vierviertel Blog

The ultimate SEO checklist with helpful tips to optimise your website

Written by Elisabeth Kindler | May 8, 2025 10:06:02 AM

Would you like to optimise your website? You can't do without SEO. The importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) is greater than ever. Optimising your company website according to the latest SEO findings is essential for successful online marketing. In this article, we present some helpful tips. Our free SEO checklist will help you to keep an overview. 

 

 

Table of contents: 

  1. What is on-page SEO and why is it so important for website optimisation? 
  2. Technical SEO 
  3. Elements of a website from the search engine's point of view:
    Page title, URL, meta description
  4. Structured organisation of the content 
  5. Links 
  6. Use of keywords 
  7. Off page SEO: Backlinks 
  8. Conclusion
  9. SEO checklist available for download


Download in advance free of charge: the SEO measures checklist 

We have created a comprehensive SEO checklist.
Download it now and read it later:

 

 

1. What is on-page SEO and why is it so important for optimising a website?


On page SEO (also known as on-site SEO) is a practice in the field of search engine optimisation. The aim of on page SEO is to optimise website content so that it is easier for search engines to understand and evaluate. This leads to a better ranking in the search results and increases the visibility of your website. 

 

2. Technical SEO:


Technical SEO forms the foundation for your entire SEO strategy. A slow website or problems with indexing can have a negative impact on your search engine rankings. To ensure that your website can be crawled efficiently by search engines, the content must be accessible and understandable. Technical SEO includes aspects such as loading time, mobile user experience, secure connection (https) and XML sitemap. 

Firstly, it is helpful to get an overview of the current status of the website. Depending on the state of the site, it may make sense to relaunch the website rather than optimise it. You can use various tools for this. Browsers offer add-ons that give you an initial overview. The Google Search Console, for example, is suitable for a more comprehensive overview. 

 

 

 

I also recommend setting up Google Analytics so that you can check which measures are having an effect and where there is still room for improvement. This allows you to keep an eye on the performance of your site at all times and can document successes using figures and set up reports. Does that sound complicated? We at Vierviertel will be happy to support you.

 

 

 

Tips on technical SEO:


  • Check the loading times of your website and optimise them. 
  • Mobile First: Your website should be optimised for mobile use. 
  • XML sitemap: Implement structured data to make your content easier to understand for search engines. 
  • Ensure secure connections (https). 
  • Avoid duplicate content. 
  • Make sure that there are no 404 error pages. 

3. Elements of a website from the search engine's perspective: page title, URL, meta descriptions


The elements of a website play an important role in SEO optimisation. A few simple tricks have a direct effect here. 

Page title: 

The page title of a website, also known as the ‘title tag’, is an HTML element that defines the title or name of a specific page on a website. This title is displayed in the browser tab and in the search engine result. The page title helps to clearly identify the content and purpose of the website for search engines and visitors. 

 

Tips for a SEO-friendly page title:

  • Page titles should not exceed a length of 50-60 characters. 
  • Use relevant keywords in the page title (be careful not to use keyword stuffing). 
  • Page titles should accurately reflect the content of the page and be concise. 
  • Each page should have a unique page title to make it easier to differentiate content. 

URL:

Creating search engine friendly URLs is an important aspect of on page SEO and can help your website perform better in search results and be more accessible to users. Clear, short and engaging URLs are often more effective at communicating the content of a page and improving the user experience. 

 

Tips on structuring your URLs:

  • Keep the URLs short. 
  • No spaces or special characters. 
  • Do not use umlauts (ä,ö,ü). 
  • Separate with hyphens (-). 

Meta descriptions:

The meta description is an HTML meta tag that is inserted into the header area of a web page. This description is displayed in the search engine results and is used to give potential visitors a quick overview of the content of the page and to encourage them to click on the link and visit the page. 

 

Tips on creating meta descriptions:

  • The meta description should be accurate and relevant to give searchers a clear impression of what to expect on your site.
  • Length of the meta description: about 150-160 characters. 
  • Integrate important keywords that match your page into the meta description. 
  • Incorporate a call to action: this motivates users to click on your page. 
  • Make sure that the meta description is also easy to read on mobile devices. 

For example, a useful tool for creating suitable meta descriptions is the SERP Snippet Generator (https://app.sistrix.com/de/serp-snippet-generator). 

 

4. Structured content organisation: structured content:

Structuring your content clearly helps in two ways: the use of headings (h1, h2, h3) structures your content and makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand. Use your main keywords in the headings to increase relevance.

5. Links:


Internal links help to improve navigation on your website. Crawlers can better understand and contextualise content through good links. A user-friendly structure not only helps the visitor to find their way around your website, but also the search engine. Make sure that all links work correctly and lead to relevant content.

 

Tips on links:

  • Internal links: Link relevant pages together to create a hierarchical structure of your website. This makes it easier for search engines to understand your website.
  • Navigation links: Create a well-structured navigation on your website so that users can easily access different parts of your website. Make sure that your main navigation is also accessible for search engines and does not exclude any important pages from indexing. 
  • Image links: If you use images, tag them with alt text and link them to relevant internal or external pages where appropriate. This can optimise the image search and contribute to accessibility. 
  • Broken link monitoring: Monitor your website regularly for broken links and fix them as soon as possible. Broken links can lead to a poor user experience and have a negative impact on SEO. 

6. Use of keywords:

Keywords are a central component of on-page SEO, as they help to make your website relevant for certain search queries and more visible in search results. 

 

Tips for an optimal keyword research:

  • Start by thoroughly researching keywords that are relevant to your website and your target group. 
  • Place your keywords strategically on your website, including in the meta descriptions, meta titles, headings (H1, H2, H3), body text and image alt texts. But don't overdo it - keyword stuffing (over-inserting keywords) can be harmful. 
  • Create high-quality, informative and useful content that integrates your keywords in a natural way. Search engines favour relevant and valuable content. 
  • Use synonyms and related terms to increase the diversity of your content and make it easier for search engines to understand. 


 

 

7. Off page SEO: Backlinks


Backlinks are part of off-page SEO. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your own website. Search engines such as Google use backlinks to assess the authority, credibility and relevance of a website. If a reputable and relevant website links to your site, this signals to the search engines that your website could also be trustworthy and relevant. 

 

Tips to acquire credible backlinks:

  • It is more important to have high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites than a large number of low-quality backlinks. 
  • A backlink from a website with similar content or topic is usually rated higher than a backlink from a completely unrelated website
  • Guest posts can be a good way to gain backlinks: Create high-quality content as a guest author on relevant websites. 
  • Do not buy backlinks, but try to build up relevant backlinks in the long term in a natural way. 

Conclusion:

An effective SEO strategy is essential to be successful in today's digital landscape. With our SEO checklist, you now have a solid foundation to optimise your website for search engines and users. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process and you need to continuously work on improving your rankings. 

 

 

If you have any questions or need support, we at vierviertel will be happy to help. Together we can ensure that your website realises its full potential and is highly visible in search engines. Successful SEO optimisation can make a significant difference and lead your company to success online. Our team will be happy to assist you!