The Ultimate SEO Checklist for 2025

In today’s digital landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) has become the cornerstone of online success. With Google processing more than 16.4 billion searches per day and search contributing around 68% of all trackable website traffic, the importance of a solid SEO strategy cannot be overstated.

As Greg Bernhardt, an SEO strategist at Shopify, puts it: “SEO is an excellent form of inbound marketing, where the consumer has a need and finds you for the solution. SEO is about positioning your web content to communicate the relevance and value of your offering to search engines, who can then better pair the search they receive with the solution you offer.”

But how exactly do you optimize your website for SEO? Whether you’re running a blog or an online store, this comprehensive SEO checklist will guide you through the entire process, helping you climb the search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more organic traffic to your website.

Why SEO Matters for Your Business

For your business to succeed in the digital world, you need to get your website as high up on the search engine results page as possible. Consider this: the first result for a given Google search gets 27.6% of all clicks in 2025. While it may take time and consistent effort, even new sites can rank on Google with the right SEO strategy.

SEO Basics Checklist

Simply buying a domain and setting up a website doesn’t make that site SEO-ready. Here’s a basic SEO checklist to get you started on the right foot.

1. Set up Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that allows website owners to monitor their site’s organic Google traffic, track search performance, and discover issues that could prevent their site from ranking. To get started:

Head to the welcome page to create your Google Search Console account
Verify your domain so Google can be sure you own the website before it provides you services
Once verified, you’ll have access to valuable data about your site’s performance in Google search

2. Set up Bing Webmaster Tools

While Google dominates the search market, Bing still captures a significant portion of searches. Bing Webmaster Tools is a free Microsoft service that lets you add your store to the Bing crawler:

Open a free Bing Webmaster account by going to the signup page
Add and verify your website to appear in Bing search results
Use the tools provided to monitor your site’s performance in Bing

3. Submit a Sitemap

A sitemap tells Google and other search engines about your site’s organization. It’s essentially a roadmap that helps search engines discover and index all the pages on your website:

All Shopify stores automatically generate a sitemap file, which lists your website’s individual pages
If you’re using WordPress, install the Yoast SEO plugin to create a sitemap
Shopify store owners can access their sitemaps through www.yourstore.com/sitemap.xml
Submit your sitemap to Google through Search Console, and to Bing through Webmaster Tools

4. Set up Google Analytics

Google Analytics shares data about how visitors interact with your website. Once installed, you can segment overall visitors to monitor how they engage with your website after arriving through a search engine:

Set up a Google Analytics account and add your web property
Add a data stream by inserting the Google tag ID into your CMS-hosted website
Start tracking important metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and conversion rate

5. Check that Your Site is Indexed

Your website needs to be indexed by a search engine to appear in search results. To check if your site is indexed:

Perform a site search (i.e., site:yourdomain.com)
If nothing shows up, your site isn’t indexed yet
Remember that indexing can take a week or more after submitting the sitemap
Keep in mind that Google can’t crawl or index password-protected pages
Stores running on a free Shopify trial are crawled and indexed, but you must upgrade to a paid plan after the trial or your store will be deindexed

6. Consider SEO Tools

Keeping up with algorithm changes, rankings, and competitor keywords is challenging but necessary for online businesses. Consider using these tools to streamline your SEO efforts:

Paid SEO tools:

Moz: A lower-cost option that offers a full SEO marketing suite, including great keyword research tools
Ahrefs: A complete SEO tool suite for audits, research, tracking, and more
Semrush: Another comprehensive SEO tool for tracking keywords, exploring competitor sites, and more
KeySearch.co: An inexpensive tool for simple keyword research

Free SEO tools:

Surfer Chrome plugin: Generates free search data and content guidelines
Keyword.io: Offers free keyword suggestions
Screaming Frog: For finding crawl errors on your site
MozBar: For on-the-go SEO research
Google Ads Keyword Planner: For searching keywords for ad campaigns

Keyword Research Checklist

Keyword research uncovers the words and phrases your target audience is searching for. Here’s how to find the right keywords to target on your website:

7. Conduct Keyword Research

Use keyword research tools from Moz, Ahrefs, or Semrush to identify which words your target customers use when searching for products or services like yours:

Start with a seed keyword (e.g., “best gifts for moms” if you’re selling gifts)
These tools will present you with a list of related keywords

When shortlisting keywords, pay attention to:

Search volume: How many people search for the keyword each month
Keyword difficulty: How easy it will be to rank for your chosen phrase (typically scored out of 100)
Commercial viability: Does the keyword match what you’re selling?

