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🔎SEO Check Guide

Want to optimize your website for search engines but don't know where to start? Our SEO check guidelines for beginners will guide you through the process step by step.

Illustration: A drawing of people editing reviews on a giant laptop
Image: Colourbox.de

Step by step toward greater visibility on the web

Search engine optimization—SEO for short—may sound complicated at first glance. But understanding and implementing the key basics isn’t that difficult. This guide walks you through the essential aspects of an SEO check and shows you what matters most when optimizing your website. From crafting the title to optimizing images and using headings correctly—here you’ll find everything you need to know as a beginner. It's explained step by step in an easy-to-understand manner.

 

Section 1: Metadata in HTML

1. Title tag

Your website's title is one of the most important SEO elements. It appears in search results and gives search engines and users a first impression of what your site is about.

Checklist:

  • Does the title include the most important keyword?
  • Is the title unique and does it accurately describe the page's content?
  • Is the title worded in a way that appeals to everyone?
  • Were clichĂ©s like “Welcome” avoided?

2. Meta description

The meta description is the short summary that appears below the title in search results. While it doesn't directly affect your ranking, it does influence the rate of clicks.

Checklist:
  • Does the meta description include the most important keyword?
  • Is the meta description between 150 and 160 characters long?
  • Is it unique and does it concisely summarize the page's content?
  • Does it include a clear call to action (e.g., “Learn more now”)?

Implementation in Plone: The meta description is entered in the ‘Summary’ field.

Screenshot of the 'Summary' field in the editor view of Plone CMS

Example:
Screenshot: Example of a meta description on a website
 

 

Section 2: Page Quality

3. Content

The text on your page should be well structured. To achieve this, use paragraphs, subheadings, bulleted or numbered lists, and accordions. Words from the header should also be mentioned again in the body text. The same applies to important keywords that are relevant to search engines. Feel free to use the templates in Plone's CMS to structure your content.

4. Boldface (strong) tags

Boldface text highlights important passages. It can also signal to search engines that the highlighted text is particularly relevant.

Checklist:
  • Is boldface text used to highlight important keywords or statements?
  • Are the tags used sparingly and appropriately?

Example:

Example of boldface (strong) tags

5. Image optimization

Images enhance a page’s content, but they can also slow down loading times, and search engines cannot “see” them, which is why optimizing them is important. From an accessibility perspective, this is particularly important for people with visual impairments, as they rely solely on screen readers to read the alternative text for images.  This text field should explain the function of the image, for example using terms like 'illustration' or 'linked photo'.

Checklist:
  • Does every image have descriptive alternative text that includes a relevant keyword?
  • Are the filenames of the images descriptive (e.g., dog-in-garden.jpg instead of IMG_001.jpg)?
  • Are the images saved at an appropriate file size to keep loading times short?
  • Is an appropriate file format being used (e.g., JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics)?
Implementation in Plone: You can enter the alt attribute in the ‘Alternative text’ field under ‘Insert image’. The following guidelines apply when assigning alternative text:
  • Images that serve as links: alternative = 'Link destination'
  • Images that trigger an action: alternative = 'Action'
  • Images that convey information: alternative = 'Description of the image content'
  • Illustrations that serve no informational purpose: alternative = 'Illustration'
  • Logos: alternative = 'Logo of [Name of Institution]'
Screenshot: Implementing alternative text in Plone
Example:
Screenshot of an illustration showing the alternative text next to the mouse pointer

 

Section 3: Page Structure

6. Headers

Headers structure your content and help search engines understand the hierarchy and main topics of your website.

Checklist:
  • Is there exactly one H1 heading per page?
  • Does the H1 tag contain the most important keyword?
  • Are subheadings (H2, H3, etc.) used appropriately and in a hierarchical manner?
  • Are the headings clear, and do they accurately describe the content that follows?
Implementation in Plone: The title of your page also serves as the H1 heading, i.e., the top-level heading. For the hierarchy of subheadings, the H2 through H6 levels are available in the editor. When setting up the heading structure, you must not skip any levels. For example, you cannot follow an H2 heading with an H4 heading. When maintaining page content, the first subheading must therefore always be H2.


A regular SEO check (German only) helps you continuously improve your website and increase its visibility in search results. Go through the checklists point by point and optimize your content step by step. SEO isn’t a one-time process—stay on top of it and review your website regularly!