Most content fails to rank not because of some advanced SEO secret, but because of basics skipped under deadline pressure. Run through this before you hit publish.
Before you write
- Searched the keyword yourself — what’s actually ranking, and why?
- Identified search intent: informational, commercial, or transactional?
- Picked one primary keyword and 2-3 related terms, not ten unrelated ones
While writing
- Primary keyword appears in the title, first 100 words, and one H2
- Headings (H2/H3) describe what’s actually in that section — skimmers should be able to navigate by headings alone
- Answered the question directly within the first 2-3 sentences of the relevant section (helps with featured snippets)
- Internal links to 2-3 related posts on the site
- External link to at least one credible source
Before you publish
- Meta description written by hand, not auto-generated — includes the keyword and a reason to click
- Featured image has descriptive alt text
- URL slug is short and matches the keyword, not the full title
- Mobile preview checked — most of your traffic will read it on a phone
After you publish
- Share to at least one channel where your audience already is
- Set a 90-day reminder to revisit and update the post with anything new
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