SEO Best Practice Checklist 

How do you get your developers to implement SEO...

I work in a large advertising agency that has both a design and development department. After a few hours explaining SEO they got it. However a few weeks later and I'd still be seeing projects whisked out without much SEO best practice? Why? Because the very nature of design in an agency means that projects are turned around within a day or even an hour - and SEO was just too cumbersome to think about. 


The solution? Well apart from banging a few heads together and peering over shoulders I decided to employ more corporate tactics and place an SEO best practice checklist in the development process.  It's not rocket science but it works and here's what it looks like...


SEO Project Development Checklist

Project Name:  

Project Manager:  

Project Client:  

Facilitator: 

Job Number: 

Review Date:


Background
Background of the project [Replace this text with a brief description of the project background. Identify the source of the project request.]
General SEO
YES NO Comments
Sitemap Square tick box Square tick box
•    Every page listed in site map
•    Add to sitemap in main navigation or footer navigation
•    Note this is different from Google Sitemap
•    All links on your site in basic link format
•    Use link code:

<a href=”http://www.mysite.com/webpage.html” title=”keyword”>Keyword
in Anchor Text</a>
W3C Compliant Square tick box Square tick box
•    Validate code at http://validator.w3.org/
AddThis Button Square tick box Square tick box
•  Include standard bookmarking and social bookmarking button on site
•    http://addthis.com/help.php
301 Redirect for Apache Square tick box Square tick box
•  Use to condense home page versions into one redirect page http://www.mysite.com/
•  Use to redirect single file or directory from old page to new page
•  Use to redirect dynamic URLs to shorter search engine friendly urls
•  Use to redirect entire site
404 Redirect Square tick box Square tick box
•  Use a custom 404 page as a safety net and will capture users who have entered an old page (file not found) still listed in the search engines. Even if a user calls for a page that doesn't exist, he/she will still end up on your site instead of seeing the ugly default 404 page
•  A well made 404 page is often a variation of the site map, along with an introductory note that apologises for the lost page, and an earnest hope that the user will find what she needs by following one of the links on the page.
SEO Index Limits
Page File Size Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max 150 kilobytes
•    Before CSS, images, other attachments
No of internal links Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max 150 unique links per page
URL Parameters Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max two parameters

Bad Example:
http://www.mysite.com/brands.php?
object=1&type=2&kind=3&node=5&arg=6

Good Example:
http://www.mysite.com/brands.php?nike
URL Depth Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max four parameters

Bad Example:
http://www.mysite.com/brands/urlone/urltwo
/urlthree/urlfour

Good Example
http://www.mysite.com/brands/urlone/urltwo
SEO HTML Tags
Title Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max 70 characters
•    Unique per page

<head>
<title>Keywords < Category – Website Title</title>
</head>
H1, H2, H3 Tags Square tick box Square tick box
•    Describes key detail in page via CSS
•    One H1 tag per page
•    Unique per page
Keyword Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    Describes key detail in page
•    One H1 tag per page
•    Unique per page
•    Max 25 keywords
•    Unique per page
•    Includes brand name & misspellings

<meta name="keywords" content="keyword 1, keyword 2, keyword 3, keyword 4, keyword 5, keyword 6, keyword 7, keyword 8">
Description Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    Max 155 characters, only 60 characters shown on search engine results page
•    Unique per page
•    Includes brand name

<meta name="description" content="Describe the page here. Do not keyword stuff and add in only primary keywords.">
Image File Name & Alt Tags Square tick box Square tick box
•    Keywords and text on graphic included in alt tag
•    Keywords included in file name
•    All individual words separated by hyphen in image file name

<img src=”keyword-keyword2.jpg” alt=”keyword” />
Internal Link Tags Square tick box Square tick box
•    Use keywords in link anchor text and not “click here”

<a href=”http://www.mysite.com/webpage.html” title=”keyword”>Keyword
in Anchor Text</a>
External Link Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    Use for multiple hyperlinks to an external domain
•    Important – use to avoid being penalised for Google link buying

<a href=”http://www.mysite.com/webpage.html” title=”keyword”
rel=”nofollow”>Keyword in Anchor Text</a>
Robots.txt file Square tick box Square tick box
•    Add in root directory
•    Name Robots.txt file

<meta name=”ROBOT NAME” content=”index,follow”/>
Meta Number Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    For use in sites with mobile version

<meta name=”contactNumber” content=”+1 617 224 4792”> // if site is a local specific site & contacting over phone makes sense
Meta Country Tag Square tick box Square tick box
•    For use in sites with mobile version

<meta name=”targetCountry” content=”UK IE”> // if site is targeted to
specific country then list ISO country codes of the same
Content, Copywriting and Site Structure
Site audit Square tick box Square tick box
•    Phase 1: Sitemap SEO audit completed
•    Phase 2: Site navigation audit completed & navigation spiderable
Keywords Square tick box Square tick box
•    Keyword research completed for site by specialist
Keyword Density Square tick box Square tick box
•    Approximately 250 words of text & 10% keyword density on key pages


General Observations
[Replace this text with information regarding the overall readiness of project initiation. This must be filled-in by the Facilitator.]


Actions


ID Action Item Assigned To Due By
[mm/dd/yyyy]
[mm/dd/yyyy]
[mm/dd/yyyy]


Comments

[Replace this text with comments.]

Approvals

Project Customer:  ___________________    Date:   ___/___/____

Project Sponsor:    ___________________    Date:   ___/___/____

Project Manager:    ___________________    Date:   ___/___/____

The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.
Peter F. Drucker 

Also See:

Links

Download PDF SEO Best Practice Checklist Download PDF
SEO Project Development Checklist