The Ultimate Free SEO Checklist for 2024

Mastering SEO in 2024: The Ultimate Free SEO Checklist

Unlocking the power of free seo checklist is the first step to skyrocketing your site's organic traffic. Here’s a quick rundown to get you started:

• Set Up Google Search Console
• Install Google Analytics
• Download Free Keyword Research Tools
• Optimize Your Site's Speed with PageSpeed Insights

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of improving your website to make it more visible in search engine results. With the constantly evolving digital landscape, staying on top of SEO trends is crucial for driving organic traffic to your site. High rankings mean more clicks, more visitors, and potentially more customers.

While SEO might seem complex, there are a myriad of free tools available to help you optimize without spending a dime. These resources cover everything from keyword research and site speed to content creation and backlink building.

I’m Chase Chappell, founder of Chappell Digital Marketing and Sirge. My expertise in SEO has helped countless businesses improve their rankings and drive traffic. Follow along with this guide to master SEO basics and leverage free tools for ultimate results.

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SEO Tools Checklist

Set Up Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools

Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are must-haves for monitoring and maintaining your site’s performance in search results. These tools provide insights into how search engines see your website and offer ways to improve your rankings.

Setting Up Google Search Console:

1. Create an Account: Visit the Google Search Console website.
2. Verify Your Site: Use your Google Analytics account for easy verification.
3. Submit Your Sitemap: Steer to Index > Sitemaps > Add a new sitemap and input sitemap.xml.

Setting Up Bing Webmaster Tools:

1. Create an Account: Visit the Bing Webmaster Tools website.
2. Verify Your Site: Use your Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account.
3. Submit Your Sitemap: Go to Configure My Site > Sitemaps and submit your sitemap URL.

These tools help you:

• Monitor Keywords: Find which keywords bring traffic to your site.
• Track Performance: Check click-through rates and positions of your pages.
• Identify Issues: Get alerts for crawl errors or indexing problems.

Set Up Google Analytics

Google Analytics is essential for tracking site activity and understanding user behavior. This free tool helps you measure how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from, and what users are doing on your site.

Steps to Set Up Google Analytics:

1. Create an Account: Go to the Google Analytics website.
2. Add Tracking Code: Insert the tracking code into your website’s HTML or use Google Tag Manager for easier implementation.
3. Link with Google Search Console: This allows you to see search data directly in your Analytics account.

Google Analytics helps you:

• Analyze Traffic: See how much traffic you’re getting from search engines.
• Track Conversions: Monitor how many visitors complete purchases.
• Understand Behavior: Find out which pages are most popular and how users steer your site.

Install and Configure an SEO Plugin (If You’re Using WordPress)

If you're using WordPress, installing an SEO plugin can make your optimization efforts much easier. Yoast SEO is a popular choice that offers features like meta-data management and content analysis.

Steps to Install Yoast SEO:

1. Install the Plugin: Go to your WordPress dashboard, steer to Plugins > Add New, and search for "Yoast SEO".
2. Activate the Plugin: Click "Install Now" and then "Activate".
3. Configure Settings: Follow the setup wizard to configure the basic settings.

Yoast SEO helps you:

• Optimize Meta Tags: Easily update titles, meta descriptions, and slugs.
• Manage Sitemaps: Automatically create and update XML sitemaps.
• Improve Content: Get content analysis and improvement tips.

Download Free Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research is the backbone of any SEO strategy. Luckily, there are several free tools that can help you find valuable keywords without breaking the bank.

Recommended Free Keyword Research Tools:

1. Google Keyword Planner: Great for finding relevant keywords and search volumes.
2. Answer The Public: Provides a visual representation of questions and phrases people are searching for.
3. Ubersuggest: Offers keyword suggestions, search volume, and difficulty scores.

Using these tools, you can:

• Identify Core Keywords: Find high-value keywords that your target audience is searching for.
• Monitor Rankings: Regularly check how your keywords are performing in search results.
• Analyze Competitors: See which keywords your competitors are ranking for and identify content gaps.

By leveraging these free SEO tools, you can optimize your website without spending a dime. Next, let's dive into the Technical SEO Checklist to ensure your site is technically sound and ready to rank.

Technical SEO Checklist

Ensure Your Site is Secure with HTTPS

HTTPS is crucial for both security and SEO. It encrypts data between your site and users, ensuring that information like passwords and credit card numbers are safe.

To enable HTTPS, you need an SSL certificate. Many web hosts provide these for free. If yours doesn’t, you can get one from Let’s Encrypt.

