A pragmatic SEO checklist for founders
The technical and on-page work that actually moves rankings, in the order we'd do it.
By the AdPlus Services team
SEO advice is often either too vague to act on or too detailed to prioritise. If you run a business and want a clear starting point, this is the checklist we work through, in order.
1. Make sure Google can find and index your pages
- Set up Google Search Console and submit your XML sitemap
- Check the Pages report for anything excluded by mistake
- Make sure important pages aren't blocked by robots.txt or a noindex tag
- Fix broken internal links and redirect chains
2. Fix speed and mobile experience
Most of your visitors are on phones. Compress and resize images, serve modern formats such as WebP, remove scripts you don't need, and check Core Web Vitals in Search Console. A faster site helps rankings and conversion at the same time.
3. Give every page one clear job
Each important page should target one main topic and the searches around it. A single services page that lists everything rarely ranks for anything. Separate pages for each service, location or product category give search engines and visitors a clear match.
4. Get the on-page basics right
- A unique, descriptive title tag under about 60 characters
- A meta description that explains the page and invites the click
- One H1 that matches the page's topic, with logical H2s below it
- Descriptive alt text on meaningful images
- Internal links from related pages using natural anchor text
5. Add structured data
Schema markup helps search engines understand your business. Organization and LocalBusiness schema, breadcrumbs, FAQs and articles are good places to start.
6. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
If you serve local customers, this matters as much as your website. Choose accurate categories, add photos, keep hours current and ask happy customers for reviews.
7. Publish content that answers real questions
Look at what your sales team gets asked and what people search before buying. Write clear, specific answers. One genuinely useful page beats ten thin ones.
8. Earn links the honest way
Partnerships, industry associations, local press and genuinely useful resources attract links over time. Avoid paid link schemes. They create risk without lasting benefit.
9. Measure what matters
Track organic sessions, enquiries and sales from search, not just rankings. A keyword moving up means little if it never brings a customer.