8. Analyze Competitors’ Keyword Rankings

You can learn a lot about SEO from competitors who’ve already done the background research to identify keywords:

Enter your competitor’s URL into an SEO tool like Semrush or Moz
Review the list of keywords that your competitors are ranking for
Note which position each URL sits at for the corresponding keyword
Identify opportunities to target keywords where competition is less fierce

9. Map Search Intent for Each Keyword

Now that you’ve got a list of keywords to target, it’s time to map them to search intent:

Shortlist phrases your target audience is most likely to search for
Determine the search intent for each keyword (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional)
Map keywords to content types (product pages, categories, blog posts, homepage)

For example, an aromatherapy shop might create:

A collection page for citrus essential oils (lemon, lime, grapefruit)
Another collection for essential oil bottles (glass, roller, spray)
Articles targeting long-tail keywords related to questions about essential oils

On-page SEO Checklist

On-page SEO means optimizing individual pages on your website with the aim of increasing their search visibility. Follow this checklist to ensure your webpages are maximally optimized:

10. Optimize Heading Tags

Heading (H1) tags are the main headline for a page and usually contain the page’s main keywords:

Include just one H1 tag per page
Make sure your H1 contains your primary keyword
For example, a product called “Lemon Drop Bliss” might have an H1 of “Lemon Essential Oil”
Note that Shopify page titles are the default H1 tag for pages created through Shopify

11. Write Compelling Title Tags

Title tags—the blue clickable links that appear in the SERP—need to convince users to visit your page over the other options:

Write compelling page titles for humans, not just search engines
Keep your title tag less than 60 characters (40-60 characters have the highest click-through rate)
Include your main keywords near the beginning
Clearly describe the content on the page and make it interesting enough to click

12. Optimize Your Meta Description

A meta description is the small snippet of text that appears below your title tag in the SERP:

Clearly describe the content on the page
Make it compelling enough to encourage clicks
Include your target keywords at the beginning of your meta description
Aim for 155-160 characters, as longer descriptions may get truncated

13. Include a Keyword in Your Page URL

A URL tells search engines about the content on your page. Best practices include:

Make URLs readable (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/pink-socks)
Use hyphens, not underscores (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/pink-socks)
Include target keywords (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/mens-yellow-socks)
Keep URL structures simple and easy to understand

If you need to change a URL structure, set up redirects from the old URL to the new one to preserve SEO value. Shopify usually does this by default.

14. Write Descriptive Alt Text for Images

To ensure your photos appear in image results and make your site more accessible:

Name each image file something descriptive (not “83798.jpg”)
Write descriptive alt text explaining the picture
This helps search engines understand image content and makes it accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired

15. Add Schema Markup

Schema markup helps Google understand your website content by structuring data so page information can appear directly in SERPs:

This can increase click-through rates and website traffic
Shopify automatically generates product schema for merchants
Apps like Judge.me can collect customer reviews and display an aggregate rating
Consider consulting a website developer for more complex schema implementation

Content Checklist

As Jake Munday, co-founder of Custom Neon, says, “Relevant, interesting, useful, or even fun content on your site actively encourages visitors to hang around longer, ultimately helping to improve search engine rankings.”

16. Create a Content Marketing Strategy

Developing a full-fledged content marketing strategy takes time, so prioritize starting with your product and collection pages:

Consider where your audience is (Google, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
Brainstorm customer questions about your products or product category
Use keyword research tools to match questions with search terms
Create content that helps customers get more value out of your products

17. Format Content for Readability

Make it easy for readers to find what they need:

Add a table of contents with jump links
Use multimedia such as infographics, videos, or charts to break up text
Break up sections using bullet points
Use Hemingway to diversify short sentences and paragraphs
Add subheadings to help readers scan
Include an FAQ section

While longer content tends to rank better (the average Google top 10 result contains 1,447 words), quality is far more important than quantity. Don’t add fluff just to increase word count.

18. Fix Duplicate Content

Duplicate content makes it difficult for search engines to determine which page to rank:

Write original product descriptions instead of using manufacturers’ descriptions verbatim
All content on your website should be original and unique
If you can’t avoid duplicate content on dynamic pages, use canonical URLs to tell Google which page to prioritize
Use noindex and nofollow tags to tell Google not to index specific pages

19. Create Specialized Collection Pages

A landing page is a single URL that covers one topic in great depth:

Organize information and streamline how readers find what they want
Optimize these pages for keywords and format to improve SERP placement
Consider creating product collections optimized for low-difficulty keywords
Create backlinks for these collections and internally link to them from blog posts to establish topical authority

Technical SEO Checklist

Technical SEO ensures a good user experience for your readers and accessibility for search engine crawlers:

20. Create an Internal Link Strategy

Internal linking involves linking from one page to another within your own website:

