Website optimization, also known as search engine optimization (SEO), is a complex practice that includes your entire online presence. Its actions are cumulative, building value over time – a value that can be tracked, measured, and multiplied.
It’s also a forensic activity. Most of our clients come to us because they have a challenge, whether it’s ranking and visibility, conversions, or new markets. To provide services that actually move the needle, we need to investigate the cause.
This is why we always run an audit before building a strategy. We measure how well your site runs and how it’s built. We audit your content for performance. We also audit your off-site presence, such as your social accounts and business profiles. In fact, we review more than 50 areas!
If you’re new to online marketing and taking the DIY route, you have a lot cut out for you. It’s worth it. When you need help, we offer SEO consulting to help you stay on track.
If you’re on the other end and you’re a practitioner, we hope you find an area you’ve missed. And if we’ve missed one, let us know!
On-page SEO focuses on the parts of search optimization that live entirely on your website. Maybe you think of your site as “just a few pages,” but experienced optimizers see opportunities across site structure, content types and schema, site usability, and technical performance.
Every element, from how your pages are organized to how your content is presented and experienced, plays a role. On-page optimization will address issues such as meeting user intent, improving conversions, and improving visibility in search results. If you’re not sure where your site stands against these on-page factors, this checklist is where to start.
Technical SEO focuses on the “backend” of your website and how it displays across devices. Users and search crawlers don’t directly interact with these areas, but they feel the difference.
These elements affect how fast your site loads, how secure it is, and how well it meets user expectations. Technical SEO also ensures search crawlers can find your content, understand it, and correctly index it in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
A domain name is the address for your digital presence. It should be connected to your brand in some way, whether it’s your name (like level343.com) or a recognizable brand variation (level343seo.com). Keep the domain name short, readable, and brand-focused. If the exact brand name isn’t available, choose a variation that maintains clarity and credibility rather than forcing keywords into the domain.
An SSL certificate, or a Secure Socket Layer certificate, gives your visitors peace of mind. Most, if not all, hosting providers offer SSL protection in both free and paid versions. Your SSL certificate enforces HTTPS across the site, ensuring that any information they share with you is protected by encryption. While having an SSL certification is only a lightweight ranking signal, it’s a baseline expectation because search engines want to provide a more secure experience for their searchers.
While not essential for ranking or traffic, having Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC) gives you insight into how Google views and interacts with your site. Set up GSC using a domain property to make sure www and non-www variants are covered, and connect GA4 with conversions properly configured. Monitoring website health on GSC and tracking conversions and goals in GA are key to understanding performance and making informed SEO decisions.
To www or non-www (and http vs https), that is the question. It’s not just a matter of semantics; search engines treat these as different site versions, which means you can literally compete against yourself. As you audit your site, make sure only one version is accessible and indexable. You can do this by checking whether multiple versions load directly in the browser. Also review redirects, canonicals, and internal links to ensure they all consistently point to the same version.
Submitting and validating XML sitemaps in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools helps them crawl and index your site more effectively. Sitemaps should only include indexable URLs with proper canonicals. Larger sites should have segmented sitemaps (posts, pages, products, etc.). If your site includes a large number of images or videos, consider creating separate sitemaps for those as well.
Search engines use mobile-first indexing. This means they primarily evaluate the mobile version of your site. Mobile-first sites typically run faster, which has been shown to measurably improve user experience and engagement. Making sure your site looks good on as many devices as possible, including desktops, laptops, and, of course, mobile phones, is vital. Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights, among others, are excellent tools to see how mobile-friendly your site is.
robots.txt is a protocol that tells search crawlers which parts of a site they may crawl. It’s commonly used to control crawler access for specific directories, file types, or low-value pages (such as multiple pages in a blog category). robots.txt doesn’t keep pages from being indexed if they’re linked elsewhere, so it should never be used for security. If crawlers absolutely shouldn’t be allowed, protect your content with authentication or restrict access at the server level.
