When creating new content, use this checklist to get the most out of SEO.

1. PAGE TITLES

  • Are keywords in the beginning of the title?
  • Am I using keyword phrases?
  • Is my title 50 characters or less?


Title tags are important because the contents of the page title is the clickable headline for listings on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) and certain social media shares.

2. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION (META DATA)

  • Is my page summary 160 characters or less?
  • Does my page summary accurately describe the topic of the page?
  • Is my page summary 160 characters or less?
  • Does my page summary include keywords?
  • Is it enticing enough for people to click on?

On GovHub, we don’t require you to fill in metadata in a separate field. But that doesn’t mean search engines are not picking it up. The very first text on your page should include copy you’d expect to see in a SERP.

 

3. HEADERS

  • Do my headers include related keywords?
  • Do my headers help grab the topics of the main post?
  • Am I using headers to separate blocks of related content (NOT as a styling tool?)

Headers are used to separate blocks of information for scanability. Formatting your page or blog post with headers help readers but it’s also good for SEO.

4. BODY COPY

  • Is my page / post between 400 and 900 words?
  • Do I use headers and break my content up in smaller paragraphs?
  • Do I include relevant links?

Providing original value is the best SEO strategy. Search engines prefer content that is well organized and has useful information.

5. PAGE LOCATION

  • Is my site page easy to find in a menu or submenu?
  • Can the user tell where they are and how they got there?
  • Is my blog post appropriately tagged by topic?

Page nomenclature is a labeling system. Your pages should fit logically in subpages, etc.

6. IMAGES | MEDIA

  • Are my images clearly named using hyphens between words?
  • Do my images contain alt text?
  • Do I include a caption of the image (including source if needed)?

Choose an image that matches the text on a page. File names should be descriptive and include keywords or phrases. Avoid using numbers or a string of symbols or characters.