A client asked me last month why her blog wasn’t showing up on Google at all, despite posting twice a week for three months. I pulled up her site, and within about two minutes I knew exactly why: the content was genuinely good, but almost nothing around it was telling Google what the page was actually about.

That’s on-page SEO in a nutshell. It’s not the flashy part of marketing — nobody brags about their meta descriptions at a dinner party — but it’s the part that decides whether all your other work even gets seen. Here’s the checklist I actually use, page by page, before I call anything “done.”

1. One clear target keyword per page

Not five. Not “whatever feels relevant.” One.

Trying to rank a single page for ten different keywords usually means it ranks well for none of them. Pick the one phrase your ideal reader would actually type into Google, and build the page around that — title, headers, content, all of it pointing at the same target.

2. The title tag is doing more work than you think

Your title tag isn’t just a headline — it’s the first thing Google reads to understand your page, and the first thing a searcher reads to decide whether to click.

A good title tag:

• Includes your target keyword, ideally near the front
• Stays under about 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in search results
• Actually makes someone want to click, not just states a fact

“SEO Tips” tells Google almost nothing. “10 On-Page SEO Fixes That Actually Move Rankings” tells it — and the reader — exactly what’s inside.

3. Meta descriptions still matter, even though they’re not a ranking factor

Google doesn’t use your meta description to rank you, but it heavily influences whether people click your result over the one above or below it. Write it like a tiny ad for your page: what’s in it, and why should this specific person read it right now.

4. Headers should form an actual outline

Your H1, H2s, and H3s aren’t just for making text bigger — they tell Google (and skimming readers) the structure of your argument. If someone read only your headers top to bottom, they should understand the whole shape of the article.

One H1 per page. Everything else nests logically underneath it.

5. Your first 100 words carry extra weight

Search engines and readers both make quick judgments early. Get your target keyword and the actual value of the page across in the first couple of sentences — don’t bury the point under three paragraphs of throat-clearing.

6. Internal links, deliberately, not randomly

Every time you publish something new, go back and link to it from 2-3 older, relevant posts — and link out from the new post to older ones too. This does two things: it helps Google understand how your content connects, and it keeps readers on your site longer instead of bouncing after one page.

7. Images need alt text, every time

Alt text isn’t just an accessibility nicety — it’s another signal telling search engines what a page is about, and it’s how your images can show up in Google Image search and drive their own traffic. Describe what’s actually in the image, naturally, without stuffing keywords into it.

8. URLs should be short and readable

/blog/post-id-4471 tells nobody anything. /blog/on-page-seo-checklist tells everyone everything. Keep URLs short, lowercase, and built from your actual target keyword.

9. Page speed is an SEO issue, not just a UX one

A slow page loses rankings and loses readers before they even see your content. Compress images, avoid overly heavy plugins, and check your load time regularly — this is one of the few technical items on this list, but it matters enough to not skip.

10. Mobile has to come first, not last

More search traffic happens on phones than desktops now, and Google evaluates your mobile version specifically when deciding your ranking. If it’s cramped, slow, or broken on a phone, that’s not a minor issue — it’s the version that actually counts most.

The takeaway

None of this is complicated on its own. What actually moves the needle is doing all ten, consistently, on every page — not nailing one or two and assuming the rest will sort themselves out. That’s genuinely the difference between content that gets written and content that gets found.