SEO Checklist for a New Blog: One List for Launch Day, One for Every Post

This SEO checklist for a blog is split into the two moments that matter: a one-time launch list (domain, HTTPS, Search Console, sitemap, robots.txt, structure) and a repeatable list you run on every post. Each item links to the official documentation behind it, so you know why it's there. It works for WordPress, Ghost, Hugo or any other platform, and it leaves out the busywork that Google itself says doesn't matter.

Published: 2026-10-16 · 7 min read · Satelo

How to use this checklist

Most SEO checklists mix one-time settings with habits, so beginners re-check their robots.txt every week and forget to link new posts together. This one is split by when you do it:

• Part 1: Launch day. Done once, takes an afternoon.
• Part 2: Every post. Before and right after publishing, about 15 minutes.
• Part 3: Once a month. A short review in Search Console.
• Part 4: What not to do. Common time-wasters and risks.

The baseline for everything here is Google's own SEO Starter Guide. If an item isn't backed by documentation, it isn't on the list. On WordPress specifically, our guide on promoting a WordPress blog covers the platform settings.

Part 1: Launch-day checklist (do once)

Domain and access

• Pick one canonical version of your domain (with or without www) and redirect the other to it.
• Serve everything over HTTPS, and redirect http to https.
• Don't agonize over keywords in the domain. The Starter Guide says keywords in the domain name or URL path alone have hardly any effect beyond appearing in breadcrumbs. Choose a name people can remember and spell.

Search engine accounts

• Verify the site in Google Search Console. Google's verification help explains the options. A Domain property, verified through a DNS record at your domain provider, covers all protocol and subdomain variations, so it's worth the extra step.
• Add the site to Bing Webmaster Tools. Microsoft Copilot draws on Bing's search results, so this matters beyond Bing itself.
• If you have readers in Russia or nearby countries, add Yandex Webmaster too.

Crawling and indexing

• Check that you're not blocking crawlers. Many platforms have a "discourage search engines" switch that is on during setup. Turn it off when you launch.
• Keep robots.txt simple. Google's robots.txt introduction says it is used mainly to avoid overloading your site and is not a mechanism for keeping a page out of Google. To keep a page out, use noindex or password protection.
• Submit a sitemap. Most CMSs generate one. Google's sitemap documentation explains the format; submit the URL in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. The Starter Guide notes a sitemap isn't required, but it costs nothing on a blog.
• Set up IndexNow if your platform supports it. IndexNow lets you notify participating search engines when a page is added, updated or deleted. Its site lists Microsoft Bing, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yandex and Yep; Google isn't on that list, so it doesn't replace Search Console.

Site structure

• Create a few clear categories (three to six is plenty to start) instead of dozens of tags with one post each.
• Use readable URLs. The Starter Guide recommends words in the URL that are useful for users over random identifiers. Decide your URL pattern now; changing it later means redirects.
• Write a real About page. Who runs the blog, why, and what experience you bring. Add a contact page or a visible email address.
• Add author bylines that link to a bio. Google's helpful content guidance asks whether it's clear who created the content.
• Make navigation crawlable. Google's link guidelines say Google can generally only crawl a link if it's an a element with an href attribute. Menus built from script-only buttons can hide pages.

Speed and mobile

• Use a lightweight theme, compress images, and skip plugins you don't need.
• Test the home page and one post on a phone. Our guide to Core Web Vitals for small sites shows what to measure and what to ignore.

Part 2: Every-post checklist

Before you write

• One post, one search intent. Search your target query and look at what ranks: guides, lists, tools, product pages? Match the format people are clearly looking for.
• Check you don't already have a post on it. Two posts chasing the same query compete with each other. Update the old one instead.
• Know what you add. Your own test, photos, numbers or experience. If you can't name one thing the current results lack, pick a narrower topic.

