In a recent Google Office Hours recording, Google’s John Mueller answered a question about how you can tell if your SEO coverage is complete and if there are any tools that can spot something that might be Lost.
This question as originally asked sounds a bit odd and this may be due to a language translation issue. The person asking the question has an Indian name, so it’s quite possible that the strangeness of the question (how I know my SEO is perfect) is due to the language.
The question makes more sense if it is understood as how you can know that your SEO is optimal and that nothing has been left undone. This is a legitimate question and fits the SEO idea of being flawless, since the definition of “perfect” is being as flawless as possible.
Here is the question and answer read by John Mueller:
“Charan asks: How do I know if my SEO is perfect? Are there tools, apps or websites available for this?”
What the person asking the question seems to be asking is if there are any standards or best practices for measuring your SEO efforts.
That is why they have also asked if there are tools or websites that can offer support in this direction.
Mueller answered the question as it was asked, ignoring that the person who asked the question might have had a different intention than the literal meaning of the question.
Mueller offers a “disappointing” answer.
John Mueller offered what he himself described as a disappointing response.
Since there may have been a language issue, maybe answering the literal question of “what is perfect SEO” wasn’t the most nuanced approach.
Here is Mueller’s response:
“Sorry to disappoint, Charan, but your SEO is not perfect. In fact, no SEO is perfect.
The internet, search engines and the way users search are always changing, so SEO will also evolve over time.
This includes both technical elements such as structured data and quality considerations. The fact that you can’t do perfect SEO shouldn’t discourage you!”
A less disappointing answer
Mueller is right that search engines and user queries are constantly evolving.
SEOs focus on keeping up with Google, but keeping up with users isn’t a bad idea because that’s what Google is doing.
However, there are standard best practices and it’s good to know what they are.
So another way to answer this question is to think in terms of what Google recommends as a best practice.
Google makes it easy because it offers a SEO Starter Guide which breaks down the SEO optimization process into a series of steps that can become the basis of an SEO checklist to measure your SEO.
Here is a selection of SEO topics covered:
Create a sitemap Can Google access the right JS and CSS to render the website? Are the titles unique and accurate? Are meta descriptions relevant to the content? Do the heading elements accurately summarize the blocks of content on the web page? Is there structured data and is it being used appropriately? Does the site use a hierarchical site structure? Are the URLs simple and conveying useful information that is easy to use? Is the content useful, unique and interesting?
There are many things on this page that can form the basis of an SEO plan to check if your efforts have covered the basics of SEO.
Recommended reading:
Why Google Recommends a Hierarchical Site Structure for SEO
Six SEO concepts you need to know
A comprehensive local SEO checklist
A 10-point eCommerce SEO checklist for marketers
How to Do an SEO Audit: The Ultimate Checklist
The Complete Guide to On-Page SEO
What EEAT really means for SEO
Listen to the recording of Google’s office hours at 19:12 minutes:
Featured image by Shutterstock/Vectorium
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