WordPress SEO Checklist: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Better Rankings in 2025

# WordPress SEO Checklist: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Better Rankings in 2025 Want your WordPress website to rank better in Google? You need more than just installing a good SEO plugin. With this complete WordPress SEO checklist, you'll get all the technical and content-related aspects organized. From on-page optimization to site speed - we'll cover everything you need for better rankings. ## On-page SEO: The Foundation of Every Page On-page SEO is about everything you optimize on the page itself. These are the factors you have direct control over. ### Optimize Title Tags Your title tag is the most important on-page element. It's the blue clickable text that appears in Google. A good title tag: - Contains your main keyword at the beginning - Is between 50-60 characters long - Is unique for every page - Triggers people to click Example: instead of "Homepage - My Company" choose "Plumbers Amsterdam | Emergency Service 24/7 | My Company". ### Write Meta Descriptions That Convert Your meta description is the gray text below the title in Google. While it's not a direct ranking factor, it does influence your click-through rate. And a higher CTR can indirectly improve your rankings. Write meta descriptions that: - Are 150-160 characters long - Communicate your core message - Contain a call-to-action - Include the keyword (appears bold in Google) ### Header Structure: H1 to H6 Headers give structure to your content and help Google understand your page. Use them wisely: - One H1 per page (usually your title) - H2 for main sections - H3 for subsections - Place keywords naturally in your headers - Make headers scannable and clear A [good SEO plugin](/nl/beste-wordpress-seo-plugins) like Yoast or Rank Math helps you optimize these elements. ### URL Structure: Short and Powerful Your permalink (URL) should be short, descriptive and keyword-rich: - GOOD: /wordpress-seo-checklist - BAD: /2025/01/15/this-is-my-new-blog-post-about-seo Set your permalink structure in WordPress to "Post name" via Settings > Permalinks. ### Alt Texts for Images Alt texts help Google understand what's in your images. They're also important for accessibility. Write descriptive alt texts with your keyword where relevant. ### Internal Links Link to other relevant pages on your site. This helps: - Google crawl and understand your site - Keep visitors on your site longer - Give your most important pages more authority Place 3-5 natural internal links per article to related content. ## Technical SEO: The Technical Foundation Technical SEO ensures Google can properly crawl and index your site. These are the technical aspects you need to have in order. ### Set Up XML Sitemap An XML sitemap is a file that shows Google which pages your site has. Most SEO plugins automatically generate a sitemap for you. Submit it to Google Search Console via: 1. Go to Search Console 2. Click "Sitemaps" in the menu 3. Add your sitemap URL (usually /sitemap_index.xml) ### Configure Robots.txt Your robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of your site they can or cannot crawl. Check that: - You're not blocking important pages - You're blocking admin area and theme files - Your sitemap is mentioned in the file You'll find robots.txt at: yourdomain.com/robots.txt ### HTTPS and SSL Certificate HTTPS is a ranking factor. Make sure your site has a valid SSL certificate. Most modern [hosting providers](/nl/vergelijk) offer this for free via Let's Encrypt. Check that: - Your entire site runs on HTTPS - There are no mixed content warnings - You have 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS ### Canonical Tags Against Duplicate Content Canonical tags tell Google which version of a page is the original. This prevents duplicate content issues. Good SEO plugins handle this automatically for you. ### Add Schema Markup Schema markup (structured data) helps Google understand your content better. This can lead to rich snippets in search results: - FAQ schema for your frequently asked questions - Article schema for blog posts - Product schema for products - Review schema for reviews Plugins like Schema Pro or Rank Math Pro make this easy. ### Check Mobile-Friendliness More than 60% of searches come from mobile. Google uses mobile-first indexing. Check if your site: - Is responsive on all screen sizes - Has readable text without zooming - Has buttons large enough for thumbs - Doesn't use Flash or other outdated technology Test your site with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. ## Content Optimization: Writing for People and Search Engines Good content is the cornerstone of SEO. You write primarily for people, but keep search engines in mind. ### Keyword Research: Start Here Before you start writing, do keyword research. Find out: - What your target audience is searching for - How often search terms are searched (search volume) - How difficult it is to rank (keyword difficulty) - What the search intent is (information, navigation, transaction) Free tools: Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Answer the Public Paid tools: Ahrefs, Semrush, Mangools ### Content Structure and Readability Good content is: - At least 1000 words for informative articles - Divided into short paragraphs of 3-4 sentences - Written with short sentences (max 20 words) - Enhanced with lists and subheadings - Scannable and easy to read Write actively and directly. Use "you" instead of formal language. ### Focus on Search Intent Match your content to what people are actually searching for: - **Informational**: explanation and how-to content (what is, how