Welcome to SEO 101, where the only prerequisite is a WordPress site and a willingness to look at your own pages with fresh eyes. On-page SEO is everything you control directly on a page: the words, the headings, the images, the links, and the technical signals behind them. It will not guarantee a top ranking (nothing honest can), but it gives search engines and readers the clearest possible picture of what each page offers.
Grab a pencil. Professor Press has organized this checklist so you can work through it one post at a time.
Start with Search Intent
Before you touch a title tag, ask one question: what is the searcher actually trying to do? Someone searching “how to reset WordPress password” wants steps, fast. Someone searching “best WordPress hosting” wants comparisons. Match the format to the intent.
- Search your target phrase and look at what already ranks: tutorials, lists, product pages, videos?
- Pick one primary topic per page, plus a handful of closely related subtopics.
- Write for a person first. Google’s guidance on helpful, people-first content rewards pages that genuinely answer the question.
Professor’s note: “Keyword density” is a relic. Use your main phrase naturally where it fits, and cover the topic thoroughly. Stuffing the same words over and over makes pages worse for readers and search engines alike.
The Title, URL, and Meta Description
Title tag
Your SEO title is the clickable headline in search results. Keep it clear, specific, and roughly under 60 characters so it is less likely to be cut off. Put the main topic near the front and make it worth clicking.
URL slug
In Settings → Permalinks, choose “Post name” for clean URLs. Then keep each slug short and descriptive: /on-page-seo-checklist/ beats /2026/09/the-ultimate-complete-guide-to-on-page-seo-for-everyone/.
Meta description
Search engines do not use meta descriptions as a ranking factor in any direct way, and they sometimes rewrite them, but a good one can improve clicks. Summarize the benefit in about 150–160 characters. SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO, Rank Math, All in One SEO, and SEOPress give you fields for titles and descriptions.
Heads up: Changing the slug on a published post breaks existing links. If you must change it, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
Headings and Content Structure
Your theme typically turns the post title into the page’s H1. Inside the post, use headings to create a logical outline:
- H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections inside them.
- Do not skip levels just for styling; use the block editor’s typography settings instead.
- Answer the core question early, then go deeper.
- Use short paragraphs, lists, and tables where they help scanning.
Clear headings also help screen reader users navigate, so good structure is an accessibility win too.
Images, Media, and Alt Text
- Name files sensibly — blue-gutenberg-block-toolbar.png beats IMG_4432.png.
- Write useful alt text — describe what the image shows and why it matters in context. Decorative images can have empty alt text.
- Resize and compress — upload images near the size they will display. Modern formats like WebP and AVIF (supported in recent WordPress versions, depending on your server) can reduce file size.
- Keep lazy loading on — WordPress adds lazy loading to images by default; just make sure your main above-the-fold image is not delayed.
Links: Internal and External
Internal links help readers find related content and help search engines understand how your pages connect. Link to relevant pages using descriptive anchor text, not “click here.” For example, if you are just getting started, our Start Here page and blog marketing hub are good next stops.
External links to trustworthy sources support your claims and help readers. For paid or affiliate links, add rel=”sponsored”; for user-generated links, rel=”ugc” is appropriate.
Tip: Every time you publish a new post, go back to two or three older related posts and add a link to the new one. It takes minutes and keeps your content web connected.
Technical On-Page Basics
- Indexing: In Settings → Reading, make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked on your live site.
- Sitemap: WordPress has included a core XML sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml since version 5.5. Many SEO plugins replace it with their own. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.
- Core Web Vitals: Google’s page experience metrics are LCP (Largest Contentful Paint, loading), INP (Interaction to Next Paint, responsiveness), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift, visual stability). Check them with PageSpeed Insights.
- Mobile-friendly: Test your pages on a real phone. Most modern block themes are responsive, but custom tweaks can break things.
- Structured data: SEO plugins can add schema markup (Article, FAQ, Breadcrumb, and more). Only mark up content that actually appears on the page.
- HTTPS: Serve your whole site over HTTPS.
The Quick Checklist
- Search intent matched and one clear primary topic
- SEO title under about 60 characters, main topic near the front
- Short, descriptive slug
- Benefit-led meta description
- Logical H2/H3 outline, key answer near the top
- Descriptive alt text and compressed images
- At least a few relevant internal links, plus trustworthy external sources
- Indexing allowed, sitemap submitted
- Core Web Vitals checked, mobile tested
Want the full curriculum? The WordPress Professor course covers SEO alongside speed and security, and our tools page lists helpful free checkers.
Homework
- Pick your three most important posts and run each one through the checklist above.
- Rewrite one title and one meta description to be clearer and more specific.
- Add two new internal links to each of those posts.
- Check your Core Web Vitals in PageSpeed Insights and note one thing to improve.
