SEO Beginners Guide pdf - Grab Our FREE SEO Checklist to Elevate your blog posts
- Fletch
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Are you struggling to get your blog posts ranking? Use our PDF SEO Checklist Guide To SEO every blog post that you write to ensure your content ranks well in Google and Search Engines. With clear actionable steps even a beginner could do.
A must for traffic growth and blog monetization. Download my PDF Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Checklist for free below to use for every blog post that you publish that is proven to take your SEO to the next level. Helping you get your blog posts seen by more eyes and earning. Make each and every blog post work for you! Or simply copy and paste from below too and take action on each step.
Table of Contents
This is the exact SEO checklist we use to grow 2 blogs from zero to monetization and we hope it helps you clear some of the mental clutter of everything that must be done for each blog post.
We now manifested a life where we earn online and because of that can be location independent which is how we can travel full time with our kids, with a beautiful base in Bali, worldschooling as we go. And this was all a dream just 2 years ago.
Whether you are just starting out on your blogging journey or creating your own freedom life, or even just want to increase earnings a little - it pays to get good at SEO by starting early with an SEO strategy and checklist that works. 20 years+ in on having our own online businesses and blogs we still use this tried and tested checklist in 2026.
In our opinion earning online is the best way to earn. And there are many ways - Grab our 30 Ways To Start Earning Online with Canva Ebook. Blogging is just one of them and one of our favourite ways and we share the helpful SEO tool below to help others improve the SEO on their blog. Good SEO = More eyes = More sessions = Earn from a blog!
Because this is the exact SEO checklist we use we know it works and we share it with love for free here to help you SEO a blog from zero to monetization. If you know anyone interested in this topic, feel free to share our blog if you think it will help them too.
And as the Google Algo updates multiple times per year we update this post and the checklist to include the latest white hat techniques for SEO-ing your blog posts to make sure you are getting the right eyes to the right posts.
With the goal of growing your blog to generate an income from it. This forms part of Our Financial Freedom Portal where we share all the things that helped us in our own online earning journey to living our Bali freedom life. We sincerely hope this blog inspires and elevates you to follow your dreams, passions, and raise your vibration to manifest the life of your dreams!
And if you're interested in Our Story of how we went from living a Depressed and Disconnected life in the UK to living the life of our dreams travelling the world, worldschooling our kids and building our dream home in Bali then I've linked some blog posts above.
And if not, Let's jump in and start with what you're actually here to do and that's to level-up your own blogging journey and start creating high ranking content for your blog... Let's Go...
THE COMPLETE BEGINNERS GUIDE SEO CHECKLIST FOR EVERY BLOG POST
There's so much to remember when creating high quality SEO friendly content for your blog.
What you need to implement this checklist:
A Blog, That You want to improve SEO on, A well written blog post.
We'll assume that you are here because you want to start earning from blogging. If so you will find our How to Make Money from Blogging section helpful.
We'll also assume that you've written a high quality blog post and now your goal is to get it seen by readers who are searching for your kind of content? This is where a good SEO strategy is key and a checklist is helpful to help you remember to do all the things for each and every post.
This is our go to list where we action each step for blog posts that we want to rank. Some of our blog posts are just diary entries where we are not too bothered if they rank and so we don't action every step for those posts. But the blogs that we really want readers to find, we ensure that each step is actioned for every one of those blog posts.
Follow this guide and you will ensure SEO success for those posts. In a little time the posts will compound and that's the goal when blogging to get a blog to have high daily sessions and start making serious money blogging.
This beginner-friendly and comprehensive checklist covers On-Page SEO, Content Quality, Technical SEO, Internal Linking, Google EEAT, Pinterest SEO, Post-Publishing SEO and Bonus SEO Enhancers we know work and that you'll love. And best of all every step is actionable.
Print it, tick it off, and use it for every post. It's Free to download so grab yours today below:
YOUR GO TO MUST HAVE COMPLETE BLOGGERS SEO GUIDE CHECKLIST For Blog Posts
A printable guide for consistent, high-ranking content. Use for every blog post to make sure you are getting the most out of every post.
Beginners Blog SEO Guide Steps 1-16 Step by Step:
✅ 1. Choose the Right Keyword for your Blog
Before you write, confirm:
□ I used a keyword research tool (Ubersuggest / Keysearch / Ahrefs / Google autocomplete).
□ The main keyword has search volume (500–10,000 is ideal for beginners).
□ Keyword difficulty is low or medium. (below 50 is perfect).
□ Search intent is clear (what EXACTLY is someone trying to find?).
□ I created a list of 5–10 secondary/related keywords.
✅ 2. Optimise the Blog Post Title (H1)
Your title should:
□ Include the main keyword.
□ Be clear, not clever (“what it is” over “mystical metaphors”).
□ Match search intent exactly.
□ Promise a transformation or solution.
□ Use power words only if natural (Ultimate, Complete, Easy, Step-by-Step).
Examples on my own blog:
• Best Things to Do in Ubud for First-Time Visitors
• How to Start Meditation as a Total Beginner
✅ 3. Write a Strong, SEO-Friendly Blog Introduction
Your blog intro should:
□ Confirm the reader is in the right place.
□ State the problem they’re facing.
□ Tell them EXACTLY what the post will solve or teach.
□ Include the main keyword once (naturally).
Example structure:
“Looking for how to ground yourself properly? You’re in the right place…”
✅ 4. Use Proper Heading Structure (H2 + H3)
□ I used the main keyword in at least ONE H2.
