Basic SEO is the set of adjustments that lets Google understand what your site is about, show it when someone searches for what you offer, and turn those visitors into contacts. Getting it right at launch is cheap; fixing it later costs far more.
This is the checklist we use at Zofesto before publishing a website. It works for a landing page, a company site or an online store, and it also helps you show up in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews.
1. Make sure Google can find your site
If Google can't crawl your pages, nothing else matters. Before launch, check that:
- The site no longer has the noindex tag used during development.
- There's a sitemap.xml listing every page you want to rank.
- robots.txt doesn't block important pages.
- The domain is verified in Google Search Console and the sitemap submitted.
Search Console is free and shows which searches bring visits, which pages are indexed and which errors Google finds.
2. A unique title and description for every page
The title tag and meta description are the first thing people see in search results. Every page needs its own:
- A 50–60 character title with the main keyword near the start. For example: “Web design in Medellín | Your brand”.
- A 140–160 character description that states the benefit and invites the click.
- A single H1 heading per page that clearly says what it's about.
3. Write for what your customers search
Keywords are the phrases people type into Google, or ask an AI, when they need what you sell. To find them:
- Write down the questions customers ask you on WhatsApp or in meetings.
- Check Google's autocomplete and the “People also ask” box for your service.
- Add your city if you serve locally: “employment lawyer in Medellín” is far less competitive than “lawyer”.
Give each important service its own page that explains what you do, who it's for, how it works and how long it takes. One page per topic ranks better than one page about everything.
4. Speed and the mobile experience
Google measures real visitor experience with Core Web Vitals. Aim for:
- LCP (time to show the main content): under 2.5 seconds.
- INP (time to respond to a tap or click): under 200 milliseconds.
- CLS (how much the layout shifts while loading): under 0.1.
Heavy images, too many fonts and third-party scripts are the usual culprits. Use right-sized WebP or AVIF images and test your site in PageSpeed Insights. Most visits come from phones, so design and test there first.
5. Structured data
Structured data (schema.org) is code that tells search engines what each thing is: your business, an article, an FAQ or a product. It enables rich results and helps AI tools cite your information accurately. The most useful types to start with:
- Organization or LocalBusiness: name, logo, contact details and social profiles.
- BreadcrumbList: where each page sits within the site.
- FAQPage: the frequently asked questions about your services.
- BlogPosting: author and date for your articles.
6. Images and links that make sense
- Write alt text that describes every important image. It improves accessibility and helps you appear in Google Images.
- Use descriptive file names: medellin-office-front.jpg instead of IMG_2045.jpg.
- Link your pages together with clear anchor text, like “see our online store service”, instead of “click here”.
7. Local SEO: show up on Google Maps
If your customers are in one city, create and complete your Google Business Profile: category, hours, photos, phone and a link to your site. Ask clients for reviews, and use exactly the same name, address and phone on your site, social profiles and directories.
8. How to show up in AI answers
More and more people ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews instead of scanning a list of links. These tools favor clear, trustworthy sources. To be one of them:
- Answer the question in the first lines of each page or article, then expand.
- Use headings phrased as real questions, with short answers right below.
- Give concrete facts: delivery times, cities you serve and case studies with results.
- Show who writes and who's behind the business: author, team and contact details.
- Keep the same information on your site, Business Profile, social profiles and directories.
- Don't block AI crawlers in robots.txt if you want to be cited.
Whatever helps a person understand your business in ten seconds is exactly what helps Google and AI.
Common launch mistakes
- Going live with the staging site's noindex tag.
- Changing old URLs without 301 redirects, which throws away existing rankings.
- Copying text from other sites or repeating the same text on several pages.
- Uploading multi-megabyte photos straight from the camera.
- Not connecting Search Console or an analytics tool to measure results.
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take to show results?
New pages are usually indexed within days, but ranking for competitive searches takes 3 to 6 months of steady work. Local and niche searches move faster.
Is SEO a one-time job?
The technical foundation is set at launch. After that, rankings grow with new content, improvements based on Search Console data and customer reviews.
Do I need a blog to rank?
It isn't required, but it helps. Every article that answers a real customer question is a new entry point from Google and a source AI tools can cite.
In short
Let Google find your site, give every page its own title and description, write about what customers search for, be fast on mobile, add structured data and keep a consistent local presence. With that foundation, every new piece of content adds up. At Zofesto, every site we launch ships with this checklist done.
