SEO Checklist: Everything You Need to Rank in 2019

  • February 18, 2019
  • SEO
[easy-share counters=1 counter_pos="inside" native="no" hide_total="yes" fullwidth="yes" fullwidth_fix="100"]

Do you want your website to rank higher in the coming year?

If so, check out this SEO checklist to learn about everything you need to rank in 2019.

Keyword(s): seo checklist

Getting your site to rank first on a search engine can be pretty difficult. This is especially true if the market surrounding your desired topic or keyword is competitive. If your website is relatively new, the task may seem nearly impossible.

SEO optimization can make or break your site or business, but understanding search engine optimization, or SEO, isn’t easy. Things are constantly changing all the time and it can be a bit difficult to keep up with the latest trends.

To make things worse, search engines don’t share the exact details of what it is they’re looking for when deciding what sites are going to rank the highest.

Using this SEO checklist can help you achieve your desired ranking on search engines in 2019. These tips and tricks, along with creating the best content in your niche, should help give you the results that you’re looking for.

Now then, let’s get started!

Let Google Help You

Linking your site with Google Webmasters and Google Analytics is a must if you’re trying to rank on the world’s most popular search engine in 2019.

Google Webmasters offers you access to a ton of different tools that you can use to ensure your site is exactly what Google is looking for. Remember, Google wants your site to be SEO friendly and rank highly. They’re doing everything they can to help you get there with services like Google Webmasters and Google Analytics. 

Using the information about your site found on Google Analytics can help inform you of what works and what doesn’t. For instance, if you notice that you’re ranking higher for certain search terms than others, you can create more content around that topic and generate more traffic to your site. 

Check Your Site’s Loading Speed

Google PageSpeed Insights is another tool that Google offers for web developers that allows you to track the speed of your webpages. Google doesn’t want their users frustrated with slow sites, so those sites often don’t rank high, or at all. If your site has problems loading, PageSpeed Insights will offer tips on how to improve it’s loading speed. 

Again, this is a tool that Google provides, so you know it’s legit. Don’t waste your time using tools that aren’t associated with actual search engines.

Secure Your Site with HTTPS

Make sure your site has an active SSL certificate.

In simpler terms, check to see that your site’s web address starts with HTTPS instead of HTTP. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) means your site is safe and secure, which is something Google (and other search engines) are big on.

Search engines don’t want to recommend sites that are potentially harmful to their users; SSL certificates ensure that the site being recommended is safe to browse. 

If your site doesn’t have an SSL certificate, don’t panic. Your hosting provider’s tech support team should be able to set this up for you without much hassle.

Use Your Keywords Properly

When it comes to ranking highly on search engines in 2019, understanding how to use your keywords properly is a huge piece of the puzzle.

Starting off, you want to include your keyword in the article’s title, as well as the article’s URL. In addition to that, you’re going to want to use the keyword at some point in the first 150 words of the article.

Outside of that, using the keyword in a header somewhere in the article is a great practice to follow as well. Finally, place the keyword at least one more time – in the conclusion.

Remember, keyword overloading can actually hurt your SEO. So don’t cram your keyword in every other sentence because search engines will know what you’re doing and punish your site as a result.

Optimize Your Images

Search engines absolutely love it when you use media in your articles, such as images and videos. However, if you aren’t careful, using images improperly can actually hurt your SEO.

First, naming your images correctly is super important. For instance, if you’re uploading a picture of the Grand Canyon, use “The Grand Canyon” as the title of your image. Leaving something like “image1244.jpg” as your image title isn’t a good idea.

Also, try to use smaller file sizes. Remember, the larger the file size, the slower your site is going to load, and the slower your site loads, the worse your SEO.

Use Internal and External Links

Use internal and external links in your articles. And not just any links, be sure to use relevant, high-quality sources for your external links.

Make sure your anchor texts are strong as well. For instance, if you’re linking to a page on your site about the weather at the Grand Canyon, use a phrase that properly depicts that. In other words, don’t just say “click here;” that isn’t going to get the job done. 

Understanding Word Count

Word count is very important. A general rule of thumb is that anything less than 450 words isn’t going to cut it. In fact, some people believe that 1,000 words or more are needed to rank first on search engines.

The exact number of words search engines want is unknown. But it’s obviously important to write clear, helpful, and lengthy content for your site to achieve your desired ranking.

An SEO Checklist

Now that you’re more familiar with how SEO works, and what it takes to rank highly on search engines, you’re all set!

This SEO checklist should give you all the help you need to rank higher on Google, and other search engines, in 2019.

Remember, things are always changing, and it’s important to grow and change with the times, so be sure to check out our blog often for the newest SEO tips and tricks.

    More from our blog

    See all posts