the best chance of your video content ranking or showing in SERP results, add an engaging thumbnail that accurately represents the video content to encourage clicks.

4. Optimized Content

Search engines continue to improve their ability to evaluate content based on its ability to satisfy search intent and provide valuable information, so your content quality, length, and knowing your target audience are essential.

When writing and optimizing your page content, run through these guidelines to make sure your content follows them:

• Are users trying to solve a problem or learn something new? Make sure your content provides thorough answers and solutions that meet the user’s search intent.
• Use clear, concise language that’s easy for your target audience to understand.
• Include relevant data, examples, and case studies to support your points.
• Use headings appropriately to structure your content. This means using Heading 1 for your post title, Heading 2s for your main sections and Headings 3 & 4 appropriately within Heading 2 sections to structure content.
• Break up text with subheadings, bullet points, and images to improve readability.
• If you have quoted other websites or publications, link to them in your content to back up your sources.
• Aim to cover topics thoroughly, addressing various aspects and questions people may have with FAQ sections.
• Use data from our rank tracker to identify high-performing content lengths in your niche.
• Focus on providing value rather than hitting a specific word count.
• Where relevant, link to other pages on your website to connect content together and help users learn more about the topic.

After you have published your content, you should always be looking for ways to further optimize. We recommend that you review and update older posts with current information and statistics to ensure it’s as up to date as possible. Where needed, add new sections to cover recent developments in your topic and remove or update any outdated information that may mislead readers. 

Once you have made these changes, run through the guidelines above to make sure your updated content still follows on-page SEO best practices. 

5. Monitoring and Analyzing On-Page SEO Performance

A mix of tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console and our Rank Tracker, can be used to track metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, keywords and average time on page. These numbers will tell you how well your optimizations are paying off.

Make it a habit to review your top-performing pages regularly (say, every 2-3 months). Look for common elements that contribute to their success and use these insights to fine-tune your on-page SEO strategy. Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint – consistent monitoring and tweaking are necessary for long-term success.

6. Optimize for Mobile Users 

Having a responsive design that looks great on all screen sizes should be a priority. Regularly test your page’s performance on mobile devices and pay special attention to touch elements. After all, nobody likes trying to click tiny buttons on a small screen!

7. Optimize Page Speed &  Performance

If your page loads slowly, it’s not just frustrating for users, it can also hurt your search rankings. Focus on compressing images, streamlining your code, and leveraging browser caching. For longer pages, implementing lazy loading for images and videos helps to improve page speed without compromising on the quality of your content. 

8. Optimize URLs

When it comes to URLs, think user-friendly and search engine-friendly. These guidelines will help steer you in the right direction:

• Create easy-to-read and understand URLs using keywords that reflect what the page is about.
• Avoid using dates which look messy and give your content an expiration date.
• Keep URLs short and simple, ideally within 50-60 characters at most.
• Avoid using dynamic URLs which are harder for search engines to understand.

9. Add Schema Markup

Schema markup helps search engines understand all the details about your content, which can lead to those eye-catching rich snippets in search results. Focus on schema types that make sense for your content – whether that’s Article, Product, or FAQ page. And don’t forget to double-check your work with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to make sure everything’s error-free!

Advanced Strategies for On-Page SEO in 2024

Use Long-tail & LSI Keywords

In 2024, long-tail keywords are more important than ever, thanks to advancements in AI. These specific, often longer phrases might have lower search volumes, but they pack a punch when it comes to user intent and conversion potential. For instance, instead of just targeting “running shoes”, you might go for “best cushioned running shoes for marathon training”.

LSI keywords are becoming a must-have, too. These semantically related terms help search engines grasp the full scope of your content. If you’re writing about “cloud computing”, you might sprinkle in terms like “data storage,” “scalability,” and “SaaS”.

Here’s how to make the most of these keywords:

1. Use our keyword explorer to find relevant LSI terms and long-tail keywords related to your seed keyword or topic.
2. Include these keywords in your content, headers, and meta descriptions.
3. Create in-depth content that covers topics related to these keywords.

Voice Search Optimization

With more people talking to their smart speakers and virtual assistants, voice search is becoming a big deal in SEO. It’s changing how we approach content creation and optimization. 

Adapt your content strategy for voice search by including conversational long-tail keywords that mimic a person’s natural speech patterns. For example, instead of “best Italian restaurants,” think “What’s the best Italian restaurant near me open now?” These are often in the format of questions we ask voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.

Implement FAQ schema into your content to boost your chances of appearing in voice search results. This structured data helps search engines understand and use your content for voice search answers.

Use our keyword explorer and rank tracker tools to monitor the performance of these strategies. This data is gold, and it’ll help you adapt your approach and stay ahead of your competitors.

Internal Linking Strategy

Create a logical internal link structure to distribute page authority throughout your site. This means connecting related content in a way that feels natural and helpful. For example, if you have a page about “SEO best practices,” it makes sense to link it to your articles on “keyword research” or “content optimization.”

Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text for internal links to provide context. Instead of generic phrases like “click here,” opt for more informative text such as “learn more about meta descriptions.” This approach helps both users and search engines understand what to expect from the linked content.

Prioritize linking to high-value pages to boost their visibility and ranking potential. These could be your best-selling product pages or important services you offer. By linking to these pages more frequently, you’re showing their importance to search engines.

Final Thoughts on On-Page SEO for 2024

As you put the techniques from this checklist into action, keep a close eye on how your website performs using tools like our rank tracker. Remember, while optimizing on-page elements is essential for your website’s SEO success, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Pair your on-page efforts with a solid content marketing strategy and a strong link-building approach for best results. By tackling all these aspects, you’ll be well on your way to climbing the SERPs and outperforming your competitors in 2024 and beyond!Curious about how your site’s on-page SEO measures up? Our On-Page SEO Checker can provide valuable insights into your current performance and highlight areas for improvement!