Broken links happen. Pages get removed, URLs change, and links break over time. Regularly audit your site for broken internal and external links and fix them where possible. When a page is intentionally removed, use redirects thoughtfully and only point users to pages with closely related content. In some cases, it’s also worthwhile to contact sites linking to you and ask them to update their links, helping preserve referral traffic and link equity.
Have you ever seen something like: Home > What We Do > Let Us Do It For You? Breadcrumbs make it easier for people to navigate your site and understand where they are. When implemented correctly, they can also show up in search results. Finally, they help search engines understand your site structure and page relationships better, making them well worth the effort to set up.
“Rel canonical” or “relation canonical” tags help search engines decide which version of a page is the important one in the case of duplicate content. For example, if you have an /about-us and a /company/about-us, the rel canonical should point to the version you want indexed. That canonical reference should be consistent across all duplicate or near-duplicate versions. You can read more about this in Google’s canonical guide.
Site speed and Core Web Vitals (CWVs) are key indicators of user experience. CWVs measure how fast your content loads, how stable the layout is, and how responsive a page feels to users. Tools like GTmetrix can help identify bottlenecks and opportunities, while PageSpeed Insights and GSC report performance using real-world data. Improving these metrics leads to a faster, more usable site and a better overall experience, supporting stronger search visibility over time.
While not every site requires a CDN, it’s worth evaluating as part of your performance optimization strategy. A CDN can help you speed up the delivery of your content, maintain consistent performance, and improve the stability of your Core Web Vitals. It can also reduce the risk of problems during traffic spikes or when your server gets overloaded. The Essential Guide to CDNs by Imperva is a helpful resource if you want to learn more.
Semantic SEO focuses on how search engines understand content. Beyond keywords, semantics add context to a page, helping search engines evaluate how well it represents a topic and satisfies users’ needs. An audit in this area looks at whether your site clearly covers related concepts, uses natural language, and reinforces entity relationships (for example: Cardiologist -> doctor -> healthcare).
Schema markup helps search engines provide more informative results for searchers. For example, when you search for an event online and see dates or times directly in the search results. These rich results use schema-structured data. Schema also provides search engines with machine-readable information that helps clarify what a page represents and how it should be interpreted. Review the schema types Google supports in its structured data documentation.
Open Graph and social card markup is code that allows you to better control how your content appears on Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and other social sites. This includes the title, description, and the image shown in the share. Adding this markup helps ensure your content is represented clearly and consistently when shared.
The “fold” on a page is the visible part of the page before a user scrolls. Put your important content and messaging near the top so users can quickly understand what they’re looking at and what to do next. This removes unnecessary distractions, helping them focus on what you really want them to see.
Interstitials are elements that take over the screen as soon as the page loads, such as full-screen pop-ups. These intrusive interstitials can harm user experience and have a negative impact on search visibility. If you use pop-ups, make sure they can be easily dismissed. Be thoughtful with timing and placement, as well. For example, if a visitor has never read a blog post, they aren’t likely to want to subscribe immediately upon arriving on the site.
Always keep an eye out for content that is similar to or overlapping other content across your site. This is a very common issue as sites age. Duplicate or near-duplicate content can dilute the effectiveness of your site, making it harder for search engines to determine which page to prioritize. Every six months or so, perform a content audit to identify areas of similarity and consolidate as appropriate.
Content optimization narrows in on how your content is written, structured, and presented to visitors and search engines. Visitors directly interact with these elements, and even small improvements can significantly affect user experience. In turn, a better experience has been shown to increase engagement and reading comprehension. When content is easier to scan and read, users are more likely to take action and convert.
For search engines, optimized content provides clearer signals about a page’s topic and intent. Communicating value clearly and aligning with search intent supports stronger visibility in search results.
Heading tags are bits of HTML code that help search engines understand the structure of a page. If you use a content management system, implementation is typically straightforward. Headings should reflect the content hierarchy, not for styling. They should improve scannability, accessibility, and make it easier to interpret section topics and intent.
