SEO Checklist
Review important SEO signals before applying for Google AdSense.
1. SEO Title Tag
Every important page should have a clear and unique SEO title that describes the page topic. A good title helps search engines and users understand what the page is about.
Why Title Tags Matter
If your title is missing, duplicated, too short, or unclear, Google may have trouble understanding your page. This can make the website look poorly optimized before AdSense review.
2. Meta Description
A meta description summarizes the content of a page. It does not guarantee ranking, but it helps users understand the page from search results.
Why Meta Descriptions Matter
Missing or weak descriptions can make your website look incomplete. A helpful description improves clarity and can increase clicks from search results.
3. One Clear H1 Tag
The H1 tag should represent the main heading of the page. It tells visitors and search engines the primary topic.
Why H1 Structure Matters
Multiple confusing H1 tags or missing headings can make the page structure unclear. A clean heading structure helps both readability and SEO.
4. Proper H2 and H3 Headings
H2 and H3 headings break content into sections, making long pages easier to scan and understand.
Why Subheadings Matter
Poor heading structure makes content harder to read. Helpful subheadings improve user experience and make the content look more complete.
5. SEO-Friendly URL
Clean URLs help users and search engines understand the page topic before opening it.
Why URLs Matter
Long, random, or unclear URLs can look unprofessional. Simple URLs are easier to share, remember, and index.
6. Internal Links
Internal links connect pages together and help visitors discover more useful content on your site.
Why Internal Links Matter
A website with weak internal linking may look disconnected or incomplete. Internal links also help search engines crawl your pages.
7. Image ALT Text
ALT text describes images for search engines, screen readers, and users when images fail to load.
Why ALT Text Matters
Missing ALT text can reduce accessibility and make image content harder for search engines to understand.
8. Canonical Tag
A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page should be treated as the main version.
Why Canonical Tags Matter
Duplicate or similar pages can confuse search engines. Canonical tags help prevent duplicate content problems.
9. Schema Markup
Schema markup helps search engines understand the type and meaning of your content more clearly.
Why Schema Matters
Schema is not required for AdSense approval, but it improves site quality signals and search understanding.
10. Robots.txt File
The robots.txt file tells search engines which areas of your website can or cannot be crawled.
Why Robots.txt Matters
A wrong robots.txt setup can block search engines from crawling important pages. This can hurt indexing and visibility.
11. Sitemap.xml File
A sitemap lists important pages, posts, and categories so search engines can discover them faster.
Why Sitemap Matters
Without a sitemap, search engines may still find pages, but discovery can be slower and less complete.
12. Mobile Responsive Design
Most users browse websites from mobile devices, so your website should look clean and work properly on small screens.
Why Mobile Readiness Matters
A website that breaks on mobile can create a poor user experience. This can reduce trust and make the site look unfinished.
SEO Before AdSense
SEO alone does not guarantee AdSense approval, but it helps create a better website structure. Before applying, make sure your site has useful content, clear navigation, trust pages, mobile-friendly design, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and properly optimized pages.