How to Check HTTPS:

1. Look for a padlock icon in your browser’s URL bar.
2. Ensure your URL starts with "https://".
3. Use tools like SSL Labs to test your SSL configuration.

Having HTTPS not only secures your site but also gives you a slight ranking boost on Google.

Submit a Sitemap

A sitemap helps search engines understand the structure of your site and find all your important pages. You can usually find your sitemap at one of these URLs:

/sitemap.xml/sitemap_index.xml/sitemap

If you don’t have one, you can create it using tools like Yoast SEO or XML-Sitemaps.com.

Steps to Submit a Sitemap:

1. Google Search Console: Go to Index > Sitemaps > Add a new sitemap and enter your sitemap URL.
2. Bing Webmaster Tools: Steer to Configure My Site > Sitemaps and submit your sitemap URL.

Submitting your sitemap ensures that search engines can crawl and index your site more effectively.

Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

With mobile devices accounting for about 60% of internet traffic, mobile-friendliness is a must. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing.

How to Check Mobile-Friendliness:

1. Use the Mobile-Friendly Test from Google.
2. Check the Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console.

Tips for Mobile Optimization:

• Responsive Design: Ensure your site adapts to all screen sizes.
• Readable Fonts: Use larger fonts so users don’t have to zoom in.
• Avoid Flash: Stick to HTML5 for animations and videos.
• Large Buttons: Make buttons easy to tap.

Check or Create a Robots.txt File

A robots.txt file tells search engines which pages they can or can’t crawl. This file is essential for controlling how search engines interact with your site.

How to Check Your Robots.txt File:

1. Visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt.
2. Ensure it includes the location of your sitemap.

Tips for Robots.txt:

• Disallow Development Sites: Prevent search engines from crawling unfinished sites.
• Don't Disallow Important Pages: Make sure key pages are not blocked.
• Specify Sitemap Location: Include the URL of your sitemap.

Identify Crawl Errors & Broken Links

Crawl errors and broken links can hurt your SEO by preventing search engines from indexing your site properly.

How to Identify Crawl Errors:

1. Use Google Search Console’s Pages report under Indexing.
2. Look for errors under the “Not indexed” category.

How to Find Broken Links:

1. Use tools like Ahrefs Webmaster Tools or Screaming Frog.
2. Look for 404 errors and fix or redirect broken links.

Regularly checking for and fixing these issues ensures that your site is crawlable and maintains a good user experience.

Optimize Your Site Speed

Site speed is a key ranking factor. A fast-loading site improves user experience and reduces bounce rates.

How to Check Site Speed:

1. Use Google PageSpeed Insights for a detailed report.
2. Check Core Web Vitals in tools like Google Search Console.

Tips for Speed Optimization:

• Optimize Images: Compress images to reduce file size.
• Enable Browser Caching: Store static files locally on users' devices.
• Minify Resources: Remove unnecessary characters from CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
• Use a CDN: Distribute your content across multiple servers to reduce load times.

By following these steps, you can improve your site's performance and user experience.

Next, let's dive into the SEO Keyword Research Checklist to ensure you're targeting the right terms for your audience.

SEO Keyword Research Checklist

Use SEO Tools to Find Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are specific phrases that users search for, like "best carpet cleaning machine for pet hair." These keywords often have lower search volumes but higher conversion rates.

How to Find Long-Tail Keywords:

1. Google Suggest: Start typing a keyword into Google but don't press enter. The suggestions that pop up are long-tail keywords people are searching for.
2. Answer The Public: This free tool generates questions and phrases people are asking about your topic.
3. Keyword Research Tools: Enter a broad keyword to get a list of long-tail variations, complete with search volume and competition metrics.

Pro Tip: Use tools like SearchResponse.io to scrape Google for additional search terms. This can help you scale your long-tail keyword strategy.

Brush Up on Searcher Intent and How Search Engines Work

Understanding searcher intent helps you create content that meets user needs. Searcher intent can be informational, navigational, or transactional.

Types of Searcher Intent:

• Informational: Users are looking for information. Example: "How to clean a carpet."
• Navigational: Users want to find a specific site. Example: "Facebook login."
• Transactional: Users are ready to make a purchase. Example: "Buy carpet cleaner."