Bullets and numbered lists help break the content into an easy-to-read format for easy consumption. They make complex information easier to digest quickly and highlight key points. Don’t use them for the sake of using them, though. Consider your content before you call it done. Ask whether the information could be clearer, more structured, or easier to understand in list form.
Alternative text, or ALT text, serves several purposes. If an image is broken, the ALT text should tell people what should be there. Another purpose is for screen readers, used by visually impaired individuals to understand image content. As well, ALT text gives search engines additional context about an image, which supports more accurate indexing in image search results.
When creating content, put as much thought into the title and description of the page as you do the content itself. These elements are often what show in the search results; writing for marketing, as well as relevance and context, is very important. Ultimately, they should be written for humans: clear, compelling, and aligned with search intent.
Keywords may seem like just a search engine thing, but people use them, too. By adding relevant keywords in your headings and content, for example, you help users quickly understand what a page or section is about. Keywords should be used naturally and intentionally so they support clarity and comprehension first. This will also help search engines interpret page relevance.
Using alternate or related keywords helps clarify meaning and context rather than ranking. Search engines evaluate topics based on how well related concepts are represented. An often-used example is the term “jaguar”. Without context, it’s ambiguous. Only once you use related terms (cat or car, for example) have you clearly communicated the content’s intent.
Rather than uploading large images and shrinking them with code, aim to have your images at the size you need. For example, if you need an image at 100×100 pixels, don’t rely on CSS to shrink it. Serving properly sized images reduces file weight, improves load times, and supports better performance across devices, especially on mobile connections.
Short, descriptive URLs are easier for users to remember, read, and share. They also help set expectations about what a page contains before it’s clicked. For search engines, well-structured URLs provide more context about page content. Avoid unnecessary parameters, numbers, or filler words. Focus on URLs that clearly and accurately reflect the page topic.
Even if search engines got smarter tomorrow, we humans still prefer URLs that make sense at a glance. Avoid smushingwordstogether, under_scores, spaces, keyword stuffing, and TitleCase. Using hyphens won’t improve rankings on its own, but it can improve clarity and readability in search results, which may increase click-through rates.
A strong headline sets expectations and pulls visitors into the rest of the content. They influence whether users click, keep reading, or bounce. If you’re lacking stickiness in your posts, your headlines are a good place to start. Clear, relevant headlines (not clickbait) support user engagement and stronger search performance.
Analytics give you a treasure trove of insight into what your audience actually wants. Data shows you which content performs well, where users spend their time, and how they move through your site. Use this data to identify patterns and preferences, then create more of what resonates with your target audience.
Always double and triple-check your content before you push the “go live” button. Don’t just check for misspellings and grammatical errors. Review formatting, spacing, headings, links, and images, too. Sometimes the content can render funky after publishing. A quick final pass can prevent avoidable mistakes that hurt readability, credibility, and user experience.
Trust signals matter. Social proof (e.g., reviews, testimonials, etc.) helps your visitors know that your brand is what you say it is. Learn more about social proof with our three-part series: What is Social Proof?, Positive vs Negative Social Proof: How to Get it Right, and 5 Types of Social Proof for Gentler Persuasive Marketing.
Along with social proof and social accounts, make sure you provide ways for people to share your content and follow you. Your website should have links to your social profiles, and your social profiles should have links to your website. While not everyone will share your content, you want to make it easy for them to do so when they want to.
Content is content, and the written word is beautiful, but sometimes you need to break it up with something more visual. However, don’t use images and videos just for the sake of using them. Even if they’re only for decoration, make sure they’re relevant to the page’s written content. They should reinforce the context rather than dilute it with irrelevant imagery.
Meeting search intent is one of the most important tasks of optimization. What do your readers need? What benefits do they get from reading your content? Too many get wrapped around the idea of ranking and forget that there are very real people reading your content. Always write for the reader first; search engines don’t purchase services or products.