Link pages of specific topics to other pages with relevant content
This helps search engines recognize your topical authority and categorize your content
For ecommerce stores, show related products when a visitor is on your product pages
For blogs, internally link to pieces that dive deeper on a specific topic
Ensure every page on your site is accessible from your homepage or within a few clicks

21. Optimize Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable text over a link. Search engines use this to understand the context of the page link:

Diversify your strategy with a balance of anchor text types
Use exact match (e.g., “blogging tools”)
Include partial match (e.g., “small business blogging tools”)
Add related terms (e.g., “tools for bloggers”)
Incorporate branded terms (e.g., “Shopify blogging tools”)
Consider page titles (e.g., “Best blogging tools for 2025”)

22. Build a Global Navigation Menu

Your website’s navigation holds the most important links in your online store:

These links tell visitors which pages are important
For SEO, navigation links tell crawlers the important pages on your site
Common types include single-bar navigation, double-bar navigation, and dropdown navigation
Link to your most important collection pages and popular products

23. Check if Your Store is Mobile-friendly

Mobile responsiveness is crucial for SEO:

If your pages load slowly or your site isn’t mobile responsive, Google is less likely to recommend your website
All pages need to be readable on mobile and desktop
Test your website on multiple devices and browsers
Ask friends and family to check your site on their smartphones and provide feedback

24. Ensure Your Store is Fast

Site speed is a ranking factor for both desktop and mobile searches:

Run your site through PageSpeed Insights to get Google’s recommended performance-enhancing tweaks
Compress images to reduce load time
Minimize unnecessary scripts and plugins
Consider using a content delivery network (CDN)
Optimize your server response time

25. Fix Broken Links

Search engines index websites through bots that “crawl” a website and its pages:

Use Google Search Console to check for crawling errors or broken links
When a page becomes inactive, redirect it to another relevant page on your site
This prevents visitors from ending up on dead links and preserves SEO value

26. Improve Your Core Web Vitals

Google Core Web Vitals (CWV) measure the user experience of your website:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance (should occur within 2.5 seconds)
First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity (should be less than 100 milliseconds)
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability (should be less than 0.1)

A good ecommerce platform can help manage content delivery and improve Core Web Vitals. Shopify stores are reportedly 1.8 times faster than stores on other platforms.

Off-page SEO Checklist (Link Building)

When another website links to yours, it tells Google that the linking website trusts your website. This builds domain authority—a key metric in how competitive your website is when trying to rank for certain keywords.

27. Analyze a Competitor’s Backlink Profile

Tools like Moz’s Link Explorer and Ahrefs Site Explorer let you explore your competitors’ off-page links:

Determine why these sites linked to your competitors
Identify what made their pages worthy of a link
Look for trends you can apply to your site
Create content that appeals to potential backlink partners

28. Write Guest Posts

One of the best ways to build backlinks is through partnerships:

Identify potential partners who could provide value to your audience
Search for websites seeking external contributors
Find guest posting opportunities using search terms like “[niche] + ‘write for us'” or “[niche] + ‘contribute'”
Provide valuable content in exchange for backlinks

29. Secure Press Mentions

Journalists are always looking for news to cover:

Enter awards or competitions
Distribute press releases
Promote a social cause
Send product samples to writers
Respond to journalist requests through platforms like Qwoted or Help a B2B Writer

30. Reclaim Brand Mentions

If your brand is already getting mentioned online:

Use a brand monitoring tool to find “unlinked” mentions
Politely ask the writer or publication to convert the mention into a link
Set up alerts for new brand mentions
Ahrefs offers this feature within its Content Explorer

Local SEO Checklist

If you have a brick-and-mortar business, local SEO is essential for helping customers in your area discover your retail locations:

31. Set up a Google Business Profile

Google Business helps customers find you across Google Search and Maps:

Go to the signup page and enter basic information about your business
Include your business name, category, location, and contact details
Optimize your Google Business page with photos, business hours, and services offered

32. List Your Store on Major Directories and Platforms

Web directories can improve your website’s searchability:

Facebook
Apple Maps
Google My Business
LinkedIn Company Directory
Bing
Yelp
Better Business Bureau
Foursquare
Yellow Pages
Angi (formerly Angie’s List)

33. Fill Out Your Contact Us Page Thoroughly

Your Contact Us page builds trust and attracts local customers:

Include your name, address, and phone number
Keep information consistent across all platforms
Update the page with any changes to hours or location
Include an embedded map if possible

34. Consider City-specific Landing Pages

If you have physical locations in multiple cities:

