# SEO Quick Reference Checklist

## 📋 New Page Creation Checklist

When creating a new page, ensure you include:

### Required Elements
- [ ] Unique `title` prop in `<BaseLayout>` (50-60 characters)
- [ ] Unique `description` prop (150-160 characters)
- [ ] `<SEO>` component in head slot (if using structured data)
- [ ] Proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
- [ ] Alt text for all images
- [ ] Internal links to related pages

### Optional Elements
- [ ] `canonicalUrl` (if different from current URL)
- [ ] `ogImage` (custom social sharing image)
- [ ] `noIndex={true}` (for pages you don't want indexed)
- [ ] Breadcrumbs structured data
- [ ] FAQ structured data
- [ ] Service structured data

---

## 📝 New Blog Post Checklist

When creating a new blog post:

### In Frontmatter
- [ ] Compelling `title` (50-70 characters)
- [ ] Engaging `description` (150-160 characters)
- [ ] Proper `pubDate` (format: 2024-01-15)
- [ ] Relevant `category` (Web Development, AI/ML, etc.)
- [ ] 3-5 relevant `tags`
- [ ] Author `name` and `avatar`
- [ ] `heroImage` (1200x630px recommended)
- [ ] `draft: false` when ready to publish

### In Content
- [ ] One H1 (title - automatic)
- [ ] Logical H2/H3 structure
- [ ] Alt text for all images
- [ ] Internal links to related posts/pages
- [ ] External links (with rel="noopener")
- [ ] Call-to-action at end
- [ ] Minimum 500 words (1000+ preferred)

---

## 🔍 SEO Testing Checklist

Before deploying:

### Validation Tools
- [ ] Test with [Schema Markup Validator](https://validator.schema.org/)
- [ ] Verify with [Rich Results Test](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results)
- [ ] Check with [PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/)
- [ ] Run Lighthouse audit (SEO score 90+)
- [ ] Validate HTML (no major errors)

### Meta Tags
- [ ] Title displays correctly in browser tab
- [ ] Description is compelling and accurate
- [ ] OG image displays in social share preview
- [ ] Twitter Card preview looks correct
- [ ] Canonical URL is correct

### Technical
- [ ] Page loads in < 3 seconds
- [ ] Mobile-friendly (responsive)
- [ ] No console errors
- [ ] All images have alt text
- [ ] Links work correctly

---

## 🚀 Deployment Checklist

After deploying to production:

### Search Console Setup
- [ ] Verify domain ownership
- [ ] Submit sitemap.xml
- [ ] Request indexing for key pages
- [ ] Set up email notifications

### Initial Monitoring
- [ ] Check robots.txt is accessible: `https://workroot.in/robots.txt`
- [ ] Check sitemap is accessible: `https://workroot.in/sitemap.xml`
- [ ] Verify homepage meta tags (view source)
- [ ] Test a blog post's structured data
- [ ] Check mobile usability

---

## 📊 Monthly SEO Maintenance

### Review Performance
- [ ] Check Google Search Console reports
- [ ] Review top performing pages
- [ ] Identify crawl errors
- [ ] Check Core Web Vitals
- [ ] Monitor indexing coverage

### Content Updates
- [ ] Publish new blog posts
- [ ] Update outdated content
- [ ] Fix broken links
- [ ] Optimize underperforming pages

---

## 🎯 Page-Specific SEO Guidelines

### Homepage
- **Title:** Brand name only
- **Description:** Company value proposition
- **Schema:** Organization + WebSite
- **Priority:** 1.0

### Service Pages
- **Title:** "[Service] | WorkRoot IT Solutions"
- **Description:** Service benefits and features
- **Schema:** Service + Breadcrumb
- **Priority:** 0.9

### Blog Posts
- **Title:** Article headline (compelling)
- **Description:** Article summary
- **Schema:** Article + Breadcrumb
- **Priority:** 0.7

### About/Contact
- **Title:** "About Us" or "Contact"
- **Description:** Clear purpose
- **Schema:** AboutPage or ContactPage
- **Priority:** 0.7-0.8

### Legal Pages
- **Title:** "Privacy Policy" or "Terms"
- **Description:** Purpose of page
- **Schema:** None needed
- **Priority:** 0.3
- **Index:** NO (noIndex: true)

---

## 🛠️ Common SEO Issues & Fixes

### Issue: Page not indexed
**Fix:**
1. Check robots.txt isn't blocking
2. Verify noIndex meta tag isn't set
3. Submit URL in Search Console
4. Check for canonical conflicts

### Issue: Duplicate titles/descriptions
**Fix:**
1. Ensure each page has unique title
2. Make descriptions specific to page content
3. Avoid templated descriptions

### Issue: Slow page speed
**Fix:**
1. Optimize images (use WebP)
2. Enable lazy loading
3. Minimize JavaScript
4. Use CDN for assets

### Issue: Poor mobile experience
**Fix:**
1. Test on real devices
2. Check touch targets (min 48px)
3. Verify text readability
4. Test form usability

### Issue: Structured data errors
**Fix:**
1. Validate with Schema.org validator
2. Check required properties
3. Ensure correct data types
4. Test in Rich Results tool

---

## 💡 Best Practices

### Title Tags
```
✅ GOOD: "Web Development Services | WorkRoot IT Solutions"
❌ BAD:  "Home - WorkRoot - Page 1"
```

### Meta Descriptions
```
✅ GOOD: "Professional web development services including React, Next.js, and Node.js. Transform your business with custom web applications."
❌ BAD:  "We do web development and other stuff. Click here to learn more."
```

### Alt Text
```
✅ GOOD: "Modern office workspace with developers collaborating on laptop"
❌ BAD:  "image1.jpg" or ""
```

### Internal Links
```
✅ GOOD: <a href="/services/web-development">Learn about our web development services</a>
❌ BAD:  <a href="/services">click here</a>
```

---

## 📈 SEO Metrics to Track

### Search Console
- Total clicks
- Total impressions
- Average CTR
- Average position
- Coverage issues
- Core Web Vitals

### Analytics
- Organic traffic
- Bounce rate
- Time on page
- Pages per session
- Goal completions

### Technical
- Page load time
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- First Input Delay (FID)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

---

## 🔗 Quick Links

- [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console)
- [Bing Webmaster Tools](https://www.bing.com/webmasters)
- [Schema Validator](https://validator.schema.org/)
- [Rich Results Test](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results)
- [PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/)
- [Mobile-Friendly Test](https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly)

---

**Remember:** SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Regular monitoring and optimization yield the best results!
