WordPress SEO Checklist for a New Site

Do these in order. Everything in the first section is a one-time setup that prevents an entire class of problem; everything after it is per-page work that compounds over time.

1. Make sure the site can be indexed

• Settings → Reading: confirm Discourage search engines from indexing this site is unticked. Sites launched from a staging copy frequently ship with this on, and nothing else in this list matters while it is.
• Check robots.txt for a blanket Disallow: /.
• Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit the sitemap.
• Check the Pages report in Search Console after a week and read the reasons anything was excluded.

If pages are missing weeks later, work through why a WordPress site is not showing in Google.

2. Set the permalink structure once

Settings → Permalinks → Post name is the right default for most sites.

Decide before publishing. Changing it later changes every URL and requires a redirect for each one — the cost is described in how to fix WordPress 404 errors.

Keep slugs short, descriptive and free of dates and stop words. /wordpress-security-checklist/ beats /2026/08/the-ultimate-guide-to-wordpress-security-in-2026/.

3. Choose one canonical hostname

Pick https://example.com or https://www.example.com, set it in Settings → General, and redirect the other permanently. Serve HTTPS everywhere — see fixing the not secure warning.

Every internal link should point at the canonical version directly, without bouncing through a redirect.

4. Titles and meta descriptions

• One clear <title> per page, unique across the site, with the important words first.
• A meta description that describes the page honestly. It does not affect ranking directly, but it decides whether anyone clicks.
• Set patterns in your SEO plugin for archives and post types, and write custom text for the pages that matter.
• Do not stuff keywords. Repetition in a title reads as spam to both people and search engines.

5. Get the page structure right

• One <h1> per page, matching what the page is about.
• Headings in order — h2 for sections, h3 for subsections — describing content rather than being used for visual size.
• Write for the question the visitor arrived with, and answer it in the first paragraph.
• Cover the topic properly rather than to a word count.

6. Internal links

The most under-used SEO tool on most WordPress sites.

• Link from established pages to new ones, so crawlers find them quickly.
• Use descriptive anchor text — "how to back up a WordPress site", not "click here".
• Group related articles so each topic has a hub and supporting pages.
• Fix links that point to removed content rather than leaving them to 404.

7. Images

• Descriptive filenames before upload.
• Alt text that describes the image for someone who cannot see it. Decorative images take empty alt text.
• Correct dimensions and modern formats, per how to fix blurry images.
• Width and height attributes so the layout does not shift while loading.

8. Speed and Core Web Vitals

Search engines use real-user performance data, and slow pages lose visitors regardless of ranking. The essentials are caching, image weight and script count — the full method is in how to speed up a WordPress site.

Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console rather than a single lab score.

9. Structured data

An SEO plugin outputs the basics — organisation, breadcrumbs, article metadata — automatically. Add specific types where they genuinely apply: FAQ, product, recipe, local business.

Only mark up what is visible on the page. Structured data describing content the visitor cannot see is a policy violation, not a shortcut.

10. Handle the housekeeping

• Set a sensible 404 page that helps people continue.
• Redirect moved content with one direct 301, never a chain.
• Keep tag and category archives useful, and noindex the thin ones rather than letting them dilute the site.
• Add hreflang only if you genuinely serve multiple languages.
• Keep the sitemap accurate — it should list canonical, indexable URLs and nothing else.

What to do after launch

Publish consistently, watch which queries bring impressions in Search Console, and improve the pages that are close to ranking rather than starting new ones every time. Technical setup is a weekend; the content work is the actual job.