SEO Checklist

Each check tells you why it matters and exactly where to look, so you are not left guessing which report to open. Most of it needs only free tools: Google Search Console, GA4 and a crawler.

Work through it from top to bottom and you will end up with a clear list of fixes, ranked by priority. The priorities are a starting point, so adjust them to what matters most for your business.

What’s included

• Setup: Search Console, GA4, Bing Webmaster Tools, a traffic baseline and rank tracking
• Technical: crawling, indexing, redirects, canonicals, Core Web Vitals and structured data
• On-page: title tags, meta descriptions, headings, alt text, anchor text and calls to action
• Content: search intent, cannibalisation, thin pages, first-hand experience and refreshes
• Links: referring domain review, broken backlink reclaim, link gaps and manual actions
• Local: Google Business Profile, consistent business details, service area pages and reviews
• AI search: AI crawler access, answer-first sections, consistent business facts and AI mentions
• Priority and status dropdowns: filter what to fix first and track your progress

How to use it

1. Make your own copy of the sheet in Google Drive.
2. Start with the Setup rows so Search Console, GA4 and a baseline are in place before you change anything.
3. Work down the list, using the How to check column to find each issue.
4. Set a Status for every row and note what you found, with the date.
5. Filter by Priority and fix the High items first, starting with your most important pages.

Tips from my client work

• Run the technical section again every quarter. A theme or plugin update can quietly undo earlier fixes.
• A Low item on your best-selling page may deserve to move up. Priorities should follow the business, not the template.
• Mark checks that do not apply as N/A rather than deleting them, so your next audit starts from the full list.
• Keep Notes specific: the URL, what you found and what you changed. It makes the next audit much quicker.

FAQs

What tools do I need to use this SEO checklist?

Most checks need only Google Search Console, GA4 and a crawler such as Screaming Frog, which has a free version for smaller sites. A few rows mention Ahrefs or Semrush for backlink and keyword data, but you can complete most of the checklist without a paid tool.

How often should I run through the checklist?

I run the full list when I take on a site, before a redesign or migration, and after a sudden drop in traffic. The technical section is worth repeating every quarter, because changes to themes, plugins and hosting can break things without anyone noticing.

Does the checklist cover AI search?

Yes. The last section covers AI crawler access in robots.txt, answer-first writing, consistent business details, and checking whether tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode mention you for your main questions.