□ Secondary keywords appear in H2/H3 where natural. (this is your list of 5 from Step 1)
□ Every section solves a real question the reader has.
□ Headings are clear, not poetic (save that for paragraphs!).
Google scans headings first — clarity wins. So your headings should help show readers what problem the post solves / what q's a likely reader would like answering.
✅ 5. Write High-Quality Blog Content That Actually Helps a reader
Your post should:
□ Fully answer the search intent.
□ Be skimm-able with short paragraphs.
□ Include bullet points, lists, bolding, spacing.
□ Include personal experience (Google LOVES this).
□ Include step-by-step instructions when appropriate.
□ Be at least 1,200–2,000 words (travel = 2,000–3,500).
□ Avoid fluff, filler, vague statements, or copycat content.
Your content should be genuinely better than the top 3 ranking posts. And as research you should read the top 3 posts to help you see where they fall down or what they miss. We want to be the authority on the topic.
✅ 6. Add Original Photos (Major EEAT Booster)
□ I added original photos from my camera or phone.
□ I renamed images with keywords (e.g., bali-waterfall-tegalalang.jpg).
□ I added alt text describing the image (not keyword stuffing).
Google LOVES unique visuals — it separates your blog from AI/stock content.
✅ 7. Optimise Your URL
□ The URL is short, clean, keyword-rich. For our blog we write the URL first as our H1 Title then save. Then change the H1 Title to be exact Keyword.
Example:/grounding-techniques-beginners/
not
/how-to-ground-yourself-and-connect-to-the-earth-spiritual-guide-2025
Short URLs rank better. Which is why it pays to write your slug first.
✅ 8. Include Internal Links (Very very Important)
□ I linked to 3–5 other blog posts within the same topic cluster.
□ I added 1–2 links to pillar posts.
□ I added 1 link back to a Start Here or About page.
Internal linking boosts rankings FAST.
✅ 9. Include External Links (Credibility Boost)
□ I linked to 2–3 trustworthy sites (Wikipedia, government sites, health sources).
□ I avoided linking to competitors directly ranking for the same keyword.
This signals trust and transparency.
✅ 10. Add a Compelling Meta Description
□ 150–160 characters.
□ Includes the keyword.
□ Tells the reader what they’ll learn.
□ Encourages clicking.
Example:“Learn the most effective grounding techniques for beginners and discover how to feel calmer, safer, and more present in your daily life.”
✅ 11. Ensure The Technical SEO Is Correct
□ Post loads fast (use WebP images or compressed JPGs).
□ No giant images over 300 KB.
□ Mobile-friendly formatting.
□ No walls of text.
□ Short paragraphs (1–3 lines).
□ Table of contents included at Top of post underneath blog intro (Google likes this).
✅ 12. Add a Strong Conclusion + Next Step
□ Summarise the key takeaway.
□ Invite them to read another related post.
□ Include CTA: subscribe, download, or explore a guide.
Example:“If you loved this grounding guide, you’ll enjoy my meditation beginner’s guide — start here next.”
✅ 13. EEAT Enhancers (Google’s Trust Signals)
□ I added a personal story or lived experience.
□ I wrote in a warm, human voice.
□ I signed off as myself (author name visible).
□ I linked to my About page.
□ I used my real photos where relevant.
Google rewards real humans.
✅ 14. Pinterest Optimisation (Optional but Powerful)
□ I created 3–5 Pinterest pins for this post.
□ Title on pin includes main keyword.
□ Pinterest description uses keywords.
□ Pin links directly to the blog post.
□ I added the pin to multiple boards.
Pinterest can deliver traffic faster than Google.
✅ 15. After Publishing: SEO Follow-Up
Within the next week:
□ Share post on Pinterest.
□ Add 1–2 new internal links from older posts.
□ Update any related posts to link back to this one.
After 30–60 days:
□ Check Google Search Console for indexing.
□ See which keywords you’re ranking for.
□ Add a missing paragraph or section to fill gaps.
□ Improve title if CTR is low.
SEO is not “set it and forget it” — it’s iterative.
✅ 16. Bonus Enhancers (For Maximum Growth)
□ Add a downloadable checklist, PDF, or guide.
□ Add a short video or YouTube embed where possible (Google loves multimedia).
□ Increase topical authority by adding 1–2 related posts.
□ Include a question-based FAQ section (great for featured snippets).
□ Add schema markup (your site may already automate this).
Aim to do most of these steps as your SEO strategy for every blog post. This Is the Exact System That Grows a Blog to that holy grail of 50,000+ Sessions we spoke about here and why this figure is always our goal for our blogs.
If you follow this checklist with consistency, you will see growth — guaranteed. I promise you this. Use as part of your blogging workflow and growth strategy to build your Mediavine-level traffic over the next 12–18 months.
You can use it for blogs and products based websites too. Shopify share their SEO checklist here : 43 Tips for 2025 - as Shopify store users for 15+ years we really like their no fuss easy style post.
I hoped this SEO blogging post helped you.
Let me know in the comments below if you liked this post or if it helped you in your own journey. I hope it's inspired you to learn how to get really good at SEO on your blog. Because SEO is essential. Many think that simply writing a blog will be enough. But good SEO is vital if you are wanting to get a blog seen. Starting the right SEO strategy will help you in your growth journey. Essential to to grow and earn.
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