Create unique landing pages for each region
This makes it easier to rank for individual market areas
Develop location-specific copy for each landing page
Avoid creating barebones, unhelpful pages that might trigger Google penalties

Ecommerce SEO Checklist

For online stores, SEO is one of the most sustainable ways to drive potential customers to your website:

35. Optimize Product Descriptions

Product descriptions communicate your products’ value:

Write unique SEO copy for each product page
Include variants in your descriptions
Use bullet points, highlighted text, and heading tags to improve readability
Include long-tail keyword variations (e.g., “cotton leopard print jeans,” “ladies leopard print jeans”)

36. Collect Customer Reviews

Reviews build credibility and trust:

Make a conscious effort to collect and display customer reviews on product pages
Show Google and potential buyers that your products are genuine and well-received
If you’ve added schema markup, review ratings can appear in the SERP
Use apps like Yotpo or Judge.me to automate the review collection process

37. Add High-quality Product Visuals

Visual content can drive traffic through image search:

Upload high-quality product visuals including videos, pictures, and GIFs
Compress image file sizes to maintain fast load speeds
Name files appropriately with descriptive, keyword-rich filenames
Consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure fast load speeds

Advanced SEO Checklist

SEO is constantly evolving. Here are some advanced tactics to stay ahead of the competition:

38. Optimize for Zero-click Searches

More than half of Google queries are now “zero-click” searches:

These include featured snippets, AI Overviews, and “People Also Ask” sections
Format your content to appear in these SERP features
Use schema markup to help Google uncover answers to direct questions
Share helpful, well-structured content that answers common questions

39. Configure SEO Reporting Dashboards

Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your SEO progress:

Organic traffic
Search visibility
Keyword rankings
Create dashboards to visualize this data and identify opportunities
Set up regular reporting to track changes over time

40. Use AI to Scale Content Creation

AI tools can help with content creation:

Use tools like Shopify Magic, Jasper, or ChatGPT for first drafts
Create product descriptions, blog post introductions, or content outlines
Remember that Google allows AI-generated content so long as it’s relevant, useful, and helpful
Don’t rely too heavily on AI—the brands that create unique, valuable content will stand out

Bonus SEO Tips

Looking to get even more results from your SEO strategy? Here are three bonus tips:

41. Invite Influential Creators to Produce Content

Google’s E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) measures content creators’ credibility:

Invite third-party experts to contribute to your content
Consider people with professionally recognized qualifications
Look for contributors with substantial social media followings in your industry
Seek experts with bylines in relevant publications

42. Diversify Content Formats

Search engines reward sites that format information in a way that’s easy for customers to digest:

Experiment with different content formats beyond text
Consider adding images, videos, infographics, and podcasts
Google pulls different content formats into the main search results page
Meet your audience where they are with the formats they prefer

43. Improve the User Experience

Always consider the connection between user experience and search optimization:

As search technology improves, user experience becomes increasingly important
The easiest way to please a search engine is to please the people who use it
Focus on creating a website that’s easy to navigate, quick to load, and valuable to users

Conclusion: Putting Your SEO Checklist into Action

While search technology continues to evolve, one thing remains consistent: the fundamental reason why people search. Users turn to search engines to discover things they want or recall things they’ve seen. The only timeless SEO strategy is to provide searchers with exactly what they’re looking for.

The vast majority of what we’ve included in this SEO checklist—fast-loading websites, interesting content, clear page descriptions—are elements that make searchers’ lives easier. By focusing on delivering value to your audience, you’ll naturally align with what search engines are trying to accomplish.

Remember that SEO is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Start with the basics, measure your results, and continuously refine your approach. As you implement the items on this checklist, you’ll be well on your way to improving your website’s visibility in search results and driving more organic traffic to your business.

SEO Checklist FAQ

What is an SEO checklist?

An SEO checklist is a list of optimizations you can perform to increase your website’s chances of ranking in search engines.

How often does SEO need to be done?

SEO is an ongoing marketing process. Websites constantly need to be refreshed and re-optimized to meet search intent, prove relevance to Google, and target keywords your audience is searching for.

What are the requirements for SEO?

Responsive website design
Fast loading speeds
Secure HTTPS domain
High-quality content
Demonstrated authority

Can I do SEO myself?

Yes. Content management platforms like Shopify and WordPress, and the SEO plugins that integrate with them, make it easy to DIY your SEO approach.

How do I rank a new website on Google?

Submit a sitemap through Google Search Console
Set up Google Analytics
Produce high-quality content
Build internal links
Secure external links
Optimize images with descriptive alt text
Include keywords on product pages
Write optimized blog content
Add Schema markup
Make your site mobile friendly
Optimize anchor text
Build a global navigation menu
Configure SEO reporting tools.