A 10-Point SEO Checklist for Corporate Websites

No matter how well a website is designed, it can't do its job if people searching for your service can't find it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the combination of technical and content work that makes your site appear in the right searches. The list below covers the essentials to check first on a corporate website.

1. Give every page its own title and description

The title and description shown in search results are the page's shop window. Write a unique title (around 60 characters) and description (around 155 characters) for each page that describes its content and includes the main keyword. Showing the same title on every page is one of the most common mistakes.

2. Use a single H1 and a logical heading structure

Each page should have a single main heading (H1) stating its topic, with sub-sections organized under H2 and H3. This structure helps both readers and search engines understand the content.

3. Make content visible without waiting for JavaScript

Modern websites often build content in the browser with JavaScript. Search engines can process it, but serving pages as pre-rendered HTML speeds up crawling and makes social media previews display correctly.

4. Check site speed and the mobile experience

Most visitors arrive on their phones. Serving images in modern formats like WebP at the right size, preventing content from shifting while the page loads and reducing unnecessary code improve both user experience and rankings. You can measure your own site with Google's PageSpeed Insights.

5. Choose one address: www or not?

If your site opens both with and without www, one should permanently redirect to the other and the canonical tag on each page should point to the main address. Otherwise Google sees the same content at two different addresses.

6. Sitemap and robots.txt

Prepare a sitemap.xml file listing all the important pages on your site and submit it to Google Search Console. Make sure robots.txt doesn't accidentally block important pages.

7. Redirect old URLs

If you've rebuilt your site, the URLs of old pages may have changed. Redirecting old indexed URLs to their new counterparts with a 301 preserves ranking strength built up over the years and keeps visitors from landing on an error page.

8. Add structured data

Schema.org structured data describes your business, services and frequently asked questions to search engines in a machine-readable way. Set up correctly, it opens the door to richer appearances in search results.

9. Don't neglect local SEO

If you serve a specific city, create a Google Business Profile and make sure your business name, address and phone number are exactly the same on your site, your profile and other platforms. Customer reviews are a decisive signal in local search.

10. Regular content and measurement

SEO isn't a one-off job. Publishing guides that answer your audience's questions and regularly reviewing Search Console data shows which searches you appear in and what needs improving.