SEO Copywriting Checklist: 20 Checks Before You Hit Publish
In short: you don't need to be an SEO to review a page before it goes live. This SEO copywriting checklist gives you 20 yes-or-no checks in three passes: before anyone writes, on the draft itself, and on the publish screen. There's a copy-and-paste table at the end.
You've got a draft in front of you. Maybe you wrote it, maybe a writer sent it over. It reads fine. But is it ready?
That's the question this checklist answers. I'm Rehan Jamshed, a freelance SEO content writer, and I've been writing for clients since 2019. Here are the checks worth running on any page before it goes live.
No paid tools needed. Just the draft, a browser and, for the last check, the free Google Search Console.
How to Use This SEO Copywriting Checklist
Run it in three passes, in order.
- Before anyone writes a word. Checks 1 to 5. Get these wrong and no amount of editing will save the page.
- The draft itself. Checks 6 to 13. This is where most of the fixes happen.
- The publish screen and after. Checks 14 to 20. Titles, links, images, then a quick look once it's live.
Every check is a question with a yes or no answer. A "no" doesn't mean the page is bad. It means you've found something to fix.
Before Anyone Writes a Word
1. Does This Page Have One Main Keyword?
Pick one phrase the page is built around. If two of your pages chase the same keyword, they end up competing with each other, and neither does as well as one page would.
2. Does It Have One Job?
A page that sells a service, explains a process and answers a pricing question all at once usually does none of them well. Decide the one thing a reader should get from it.
3. Have You Searched the Keyword Yourself?
Type it into Google and look at page one. Are the top results how-to guides, service pages or product lists? Match that format. In my experience, if Google is showing guides, a sales page has a hard time ranking there.
4. Do You Know Who's Reading?
A homeowner comparing plasterers wants different details than a marketing manager comparing agencies. Name the reader in one sentence before the writing starts.
5. Have You Gathered Your Own Facts?
Prices, process, turnaround, real examples, the questions customers actually ask you. Hand these to whoever's writing. A writer can research a topic, but only you know how your business works.
Checks for the Draft Itself
This is the core of any SEO content checklist. Read the draft once like a customer would, then go through these.
6. Does the H1 Say What the Page Is?
The main heading should tell a reader exactly what they're about to get. Google's own guidance on helpful content asks whether the main heading gives "a descriptive, helpful summary" and avoids exaggerating.
7. Does the Answer Show Up Early?
If someone searched a question, answer it in the first few lines. Then explain. A long warm-up makes readers scroll, and plenty of them won't.
8. Do the Headings Tell the Story on Their Own?
Read only the headings, top to bottom. Could someone skimming them understand the main points? If not, the headings are too vague.
9. Does the Keyword Sound Natural?
Read the sentences with the keyword out loud. If any of them sound odd, rewrite them. Google's spam policies list keyword stuffing as a violation, so don't force the phrase in.
10. Is There Something Only You Could Say?
A real example, a price from your own list, a mistake you see customers make. This is the part copycat content can't fake. Google's helpful content questions ask whether a page offers "original information" and whether it shows "first-hand expertise".
11. Does Every Fact Have a Source?
Numbers, claims and comparisons should come from a source you can link, or from your own business. If neither is true, cut the claim. One easily disproved fact hurts the whole page.
12. Are the Paragraphs Short and the Words Plain?
My rule of thumb: one to three sentences per paragraph, which reads well on a phone. Swap jargon for the words your customers use.
13. Does the Reader Know What to Do Next?
Call, book, get a quote, read the next guide. Make the next step obvious and link it.
Checks for the Publish Screen
This is the on-page SEO checklist for content that's already written: the bits that sit around the words.
14. Is the Title Descriptive and Concise?
The title element is one of the sources Google uses to build the clickable headline in search results. Google's guide to title links asks for "descriptive and concise" titles, warns against stuffing them with keywords, and says every page needs its own distinct title.
Google says there's no length limit for a title, but long ones get cut off to fit the screen. So I'd put the important words first.
15. Is the Meta Description a Unique, Accurate Summary?
Google mostly builds the snippet from your page content. It sometimes uses the meta description when that describes the page better. So write one for every page that matters, make each one different, and make it accurate.
16. Is the URL Short and Readable?
Something like /seo-copywriting-checklist beats a long string of numbers or a full sentence. Set it before publishing, since changing it later usually means setting up a redirect.
