On-Page SEO Checklist: 15 Fixes to Help Your WordPress Site Rank in Saudi Arabia
An on-page SEO checklist is the fastest way to find out why a WordPress page is not ranking. On-page SEO covers everything you control on the page itself: your content, titles, links, images and speed. For WordPress sites in Saudi Arabia, you also need to think about Arabic and English content, local signals and mobile users.
This on-page SEO checklist has 15 fixes you can apply today. Each one is short and practical, and most take minutes inside WordPress.
Before You Start: Set Up WordPress the Right Way
Check these basics first, so your on-page SEO checklist is built on a solid base:
- Permalinks: go to Settings, then Permalinks, and choose “Post name” for short, clean URLs.
- Search visibility: under Settings, then Reading, make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unticked.
- HTTPS: your whole site should load on a secure address.
- SEO plugin: install an SEO plugin such as Rank Math and run its setup wizard.
- Google Search Console: connect it and submit your sitemap so Google can find your pages.
Google’s own SEO Starter Guide explains how to make it easier for search engines to crawl, index and understand your content. It is worth a read.
The 15-Point On-Page SEO Checklist for WordPress
Work through this on-page SEO checklist in order. Tick each point before you publish.
Content and keywords
1. Choose one focus keyword per page. Pick it from real keyword research, in Arabic and English where it fits. Do not target the same keyword on two pages.
2. Match search intent. Look at the top results. If they are guides, write a guide. If they are product pages, build a product page.
3. Use the keyword early. Place it in the first 100 words, in the H1 and in at least one H2.
4. Keep density natural. Aim for about 1 to 2 percent. Your SEO plugin shows your count. Read the text aloud, and rewrite any sentence that sounds forced.
5. Write for people first. Answer the question fully, use short paragraphs and add real examples from your own work.
6. Show experience and trust. Add an author name, a short bio and clear sources. Link to authoritative pages that back up your claims.
Titles, URLs and snippets
7. Write a clear SEO title. Keep it around 60 characters, put the keyword near the front and make it specific.
8. Write a unique meta description. Aim for 150 to 160 characters, include the keyword and explain what the reader will get. Google may rewrite it, but a good one still helps.
9. Keep the URL short. Use two to five words, lower case, separated by hyphens. Remove dates and filler words.
10. Set a canonical URL. Each page should point to its own address. In Rank Math, leave the Canonical URL field blank and the plugin adds a self-referencing tag.
Links and media
11. Add internal links. Link to related pages on your own site with descriptive anchor text. Every important page should be reachable in a few clicks.
12. Add a few external links. Link to trusted sources, such as official documents or recognised industry reports.
13. Optimise your images. Compress files, use descriptive file names and add alt text that describes the image. Include the keyword only where it fits.
Saudi Arabia and technical checks
14. Handle Arabic and English properly. Set the right language for each page, use right-to-left layout for Arabic and avoid half-translated pages. If you publish both versions, use a multilingual plugin and tell Google which page is which with hreflang tags.
15. Pass the Core Web Vitals. Web.dev explains that Core Web Vitals measure loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS). Good targets are an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, an INP of 200 milliseconds or less and a CLS of 0.1 or less.
DataReportal’s Digital 2026 report for Saudi Arabia shows 34.4 million internet users and a median mobile download speed of about 194 Mbps in late 2025. Visitors are used to fast connections, so a slow page loses them quickly.
Local Signals for Saudi Businesses
If you serve customers in a city such as Riyadh, add these local points to your on-page SEO checklist:
- Put your business name, address and phone number on the contact page, exactly as they appear on your Google Business Profile.
- Add your city and district names where they fit naturally, such as Al Olaya.
- Add LocalBusiness schema, which Rank Math can create for you.
- Embed a map and list your opening hours.
Rank Math Settings to Check on Every Post
Rank Math can handle half of your on-page SEO checklist. Open its panel and check these before you publish:
| Setting | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Focus keyword | One main phrase for the page |
| SEO title | Under about 60 characters, keyword first |
| Meta description | 150 to 160 characters with the keyword |
| Permalink | Short slug with the keyword |
| Canonical URL | Leave blank for a self-referencing canonical |
| Schema | Article for posts, FAQ if the page has an FAQ |
| Image alt text | Describe each image clearly |
Run this on-page SEO checklist on every new post, and review your top pages every three months.
Common On-Page SEO Mistakes on WordPress Sites
These slips can break an otherwise solid on-page SEO checklist.
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword stuffing | Reads badly and can hurt rankings | Keep density near 1 to 2 percent |
| Same title on many pages | Confuses Google and readers | Write a unique title for each page |
| Long, messy URLs | Harder to read and share | Shorten to a few key words |
| Huge, uncompressed images | Slows the page | Compress before upload |
| Machine-translated Arabic | Feels unnatural and loses trust | Have a native speaker review |
| No internal links | Pages are hard to find | Link from related posts and menus |
FAQs
What is an on-page SEO checklist?
It is a list of the things you can fix on a page itself to help it rank, such as content, titles, URLs, links, images and speed.
Does on-page SEO work differently in Saudi Arabia?
The basics are the same. The main differences are Arabic and English content, local signals for Saudi cities and fast mobile performance.
What keyword density should I use?
A good on-page SEO checklist suggests roughly 1 to 2 percent, with natural writing. Your SEO plugin will show your count.
Do I need Rank Math to follow an on-page SEO checklist?
No, but an SEO plugin makes the checklist easier. It helps with titles, descriptions, sitemaps, schema and canonical tags.
Conclusion
A good on-page SEO checklist turns SEO into a repeatable routine. Remember three things: match search intent, keep your titles and links clean, and make Arabic and English pages fast and natural to read.
If you want help applying this on-page SEO checklist to your site, I work as a freelance digital marketing expert in Riyadh and can audit your WordPress pages and fix what is holding them back.