The Factors which affect Google Ranking - SEO Checklist

KEYWORDS

They have to be on the website and in an appropriate density. We often see sites which do not include the Key Terms of the company at all or which focus on terms which searchers do not use!

Keyword in URL

Put the keyword first in the title.

Keyword in Domain name

If possible get a domain name which includes your key words although this is not necassary for success.

Keyword in the Title tag

Your Keyword should be in the Title tag of the sites homepage, close to the beginning.
The title tag should be between 10 and 60 characters, with no special characters.

Keyword in Description meta tag

Use a description of less than 200 characters and ensure that the keyword is present.

Keyword in Keyword metatag

Use less than 10 words and remember that every word in this tag MUST appear somewhere in the body text.
No single word should appear more than twice.

Keywords in the web page Body

Keyword density in body text

Aim for a density of 5 - 20% - (all keywords/ total words)

Individual keyword density

1 - 6% - (each keyword/ total words)

Keyword in H1, H2 and H3

Use Hx font style tags appropriately and in the correct order

Keyword font size

Strong is treated the same as bold, italic is treated the same as emphasis so just use one or the other in each case.

Keyword proximity (for 2+ keywords)

Directly adjacent is best

Keyword prominence (how early in page/tag)

Can be important at top of page, in bold, in large font

Keyword in the ALT text

This should be meaningful and should describe the graphic. Do not fill the ALT tag with spam

Keyword in links to site pages (anchor text)

Keywords should be used in links to other pages within the site and should definitely be used in the anchors when other sites link to yours - although you may not have control over this.

NAVIGATION - INTERNAL LINKS

Links to internal pages

If possible the link should contain keywords and the filename of the page "linked to" should contain the keywords.
Use hyphenated filenames, but not long ones - two or three hyphens only. Avoid underscore in filenames.

Efficient - tree-like structure

Try FOR two clicks to any page - no page should be deeper than 4 clicks from the homepage

NAVIGATION - OUTGOING LINKS

To external pages

Google patent - Link only to good sites. Do not link to link farms. CAREFUL - Links can and do go bad, resulting in site demotion. Unfortunately, you must devote the time necessary to police your outgoing links - they are your responsibility.

Outgoing link Anchor Text

Google patent - Should be on topic, descriptive

Link stability over time

Google patent - Avoid "Link Churn"

All External links valid?

Validate all links periodically to make sure they still work.

OTHER ON-Page Factors

File Size

Try not to exceed 100K page size excluding css and other include type files..
Smaller files are preferred <40K.

Hyphens in URL

This is the preferred method for indicating a space, where there can be no actual space. Never put spaces in URLs and hyphens are better than underscores.

Freshness of Pages

Google patent - Google likes changes, so make sure your content is updated over time

Freshness - Amount of Content Change

Google likes fresh pages.

Frequency of Updates

Frequent updates = frequent spidering = newer cache

URL length

Keep it short and never use more than 4 /

OTHER ON-SITE Factors

Site Size - Google likes big sites

Larger sites are presumed to be more authoritative and therefore Google may think that they are better sites.

Site Age

The age of a domain is used to indicate trust. Generally, the older the better.

Renewal Date

Register your websites domain name for as long as possible.