# On-Page SEO Checklist
Canonical on-page SEO reference for this project. Every blog post, service page, and static page must satisfy every applicable item below.
**Every page-generation skill (`write-blog-post.md`, `write-service-page.md`, etc.) must read this file first. Every page shipped must pass every applicable item.**
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## HEAD / METADATA
- [ ] **Title tag**: 50–60 chars, primary keyword near the start
- [ ] **Meta description**: 150–160 chars, primary keyword + benefit + soft CTA
- [ ] **Canonical URL** set to prevent duplicates
- [ ] **Open Graph tags**: `og:title`, `og:description`, `og:image` (1200×630), `og:url`, `og:type`
- [ ] **Twitter Card tags**: `twitter:card=summary_large_image`, `twitter:title`, `twitter:description`, `twitter:image`
- [ ] **Language attribute** on `` (e.g. `lang="en"`)
- [ ] **Viewport meta tag** (``)
- [ ] **Favicon** + `apple-touch-icon`
- [ ] **Charset meta** (``)
## URL STRUCTURE
- [ ] **Short slug** (under 60 chars)
- [ ] **Primary keyword** in the slug
- [ ] **Hyphens** only — never underscores
- [ ] **Lowercase** only
- [ ] **No stop words** ("the", "a", "of") unless necessary for clarity
- [ ] **Logical hierarchy**: `/services/[service-name]`, `/blog/[post-slug]`
## HEADINGS
- [ ] **Exactly one H1** per page, contains primary keyword
- [ ] **Logical H2 → H3** hierarchy (never skip levels)
- [ ] **H2s** use supporting keywords + questions from the cluster
- [ ] **No keyword stuffing** — write naturally
## COPY / BODY
- [ ] **Primary keyword** in the first 100 words
- [ ] **Direct answer** to the query in the first paragraph
- [ ] **Length** matches SERP average (within 20% of top-3 word count)
- [ ] **Short paragraphs** (1–4 sentences)
- [ ] **Readability**: 8th–10th grade level
- [ ] **Active voice** preferred
- [ ] **Bold key phrases** (sparingly)
- [ ] **Bullets and numbered lists** where appropriate
## FAQ SECTION (every blog post)
- [ ] **4–8 questions** from SEMRush Questions tab + "People Also Ask"
- [ ] **Direct, clear answers** (2–4 sentences each)
- [ ] **FAQ schema** (JSON-LD) applied
## IMAGES
- [ ] **Alt text** describes the image + keyword where natural
- [ ] **Descriptive filenames** with hyphens (e.g. `emergency-plumber-toronto.webp`)
- [ ] **WebP format**, compressed under 200 KB
- [ ] **Width/height attributes** specified (prevents CLS)
- [ ] **Lazy loading** (`loading="lazy"`) for below-fold images
- [ ] **Responsive srcset** where needed
- [ ] **Featured/hero image** for social sharing
## INTERNAL LINKS
- [ ] **3–5 internal links** per post
- [ ] Link to **related blog posts** and **relevant service pages**
- [ ] **Descriptive anchor text** — never "click here" or "read more"
- [ ] **Contextually placed** in body copy
- [ ] **Breadcrumb navigation** on every page
## EXTERNAL LINKS
- [ ] **2–3 external links** to authoritative sources (.gov, .edu, major industry sites)
- [ ] **Relevant** to the topic
- [ ] Open in **new tab** with `rel="noopener"`
- [ ] `rel="nofollow"` for sponsored links
## SCHEMA MARKUP (JSON-LD in ``)
- [ ] **Article** schema on blog posts
- [ ] **LocalBusiness** schema on homepage, about, contact (use most specific subtype — `Plumber`, `Dentist`, etc.)
- [ ] **Service** schema on service pages
- [ ] **FAQ** schema wherever an FAQ section exists
- [ ] **BreadcrumbList** schema on every page
- [ ] **Organization** schema (site-wide)
- [ ] **Author/Person** schema for author bylines
## E-E-A-T SIGNALS
- [ ] **Author byline** with name on every blog post
- [ ] **Author bio** with credentials (years experience, qualifications)
- [ ] Link to **author's dedicated page**
- [ ] **Published date** displayed on page
- [ ] **"Last updated" date** when content is refreshed
- [ ] **Real stories, real numbers, real opinions** (from the business voice file)
- [ ] **Cite authoritative sources**
- [ ] **About page** with full company credentials
- [ ] **Contact page** with real address, phone, business hours
## ACCESSIBILITY (affects SEO)
- [ ] **Semantic HTML5** tags: ``, `