On-Page SEO Cheat Sheet — Quick Reference | ExecutorDelta

Quick Reference — SEO-2026

On-Page SEO Cheat Sheet

One-page reference for title tags, headers, URLs, content depth, image optimization, internal linking, Core Web Vitals, and structured data. Print it. Pin it. Use it.

9 Sections 50+ Rules Jul 2026 Updated

50-60

Title Chars

50-160

Meta Chars

1,000+

Words Min

<2.5s

LCP Target

<200ms

INP Target

<0.1

CLS Target

Foundation

Primary Keyword Rule

Assign 1 primary keyword per page. Add 3-5 close variants. Mark cannibalization. Consolidate duplicates.

URL Format

/category/grow-lights
3-5 lowercase words. Hyphens only. No query strings. No opaque IDs.

Avoid

/category/cat?=21

Query strings confuse crawlers. No keyword context.

Use

/category/grow-lights

Descriptive, readable, stable. May appear as breadcrumbs.

Quick Rule

Never change a URL without a 301 redirect plan. Keep paths stable for the life of the page.

Content

Page Type	Min Words	Focus	Priority
Contact / About	300	Trust signals, NAP	Low
Service Page	1,000+	Intent match, CTAs	High
Article / Guide	1,000+	Comprehensive coverage	High
Competitive Query	Comprehensive	Beat top 3 depth	Critical

Answer real searcher questions first
Use natural language — no keyword stuffing
Update old pages with new facts, not just dates
Have a second pair of eyes review before publish
Link internally to the next logical step

Pro Tip

Ask customers how they found you and what they typed into Google. Use those exact phrases in headings.

High Impact

Title Tag Formula

Primary Keyword + Modifier | Brand
50-60 characters max. Unique per page. Primary topic near the front.

Meta Description

50-160 characters. Compelling ad copy. Include keywords naturally. No duplicates. Strong intro paragraph as fallback.

Bad Title

SEO | SEO Services | Best SEO Company

Keyword stuffing. Boilerplate. Triggers rewrites.

Good Title

On-Page SEO Checklist (2026) — ExecutorDelta

Primary first. Modifier adds intent. Brand concise.

Structure

Hierarchy

<h1> Main Topic (1 per page) </h1>

<h2> Section A </h2>

  <h3> Supporting point </h3>

  <h3> Supporting point </h3>

<h2> Section B </h2>

  <h3> Supporting point </h3>

One clear H1 per page
H2 for main sections, H3 for sub-points
Headings must pass the “scan test” — reader gets the story from headings alone
Never use H tags for styling buttons, prompts, or footer text

Performance

Element	Rule	Example
File Size	<300KB normal, <500KB hero	Compress before upload
Filename	Descriptive, hyphenated	`title-tag-on-site-seo.webp`
Alt Text	Specific description + period	`WordPress title tag field for SEO article.`
Format	WebP preferred	Fallback to JPEG/PNG
Decorative	Use empty alt	`alt=""`

Bad Filename

IMG00023.jpg

Zero context. Wasted signal.

Good Filename

title-tag-seo-guide.webp

Keyword-relevant. Readable.

Architecture

Anchor Text

Describe the target page. Avoid “click here.” Don’t link every keyword mention.

Link Target

Internal = same window. External = new window. Always point to canonical URLs.

Link from topically related pages, not just high-traffic pages
Remove links to redirected, broken, or duplicate URLs
Ecommerce: related products = thousands of internal links if relevant
Stay under ~150 links per page

Ecommerce Math

1,000 products × 5 truly related products = 5,000 product-to-product links. Relevance is everything.

Critical

Check	Requirement	Priority
Status Code	Returns 200	Critical
Indexability	Not blocked by robots/meta	Critical
Canonical	Points to preferred URL	Critical
Internal Links	Point to canonical URLs	High
XML Sitemap	Included if indexable	High
Structured Data	Valid JSON-LD, matches content	High
Mobile	Responsive, mobile-first ready	High

Schema Example

<script type=“application/ld+json”>

{

  “@context”: “https://schema.org”,

  “@type”: “Article”,

  “headline”: “On-Page SEO Cheat Sheet”,

  “author”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “ExecutorDelta” }

}

</script>

LCP

Largest Contentful Paint
< 2.5 seconds

INP

Interaction to Next Paint
< 200 ms

CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift
< 0.1

Fixes

Optimize images, lazy load, minify CSS/JS, CDN, browser caching

Workflow

When	Action	Tool
After Indexing	Confirm canonical in GSC	Search Console
2-4 Weeks	Review impressions, CTR, position	Search Console
Rank Movement	Compare queries vs copy	Search Console + Analytics
Quarterly	Audit outdated content, broken links	Screaming Frog
Site Changes	Rerun canonical, schema, mobile checks	PageSpeed + GSC

On-Page vs On-Site?

Used interchangeably. Both mean optimizations on your own site vs external factors like backlinks.

Keywords Per Page?

1 primary theme + 3-5 close variants. Don’t dilute focus with unrelated topics.

Keywords in URLs?

Not a magic ranking factor, but descriptive URLs help users and may appear as breadcrumbs.

Internal Link Count?

No fixed number. Stay under ~150 per page. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.