SEO Optimization Rules

Title Tag

• Keep between 50–60 characters (including spaces and punctuation)
• Place primary keyword within first 30 characters
• Never repeat a keyword in the same title

Meta Description

• Limit to 150–160 characters or Google truncates it
• Write benefit-focused copy, not feature lists
• End with call-to-action when appropriate

Header Structure

• Only one H1 per page — H1 contains primary keyword but differs from title
• Follow strict hierarchy: H1 → H2 → H3 (never skip levels)
• Use keyword variations in H2s instead of repeating exact match

Keyword Placement

• Primary keyword must appear in: title, H1, first 100 words
• Keep keyword density under 3%
• Secondary keywords go in H2 and H3 tags

Image Optimization

• Alt text on all content images with relevant keywords when natural
• File names use hyphens: email-tools-comparison.jpg
• Compress images under 100KB — larger files hurt page speed

Technical Checks

• Include viewport meta tag for mobile: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
• Use canonical URLs to prevent duplicate content
• Validate structured data at schema.org/validator before publishing
• Internal links use descriptive anchor text, never "click here"

Schema Markup

• Article schema for blog posts (include author + datePublished)
• LocalBusiness schema for location-based pages
• Validate JSON-LD before deployment

Mistakes That Trigger Penalties

• Never hide text with CSS for SEO purposes
• Never use same title tag across multiple pages
• Don't stuff keywords in alt text unnaturally
• Don't use H1 for navigation or logo text