Introduction
If you’re here, then you already know that writing a blog post is only half the battle. The real win is getting your post in front of the people who matter. With Google 2025 algorithm updates which emphasize on user experience, page speed and E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), it is more necessary than ever before to tick all the boxes before you hit ‘publish’. In this guide, we bring you the 20-Point SEO Checklist Before Publishing Blog Post, which you can follow through each key point, which will help ensure your blog post ranks higher in search results, gets organic traffic and also provides an easy user experience.
Top 20 SEO checklist before publishing a blog post Execpt the article above there are some more tasks to do while publishing a post or page to optimize your website for SEO
Table of Contents
Why use the SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post?
Each time you post a new blog, you’re vying against millions of other posts. With the following SEO checklist before publishing, you can make sure that you’re not leaving any stone unturned. It helps you:
- Enhance Visibility: Through the use of structured data and targeting the right keywords.
- Improve User Experience: With mobile optimisation and nimble page loads.
- Establish Authority: By E-A-T signals including high-authority backlinks and schema markup.
- Maximise Click-Through Rates: Using strong Titles and Meta Descriptions.
Top 20 SEO Checklist Before You Hit Publish on Blog Post
Below, we expand on each item in the checklist — what to do, why it matters and how it relates to new SEO algorithm criteri
1) Keyword Research & SelectionTagline
Find long-tail, high-intent keywords with >500 monthly searches.
- BONUS: Get keyword ideas from tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
- Understand search intent(intro) which is informational, navigational, transactional.
- Choose one main target keyword as well as two to three supporting keywords.
2) Create an Interesting Title using the Focus Keyword
Add “Top 20 SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post” at the beginning or in the start of your title.
- It’s better to keep this less than 60 characters for the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) display.
- Try using the emotional trigger or a number to increase CTR.
3) SEO-Friendly URL Structure
Your focus keyword should be included in the URL Short, descriptive URLs are a must.
- Example: yourdomain. com/top-20-seo-checklist-before-publishing .
- Avoid unnecessary parameters, dates, or stop words.
4) Optimised Meta Description
Provide a summary of between 150–160 characters with your focus keyword included.
- Use action words like “Discover,” “Learn,” or “Boost.”
- Ensure it’s unique and accurately reflects content.
5) First 100 Words With Focus Keyword
Smoothly injected the keyword right at the beginning to indicate page topic.
Example intro: “Welcome to our Top 20 SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post, where we take you step by step…”
6) Proper Header Tag Usage
Elevator Pitch: Organize your content with H1, H2, H3 tags for readiability, and SEO.
- H1: Main title (once).
- H2: The big sections like “Why Follow…” or “Checklist Items”.
- H3/H4: Subsectins under each H2.
7) Mobile Responsiveness Check
Ensure your theme and layout adapt smoothly on all devices and espeasialy mobile responsive .
- Check with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
- Check that the tappable targets and font sizes are easily readable.
8. Optimise images with Alt Text
Compress your images & use descriptive alt text and keywords
- Try using WebP or optimized JPEG.
- Example of alt text: “A graphic displaying Top 20 SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post.”
9) Internal and External Linking
Interlink at least 3 pages to own site and 2 authoritative external sites.
Increases time on site, spreads link juice, and establishes authority.
10) Readability and Content Structure
Provide little “info bites” with bullet points and more conversational tone.
- Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of over 60.
- Provide imformative useful value to your readers in a friendly tone
11) Schema Markup Implementation
Add Article schema to enable search engines to understand context.
- Use JSON-LD format in the
<head>section. - Example type:
“@type”: “BlogPosting”.
12) Featured Snippet Optimisation
Format answers in or for snippet-eligibility.
- Ask frequently asked questions in H2 or H3 and provide short answers.
13) Page Speed & Performance
Achieve ≤2 seconds load time by optimising code and media.
- For images use lazy loading and defer non-critical JavaScript.
- Leverage browser caching and a CDN.
14. Canonical Tags for Duplicate Content
Implement <link rel="canonical"> to point to the preferred URL.
- Prevents dilution of ranking signals across URL variants.
15. Social Sharing Buttons
Add share buttons for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp.
- Encourages content distribution and potential backlinking.
16. Content Freshness & Updates
Schedule periodic (i.e. every 3-6 months) reviews for update statistics or links.
- Signals to Google that content remains relevant.
17. Analytics Tracking Setup
Check if you have setup Google Analytics and Search Console correctly.
- Set up goal tracking for conversions (Forms, newsletter sign-ups, downloads).
18. HTTPS & Site Security
Confirm your site uses SSL certificate (HTTPS) and is free of malware.
- Browsers warn that HTTP sites are “Not Secure”
19. Voice Search Optimisation
Add conversational long-tail questions to your existing content and FAQ sections
- Example FAQ: “What is the Top 20 SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post?”
20. Final Review & Testing
Preview the post, test links, check for typos, and ensure mobile formatting.
- Read aloud to catch awkward phrasing.
- Use broken-link checkers to find the broken links in the website and grammar tools like Grammarly.
Latest Google Algorithm Updates (2025) and Their Impact
- User Experience Signals: Google has recently introduced Core Web Vitals as ranking metrics—Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These will further highlight the significance of page speed and mobile compatibility in our checklist.’
- E-A-T Focus: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are important, particularly for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics. Things to include are citations, author bios and relevant external links (if they are of a high enough quality).
- AI-Generated Content Detection: Google’s spam team is getting better at detecting low-quality AI-generated text. Concentrate on mixing in human insights, personal anecdote and original reporting so you stand out.
- Mobile-First Indexing: We’re now using mobile-first indexing for all new websites. Perfect Your Mobile Site Perfect mobile displays are consistent with that of checklist item #7 and #20.
FAQ
What are the key on-page SEO factors for a blog post?
Key factors include meta tags, internal/external links, keyword placement, mobile responsiveness, image alt text, and readability.
How do I check if my blog post is SEO-optimized?
You can use tools like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or Surfer SEO to get real-time feedback and suggestions before publishing.
How many keywords should I use in a blog post?
Use your focus keyword naturally around 8–10 times, including in the title, subheadings, meta description, and throughout the content. based on the word count in the content, If the word count is 1000 to 1300 its enough and also use synonyms words.
Do images affect SEO?
Absolutely! Optimizing image file names, sizes, and using relevant alt text can significantly boost your SEO and user experience.
Conclusion
Publishing your next blog post without following the Top 20 SEO Checklist Before Publishing a Blog Post is like hosting a party without sending invitations. your content is great but nobody will show up, From careful keyword research to final testing, every detail was crafted to make sure your post is not only discovered, but shared and ranked as high as possible. Be sure to return and update your content regularly, stay on top of Google’s evolving standards, and always focus on writing for people first.
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