works) - **Navigational**: people search for a specific page - **Commercial**: comparisons and reviews (best, top, vs) - **Transactional**: people want to buy (buy, order, prices) If you rank for an informational search term but show a sales page, people will leave immediately. That hurts your rankings. ### Update and Keep Content Fresh Old content loses rankings. Update your most important articles regularly: - Add new information - Replace outdated screenshots - Check if links still work - Update the year in the title - Improve based on new keyword data Google sees that your content is fresh and rewards this with better rankings. ### E-A-T: Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness Google values sites that demonstrate expertise: - Show author information with bios - Link to sources and studies - Show certificates or quality marks - Collect reviews and testimonials - Be transparent about who you are This is especially important for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics like health and finance. ## Site Speed: A Crucial Ranking Factor Site speed is officially a ranking factor. A fast site also results in better conversions and lower bounce rates. ### Measure Your Current Speed First measure where you stand: - **Google PageSpeed Insights**: official Google tool - **GTmetrix**: comprehensive analysis with waterfall - **WebPageTest**: advanced testing with different locations - **Pingdom**: simple and clear Pay attention to Core Web Vitals: LCP, FID and CLS. These are the metrics Google looks at. ### Hosting as Foundation Your hosting is the basis of site speed. A good host can make the difference between 2 and 0.5 seconds loading time. Make sure you have: - SSD or NVMe storage (not HDD) - PHP 8.1 or higher - HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 support - Server location close to your target audience - Sufficient resources (RAM, CPU) Check our [guide for making WordPress faster](/nl/wordpress-sneller-maken) for detailed tips. ### Activate Caching Caching stores a static version of your site. This saves enormously on loading time: - **Page caching**: entire pages in cache - **Browser caching**: visitors store files locally - **Object caching**: cache database queries with Redis/Memcached Good caching plugins: WP Rocket (paid), LiteSpeed Cache (free), W3 Total Cache (free). ### Optimize Images Heavy images are often the biggest culprit: - Compress images before uploading - Use WebP or AVIF format - Enable lazy loading - Upload images in the correct dimensions - Use a CDN for faster delivery Plugins that help: ShortPixel, Imagify, Smush, EWWW Image Optimizer. ### Minimize CSS and JavaScript Reduce and combine your CSS and JavaScript files: - Minify code (remove spaces and comments) - Combine multiple files - Defer or async load scripts - Remove unused CSS and JS - Inline critical CSS Most caching plugins can do this automatically for you. ### Optimize Database Your WordPress database fills up with clutter: - Post revisions (old versions of posts) - Transients (temporary data) - Spam comments - Deleted items in trash Plugins like WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner clean this up automatically. ### Use CDN A Content Delivery Network (CDN) distributes your content via servers worldwide. Visitors load your site from the nearest server. This especially speeds up your site for international visitors. Popular CDNs: - Cloudflare (free tier available) - BunnyCDN (from €1.00 per month) - StackPath - KeyCDN ## Frequently Asked Questions **How long does it take before I see results from SEO?** SEO is a long-term investment. Count on 3-6 months for the first measurable results. For competitive keywords it can take 6-12 months. New sites need more time than existing sites with authority. **Do I need to buy a paid SEO plugin?** For most sites, a free plugin like Rank Math or Yoast SEO is sufficient. Paid versions offer extra features like schema markup, multiple focus keywords and redirects. Only needed if you're serious about SEO. **How often should I publish new content?** Quality over quantity. Better one good article per month than four bad ones. Google does value regular updates, but forced publishing backfires. Find a rhythm that's achievable: 2-4 articles per month is a good starting point. **Can I do SEO without technical knowledge?** Yes, you can do the basics of SEO without technical knowledge. Modern [WordPress plugins](/nl/wordpress/plugins) automate many technical aspects. First focus on writing good content and on-page optimization. For advanced technical SEO you can hire a specialist. **What's more important: on-page or off-page SEO?** You need both. On-page SEO is the foundation - without well-optimized content you won't get anywhere. Off-page SEO (especially backlinks) gives you the authority to rank for competitive terms. Start with on-page, then build off-page. **Should I use a different keyword for each page?** Yes, each page should focus on one primary keyword and 2-3 related keywords. This prevents keyword cannibalization where your own pages compete with each other in Google. Plan your content strategically with keyword mapping. **How important are backlinks still in 2025?** Backlinks remain one of the most important ranking factors. Quality over quantity - one link from an authoritative site is worth more than 100 spammy links. Focus on earning natural links by creating valuable content. **Is AI-generated content bad for SEO?** AI content isn't inherently bad, but Google can detect and penalize low-quality AI content. If you use AI: edit thoroughly, add your own insights, check facts and make the content unique. Google values content that adds value for people.