On the page

• Title: unique, clear, accurate. The Starter Guide describes a good title as unique to the page, clear and concise, and accurately describing its contents. Put the main phrase near the start. See Google's title link documentation for how titles get rewritten.
• Meta description: short and specific to this page. Google may show it as the snippet.
• One H1 that matches the promise of the title; H2s that a skimmer could use as a table of contents.
• Answer the query early. The first paragraph should give the short answer; the rest of the post earns the detail.
• Images: descriptive file names and alt text that explains how the image relates to the content, per Google's image SEO guidance. Compress before uploading.
• Sources: link to the original source for every statistic, rule or price. If you can't find the source, drop the number.
• Descriptive link text. "Our guide to sitemaps" tells readers and Google more than "click here."
• Two to five internal links out to related posts where they genuinely help the reader.

Right after publishing

• Link to the new post from one or two older related posts. This is the step most bloggers skip, and it's how new pages get found and understood in context.
• Make sure it's in your sitemap, and ping IndexNow if you use it.
• For an important post, request indexing with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console. Don't do this for every minor edit.
• Share it where your readers already are: a newsletter, a community you take part in, a social profile. Our list of ways to promote a website for free has more channels.

Part 3: Once-a-month review

• Search Console, Pages report: any posts stuck as "Crawled - currently not indexed"? Our guide to that status walks through the usual causes.
• Search Console, Performance report: pages with many impressions and few clicks need a better title or a clearer answer. See impressions but no clicks.
• Queries ranking on page two: these are your easiest wins. Expand the post, add the missing subtopic, link to it from more places.
• Update one older post with new information, and change the visible "updated" date only when the content really changed.
• Check for broken links in your most-visited posts.
• Look at your site from the outside once in a while: who links to you, whether you show up for your own name, how your speed looks.

Part 4: What not to do

Links from other sites still matter, but a new blog should earn them through useful content, collaboration and honest outreach. Our guide to link building for new websites covers what works without risk.

The checklist in short (copy this)

Launch day:

1. One canonical domain, HTTPS everywhere.
2. Search Console (Domain property) and Bing Webmaster Tools verified.
3. "Discourage search engines" off; robots.txt minimal.
4. Sitemap submitted; IndexNow set up if available.
5. 3–6 categories, readable URLs, About and Contact pages.
6. Author bylines with a bio page; crawlable menu.
7. Light theme, compressed images, tested on a phone.

Every post:

1. One intent; no duplicate post on the same query.
2. Know what you add that the top results don't have.
3. Unique title and description; one H1; short answer first.
4. Alt text, compressed images, sources linked.
5. 2–5 internal links out; 1–2 links in from older posts.
6. In sitemap; request indexing for key posts; share it.

What to do next

Work through Part 1 today; it only needs doing once. Then add the last item from the monthly review to your launch list: see how your blog looks from the outside. On Satelo's free checker you can see your site's Quality Score with the evidence behind each number in about 30 seconds. It's built mostly from open data, like Tranco rank, domain age, Common Crawl presence and page speed, so it shows you what other sites and partners see when they look you up, and which of those signals a new blog can actually move.

FAQ

What should be on a blog SEO checklist?

Two lists: a one-time setup (HTTPS, Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, sitemap, simple robots.txt, clear categories, About page) and a per-post list (one search intent, clear title and description, early answer, images with alt text, sources, internal links).

Do I need a sitemap for a new blog?

Google's SEO Starter Guide says a sitemap isn't required. Most blogging platforms generate one automatically, though, and submitting it in Search Console is free, so it's worth doing on launch day.

How long does it take for a new blog to show up in Google?

There's no fixed time. Verify the site in Search Console, submit a sitemap, link new posts from your home page and older posts, and use URL Inspection to request indexing for key pages. Then check the Pages report.

Does post length matter for SEO?

Not by itself. Google's SEO Starter Guide says the length of content alone doesn't matter for ranking. Write as much as the query needs: cover it completely and cut padding.

Should I use meta keywords on my blog?

No. Google's SEO Starter Guide states that Google Search doesn't use the keywords meta tag. Spend that time on the title, description and the content itself.

Does Google support IndexNow?

Google isn't on IndexNow's list of participating search engines, which names Microsoft Bing, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yandex and Yep. For Google, use a sitemap and Search Console.

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