SEO Checklist for Small Businesses That Actually Works

The 15-Item Checklist That Actually Moves the Needle:

On-Page SEO:

1. Title tag under 60 characters
2. Meta description under 160 characters
3. H1 tag, one per page
4. 2-3 H2 or H3 subheadings
5. Internal links from higher authority pages
6. External links to authoritative sources
7. Image alt text
8. Page loads in under 3 seconds on mobile

Technical SEO:
9. Mobile responsive design
10. XML sitemap
11. Robots.txt configured
12. No duplicate content
13. HTTPS (SSL certificate)
14. Structured markup
15. Google Search Console and Analytics connected