How to Align with Searcher Intent:

1. Analyze Search Results: Look at the top-ranking pages for your target keywords. Are they blog posts, product pages, or something else?
2. Use Intent-Specific Keywords: Include words like “buy,” “how to,” or “best” that align with different types of intent.
3. Monitor Trends: Stay updated on how Google prioritizes content by checking resources like Google Search Central.

Identify Keywords that Match Your Main UVPs/Goals

Your unique value propositions (UVPs) should guide your keyword strategy. These are the features or benefits that make your product or service stand out.

Steps to Identify Relevant Keywords:

1. List Your UVPs: Write down what makes your product unique.
2. Match UVPs to Keywords: Use keyword research tools to find keywords that align with your UVPs.
3. Prioritize High-Intent Keywords: Focus on keywords that show a clear intent to convert. For example, if your UVP is “eco-friendly carpet cleaner,” target keywords like “buy eco-friendly carpet cleaner.”

Map Keywords to Your Site

Keyword mapping involves assigning specific keywords to relevant pages on your site. This helps avoid keyword cannibalization and ensures each page targets a unique keyword set.

How to Map Keywords:

1. Create a Spreadsheet: List your site’s pages and the keywords you want to target.
2. Assign Primary and Secondary Keywords: Each page should have one primary keyword and a few secondary keywords.
3. Update Content: Make sure the content on each page is optimized for its assigned keywords.

Pro Tip: Use keyword mapping to update older content that fits the same need. This keeps your content fresh and relevant, improving your site’s overall SEO.

Research Your Competitors

Competitor research can uncover gaps in your keyword strategy and provide new opportunities.

Steps to Conduct Competitor Research:

1. Identify Competitors: Use keyword research tools to find your main competitors.
2. Analyze Keywords: Look at the keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t. These are often labeled as “Missing” or “Weak” in keyword tools.
3. Find Content Gaps: Identify topics your competitors cover that you don’t. Create content to fill these gaps and capture more traffic.

Case Study: A small eCommerce site used competitor research to find they were missing out on high-traffic keywords related to “organic carpet cleaners.” By creating targeted content, they saw a 30% increase in organic traffic in just three months.

By following this free SEO checklist, you can ensure your keyword strategy is robust and aligned with your business goals. Next, let's move on to the Content & On-Page SEO Checklist to optimize your content for search engines.

Content & On-Page SEO Checklist

Create High-Quality Content

Creating high-quality content is crucial for both user engagement and search engine rankings. Google's E.A.T. (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines emphasize the importance of content quality.

How to Create Quality Content:

1. Expertise: Make sure your content is written or reviewed by experts in the field. For example, if you're writing about medical advice, consult a healthcare professional.
2. Authoritativeness: Use credible sources, expert quotes, and thorough research to back your claims. This builds trust with your audience and search engines.
3. Trustworthiness: Ensure your content is accurate and up-to-date. Regularly revisit old posts to update them with new information.

Example: A blog post on "Best Practices for Carpet Cleaning" should include expert tips, link to authoritative sources, and be regularly updated with new cleaning techniques and products.

Optimize Your Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3) help structure your content, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand.

Best Practices for Headings:

1. Use Keywords Naturally: Place your primary keywords in headings and subheadings without keyword stuffing.
2. Hierarchy: Use H1 for the main title, H2 for main sections, and H3 for subsections. This creates a logical flow.
3. Clarity: Make sure headings are clear and descriptive. They should give a quick overview of what each section is about.

Example: In a post about "How to Clean Carpets," your H1 could be "Ultimate Guide to Carpet Cleaning," H2s could be "Tools You Need" and "Step-by-Step Guide," and H3s could cover specific steps like "Vacuuming" and "Stain Removal."

Use Structured Data

Structured data, or schema markup, helps search engines understand your content better. This can lead to rich snippets in search results, improving your visibility.

How to Implement Structured Data:

1. Identify Relevant Schema Types: Use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to find the right schema for your content.
2. Add Schema Markup: Implement the schema markup in your HTML. This can include product information, reviews, FAQs, and more.
3. Validate Your Markup: Use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure your markup is error-free.

Example: For a blog post on "Best Carpet Cleaners of 2024," use product schema to include details like price, reviews, and availability.

Link to Relevant Resources

Internal and external links are crucial for SEO. They help users steer your site and provide additional value, while also helping search engines understand the context of your content.

Best Practices for Linking:

1. Internal Links: Link to other relevant pages on your site. This helps distribute page authority and keeps users engaged.
2. External Links: Link to authoritative sites for additional information. This builds credibility and trust.