17. Do Your Links Say Where They Go?
Anchor text is the clickable text of a link, and Google says it tells people and Google something about the page you're linking to. "Click here" tells nobody anything. "How to hire a content writer" does.
18. Does the Alt Text Describe the Image?
Describe what's actually in the picture, in a few plain words. Google warns that filling alt text with keywords counts as keyword stuffing.
19. Does the Page Link to Related Pages?
Point readers to one or two pages on your site that naturally come next. A pricing guide might link to a service page. A how-to might link to a deeper explainer, like this one on what an SEO content writer does.
After It Goes Live
20. Has Google Indexed It?
Paste the URL into Search Console's URL Inspection tool. If it isn't indexed yet, you can request indexing from the same screen.
Then come back in a few weeks. Search Console's Performance report shows the searches the page is appearing for. If people find it with wording you didn't expect, work that wording into a heading or the intro.
And when your prices or process change, update the page. Old facts age badly.
A Worked Example: One of My Own Posts
Let's run the SEO checklist for blog posts on something real: my guide to what an SEO blog post costs.
- Title element: "Blog Writing Prices: What an SEO Blog Post Really Costs". Descriptive, distinct, and the topic phrase, blog writing prices, comes first. Check 14 passes.
- H1: "Blog Writing Prices: How Much Does an SEO Blog Post Cost?". It says exactly what the page is. Check 6 passes.
- Answer early: the first sentence asks the question and the second paragraph answers it: "Anywhere from $5 to over $1,000." Check 7 passes.
- Headings: "Freelance Writing Rates Compared", "SEO Copywriting Prices at a Glance", "Key Factors That Drive Content Pricing", "Red Flags to Watch for With Cheap Content". Skim those and you've got the gist. Check 8 passes.
- Links: internal anchors like "how to hire a content writer" and "SEO blog writing services" say where they go. Check 17 passes.
One thing I'd check next time? The title and H1 lead with "blog writing prices", while the URL and much of the page talk about what an SEO blog post costs. Both phrases fit the page. But it's worth deciding which one matters most and making sure it sits near the start of the title.
A Copy-and-Paste Version
Paste this into a doc, then tick each line on your next draft.
| # | Check | Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One main keyword for the page | |
| 2 | One job for the page | |
| 3 | Searched the keyword and matched the format that ranks | |
| 4 | Reader named in one sentence | |
| 5 | Own facts, prices and examples gathered | |
| 6 | H1 says what the page is | |
| 7 | Answer appears early | |
| 8 | Headings make sense on their own | |
| 9 | Keyword reads naturally, no stuffing | |
| 10 | Something only you could say | |
| 11 | Every fact sourced or from your business | |
| 12 | Short paragraphs, plain words | |
| 13 | Clear next step | |
| 14 | Title descriptive, concise, unique | |
| 15 | Meta description unique and accurate | |
| 16 | Short, readable URL | |
| 17 | Descriptive anchor text | |
| 18 | Alt text describes the image | |
| 19 | Links to one or two related pages | |
| 20 | Indexed, then queries checked in Search Console |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SEO Copywriting Different From Regular Copywriting?
Not as much as people think. You're still writing for a person first. SEO copywriting adds a few extra steps: picking the phrase people search, matching the format Google already ranks, and getting the title, headings and links right.
Does Keyword Density Matter?
There's no magic number to chase, and Google lists keyword stuffing as a spam violation. Use the phrase where it fits naturally, in the H1, early on and in a heading or two, then write normally.
How Long Should an SEO Article Be?
Long enough to answer the question fully, and no longer. Google doesn't set a word count. Look at what's ranking for your keyword to see how deep those pages go, then cover what they miss.
Can I Use This Checklist on a Writer's Draft?
Yes. That's what it's built for. If you're working with a freelancer, send it with the brief so you're both checking the same things. My guide on how to hire a content writer covers what else to agree before the work starts.
The Bottom Line
A good SEO copywriting checklist doesn't make a page great on its own. It catches the small misses that stop a good page from doing its job.
Run it on your next draft and see how many lines you can tick.
Want a writer to handle this part for you? See my SEO copywriting services. Have a look at some SEO copywriting examples first. And your first article, up to 1,000 words, is free.