You do not need to be an expert to find the biggest SEO problems on your website. This checklist covers what matters most for small business sites.
1. Is Google indexing your site?
- Search
site:yourdomain.comon Google and check the important pages appear. - Check the Pages report in Google Search Console for errors.
- Make sure you have a sitemap submitted.
2. Titles and descriptions
- Every page has a unique title with its main keyword.
- Descriptions are written to earn the click.
Preview how they look with our Google search preview.
3. One page per service
Do you have a separate page for each main service and location? If not, that is often the biggest opportunity.
4. Content quality
- Pages answer real customer questions.
- No thin pages with a few lines of text.
- Keywords used naturally; check with our keyword density checker.
5. Speed and mobile
Test key pages on PageSpeed Insights and on your own phone. Read Core Web Vitals explained.
6. Internal links
Do your pages link to each other sensibly? Read internal linking for small websites.
7. Local SEO
- Google Business Profile complete and verified.
- Same name, address and phone everywhere.
8. Backlinks
Check Search Console’s Links report to see who links to you.
Want a professional audit? See our SEO audit service or get a free audit.
Want the full picture? This article is part of SEO: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
