SEO in 2026 is about more than just keywords. Google's algorithm now weighs Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, structured data, and content quality signals just as heavily. Use this 15-point checklist to audit any page — or run it through our free SEO Analyzer for an instant score.

Meta & Head Section (5 checks)

1. Title tag (50-60 chars): Must include primary keyword near the beginning. Avoid truncation in SERPs. Format: "Primary Keyword — Brand Name".
2. Meta description (120-155 chars): Include primary + secondary keywords. Write a compelling reason to click. Google rewrites ~70% of descriptions but a good one still helps CTR.
3. Canonical URL: Every page needs a self-referencing canonical tag. Prevents duplicate content penalties when the same page is accessible via multiple URLs.
4. Open Graph tags: og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url, og:type. Required for social sharing previews on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and messaging apps.
5. Robots meta: Explicitly set index/noindex and follow/nofollow. Don't rely on defaults — Google's interpretation of defaults can change.

Content Quality (4 checks)

6. H1 tag (exactly one): One clear H1 per page. Must include the primary keyword. No multiple H1s or missing H1s.
7. Heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3): Don't skip levels. Each H2 should have a distinct subtopic. Use H3s for details under H2s.
8. Content length (300+ words): Pages under 300 words are considered "thin content" by Google. Aim for 800-2000 words for informational pages.
9. Internal + external links: At least 2-3 internal links to related pages. At least 1 external link to an authoritative source. Don't use generic anchor text like "click here."

Technical SEO (3 checks)

10. Mobile responsive: Viewport meta tag present. Text readable without zooming. Touch targets at least 44px. No horizontal scroll on mobile.
11. Page speed (LCP under 2.5s): Largest Contentful Paint should load within 2.5 seconds. Compress images, minify CSS/JS, enable caching.
12. HTTPS enforced: All traffic should redirect to HTTPS. Mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages) triggers browser warnings.

Structured Data & Advanced (3 checks)

13. JSON-LD structured data: At minimum: Organization or WebSite schema. Add Article, FAQ, HowTo, or Product schema where relevant. Validate at schema.org validator.
14. XML sitemap: Include all important pages. Set appropriate priority (0.7-1.0) and changefreq. Submit to Google Search Console.
15. Breadcrumb navigation: Both visual breadcrumbs AND BreadcrumbList schema markup. Helps Google understand site structure and shows rich results in SERPs.

How to Check All 15 in 30 Seconds

Paste your URL into our free SEO Meta Analyzer. It checks all meta tags, headings, structured data, and gives you a score out of 100 with specific fixes for every issue found. Most pages fail 3-5 of these checks on first audit.