Example: In an article about "Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaners," link internally to your product pages and externally to studies on the benefits of eco-friendly cleaning products.

Optimize Your Images

Images make your content more engaging, but they also need to be optimized for SEO.

How to Optimize Images:

1. Alt Text: Always include descriptive alt text for your images. This helps search engines understand what the images are about and improves accessibility.
2. File Names: Use descriptive file names with relevant keywords.
3. Image Compression: Compress images to reduce file size without losing quality. This improves page load speed.

Example: An image of a carpet cleaner should have an alt text like "Eco-friendly carpet cleaner" and a file name like "eco-friendly-carpet-cleaner.jpg."

By following this free SEO checklist, you can ensure your content is optimized for both search engines and users. Next, let's explore how to build a strong backlink profile to further improve your SEO.

Frequently Asked Questions about Free SEO Checklist

Does Google have a free SEO tool?

Yes, Google offers several free SEO tools that can significantly help you optimize your website. Two of the most popular ones are Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console.

Google PageSpeed Insights analyzes your site’s performance and provides suggestions to make it faster. Speed is a critical ranking factor, and improving it can improve user experience and search engine rankings.

Google Search Console helps you monitor your website's presence in Google Search results. It provides insights into how Google views your site and offers tools to fix issues, optimize performance, and track keyword rankings.

Can you do SEO yourself for free?

Absolutely! You can do DIY SEO using various free tools and resources available online. Here’s a quick checklist to get you started:

1. Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords.
2. On-Page SEO: Optimize your page titles, meta descriptions, and headings.
3. Content Creation: Focus on creating high-quality content that answers user questions.
4. Link Building: Get backlinks from reputable websites.
5. Technical SEO: Check for crawl errors, broken links, and ensure your site is mobile-friendly.

By following this free SEO checklist, you can effectively optimize your site without spending any money.

What is the SEO checklist for content creators?

For content creators, having a solid SEO checklist is crucial to ensure your content ranks well. Here are the key elements:

1. Keyword Research: Identify keywords that are relevant to your content and audience.
2. Meta Tags: Write compelling meta titles and descriptions that include your primary keyword.
3. High-Quality Content: Create engaging, informative, and valuable content. Ensure it meets user needs and is easy to read.
4. Headings and Subheadings: Use your primary keywords naturally in headings and subheadings.
5. Internal and External Links: Link to other relevant pages on your site and to authoritative external sources.
6. Image Optimization: Use descriptive alt text, relevant file names, and compress images to reduce load times.

By following these steps, content creators can improve their content’s visibility and performance on search engines.

Next, let's dig into technical SEO to ensure your website is not only optimized for users but also for search engines.

Conclusion

As we wrap up our ultimate free SEO checklist for 2024, let's take a moment to highlight how Sirge can be your go-to partner in achieving SEO success for your Shopify store.

Sirge: Your SEO Companion

Sirge offers AI-powered growth solutions specifically designed for Shopify brands. We simplify ecommerce management through automation and centralized insights, making it easier for you to focus on what you do best—running your business.

Free Website Auditor Tool

One of our standout features is our free website auditor tool. This tool thoroughly audits your Shopify website and provides actionable recommendations to improve conversions. Whether it's optimizing your homepage, checkout process, product detail pages (PDP), or cart experience, our advanced CRO tool gives detailed before-and-after visual recommendations.

Advanced CRO Tool

Our advanced Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) tool is designed to help you make data-driven decisions. By analyzing user behavior and site performance, it provides specific recommendations to improve user experience and increase sales. Imagine knowing exactly what changes to make on your site to boost conversions—our CRO tool makes that possible.

ROAS Calculator

Understanding your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is crucial for effective marketing. Sirge offers a free ROAS calculator that helps you make better decisions about your Shopify marketing campaigns. By inputting your ad spend and revenue, you can quickly see how well your campaigns are performing and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Why Choose Sirge?

With Sirge, you're not just getting tools; you're getting a comprehensive approach to ecommerce optimization. Our AI-powered recommendations are personalized and data-driven, ensuring you get the most out of your marketing efforts.

Ready to boost your Shopify store? Explore our free tools and resources to get started today.

By leveraging Sirge's suite of tools, you can confidently execute your SEO strategy and watch your organic traffic soar. Here's to your success in 2024 and beyond!

By following this free SEO checklist and utilizing Sirge's powerful tools, you're well on your way to optimizing your Shopify store for higher rankings and increased organic traffic. Happy optimizing!