Homepage SEO Checklist

Run through this before a client homepage goes live.

0 / 0

Structure & content

One H1 that names the service and location (if local SEO matters) e.g. "Reliable roofing repair in Austin, TX" — not a slogan

Trust/value section gives 3–4 real, specific reasons to choose the business

Services/products section introduces each offering and links to its dedicated page

About section contains only claims that are actually true and verifiable

How it works / process section is included if it reduces friction (skip if not relevant)

Service area lists real coverage only, each linking to a real location page

Trust badges / GBP embed are current and verifiable

Reviews/testimonials are genuine — never manufactured

FAQ answers real questions customers actually ask

Final CTA matches the hero's CTA and includes a phone number

Footer has NAP + core nav links — not stuffed with extra links

Technical SEO

Title tag is descriptive, unique, includes service + location

Meta description accurately summarizes the page and supports click-through

Homepage lives at the root domain with a self-referencing canonical tag

H1 → H2 → H3 hierarchy in strict order, no skipped levels

Images compressed and sized to display dimensions; WebP/AVIF preferred

Alt text describes meaningful images only; decorative images skipped

Schema (LocalBusiness, etc.) accurately reflects visible content

Core Web Vitals checked: LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1

Confirm none of these are present

Keyword-stuffed H1s, alt text, titles, or filenames

Service-area lists padded with cities that aren't real coverage

Near-duplicate location pages with only the city name swapped

Manufactured or unverifiable reviews, ratings, or credentials

"Click here" anchor text instead of descriptive links