Infographics can be an effective way to represent complex information in a clear, visual format. When done right, they can improve understanding, engagement, and sharability. They don’t automatically earn backlinks, but they can attract authority-building links and citations when they provide real value.
Pillar pages are groupings of pages organized by relevance, usually connected by a central page (think of a folder). For example, our blog has a category for SEO and another for social media, and we place related articles in each. Not only does this make it easier for people looking for similar content, but it also makes your site much easier to index.
Link optimization is not the same as link building. Instead of focusing on building new links, link optimization looks at how links already function across your site and beyond. This includes how other sites link to you, how authority flows between your own pages, and how you link to other sites.
When your links are optimized, search engines can better understand the relationships between your pages. It also helps users navigate and experience your site more easily. Links that are intentional, relevant, and well-structured support clarity, context, and stronger overall site performance.
Although you have links in your navigation, having links in your content that point to related pages helps improve your site’s ability to be crawled by search engines. As well – and most importantly – it helps visitors to find more information on your site.
An article about fishing can’t go wrong linking to a web page or site about different kinds of fish. However, linking to a website about cars just because your friend asked you to will only hurt your fishing site. When you do link, make sure it matches the content on your page.
The fact is, you can get used to getting your supporting information from a few select websites. Your outbound link profile, which is your supporting sources, should be relevant and credible. But continually linking to the same ones can make it seem like you’re just echoing the source.
Some content management systems (we’re looking at you, WordPress) often link your post images to an attachment page. If that’s not your intent, make sure the link surrounding the image points back to the post itself. You can also remove the link entirely if it’s posted on your own site.
Relevance is only part of it. You’ve heard “birds of a feather flock together,” or “you are who you hang with.” The same is true for the sites you link to. Sending visitors to lower-quality sites can reduce trust, context, and user perception. Who you link to helps you build credibility. Choose carefully.
Broken links on your site can provide a pretty bad user experience, whether they’re to other pages on your site or to other sites. Regularly review the status of your links and decide whether they should be redirected, updated, or are a legitimate 404.
Off-page optimization extends beyond your website and reflects how your brand appears across the web. It includes your business profiles, citations, reviews, social presence, and relationships with relevant publishers and communities.
Links, often seen as the main purpose, can be part of off-page SEO, but they should be earned through credibility and exposure, not treated as ends in themselves. The strongest off-page signals build trust, authority, and visibility over time.
Don’t just get a social account; make use of the additional real estate for your brand. Carefully fill out the profiles. Add information where you can. Add pictures on the profiles that allow them. Add links when allowed. Make each social profile read like a strong resume for your business.
If you have a local business, Google Business Profiles and Bing Places for Business are must-haves. Listings should have consistent name, address, and phone (NAP) information, and match what you have on your site. Citations support trust and discovery when they’re on sites that make sense for your business.
Outreach programs help build connections with other businesses, people, and publishers. Overall, a good outreach program focuses on building relationships with related companies and publishers and gaining additional exposure. Links from outreach programs should be viewed only as a possible outcome, not as the goal.
When done well, guest posting supports brand visibility, credibility, and long-term relationships within your industry. Providing guest content opportunities and contributing thoughtfully to other relevant sites can help expand your reach and reinforce your expertise.
Remember, it’s not all links. You ultimately want to create a strong brand that pulls people in and gets them to buy (or whatever your aim is). With this in mind, make sure your content is consistent with your brand before you send it out. Once out of your hands, the chances are small that you can fix anything.
A competitor analysis every now and again can provide you with in-depth, helpful information. In turn, that information can be used to strengthen your own website. From content gaps and SERP intent to messaging differences, competitor analyses are rich treasure troves of information.
There’s a lot that goes into website optimization, starting in the very foundational code of the website. However, never forget that the most important thing for your site is what’s best for the people reading it. Don’t ever compromise the quality of your site or content for the sake of ranking. High rank doesn’t mean anything if no one clicks on the search result, and somebody clicking doesn’t mean anything if they don’t buy.
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