Drupal SEO Checklist

Almost every CMS nowadays have an SEO module or plugin of some sort. For Drupal, we have one of the most comprehensive Search Engine Optimization module known as the SEO Checklist. Its actually a checklist of the modules or actions you need to take to make sure that your Drupal site is in tip-top SEO shape!

It servers as your SEO command center for Drupal, where you check out modules or actions that you have already completed and also has the Download and Configure links to various SEO modules. The current version has also added some Performance modules you need to optimize your Drupal site's page loading times.

Here are the contents of the SEO checklist:

• Page Titles - The single most important thing you can do for on-site SEO.
  
  
  
  • Token (required for other modules to function)
  
  
  • Page Title Module
  
  
  
  


• URL Paths - The second most important thing you can do.
  
  
  
  • Clean URLs - Activate (Usually automatic. Please double-check!)
  
  
  • Pathauto Module
  
  
  • Global Redirect Module
  
  
  • Path Redirect Module
  
  
  
  


• Create Search Engine Accounts - Set yourself up with the search engines.
  
  
  
  • Get a Google Account - You'll need this for several of the steps that follow - https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount
  
  
  • Get a Yahoo Account - You'll need this for steps that follow - http://www.yahoo.com/r/m7
  
  
  • Get a Windows Live ID - You will need this for steps that follow - https://signup.live.com/
  
  
  
  


• Track your visitors - Know where your visitors are coming from and what they do while visiting your site.
  
  
  
  • Google Analytics Module
  
  
  • Sign in to your Google Analytics Account - http://www.google.com/analytics
  
  
  • Create an Analytics for your website
  
  
  • Paste Google Analytics code into Google Analytics Module
  
  
  • Authenticate your site with Google Analytics
  
  
  
  


• Page content - Take control of your page content.
  
  
  
  • Meta Tags Module (AKA Nodewords)
  
  
  • Scheduler Module
  
  
  • HTML Purifier Module
  
  
  • READ THE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS! then Download HTML Purifier. You will need 3.1.0rc1 or later. - http://htmlpurifier.org/
  
  
  • Search 404 Module
  
  
  
  


• Clean code - Well written markup is very important to the search engine spiders.
  
  
  
  • Validate your site - http://validator.w3.org/
  
  
  • Check your links - http://validator.w3.org/checklink
  
  
  
  


• Submit your Site to the search engines - Now that you've got your site ready for the search engines, tell them about it!
  
  
  
  • Site Verification Module
  
  
  • XML Sitemap Module
  
  
  • Site Map Module - a plain text sitemap
  
  
  • Login to Google Webmaster Tools - http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools
  
  
  • Authenticate your site with Google
  
  
  • Submit your XML Sitemap to Google - http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/
  
  
  • Login to Yahoo Site Explorer Account - https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/
  
  
  • Authenticate your site with Yahoo
  
  
  • Login to Bing - http://www.bing.com/webmaster/
  
  
  • Authenticate your site with Bing
  
  
  • Submit your XML Sitemap to Bing - http://webmaster.live.com/webmaster/WebmasterAddSitesPage.aspx
  
  
  • If appropriate, submit your company to Google Local Business Center - https://www.google.com/local/add/login
  
  
  
  


• Social Media - Using Social news sites, blogs, etc? Consider these:
  
  
  
  • Digg This Module
  
  
  • Service Links Module
  
  
  • Trackback Module
  
  
  
  


• Protect your site from Spam - If your site will get heavy use from visitors creating accounts, commenting and/or creating content then consider these. NOTE: Most sites just need Mollom. The other modules are here in case Mollom does not work for you for some reason.
  
  
  
  • HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Sign up for Mollom's free service and get Mollom code - http://mollom.com/user/register
  
  
  • HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Mollom Module
  
  
  • Captcha Module
  
  
  • Akismet Module
  
  
  • Spam Module
  
  
  
  


• Geographic
  
  
  
  • hCard Module
  
  
  • Use the Meta Tags module to add geo meta tags to your site.
  
  
  
  


• Optional (but helpful)
  
  
  
  • Vertical Tabs Module
  
  
  • Administration Menu
  
  
  
  


• Performance
  
  
  
  • Turn on Drupal's built in caching.
  
  
  • Boost Module
  
  
  • Authcache Module
  
  
  
  


• Extras
  
  
  
  • Link to Volacci to thank them for this awesome module. - A small link will appear at the very bottom of your website. You can disable it at any time by un-checking this box. We really appreciate it!
  
  
  • Send us feedback on the Drupal 6 SEO Checklist module or just say Thanks! and we will link to you from our website. Send your feedback and link information to seochecklist@volacci.com. - If you do not know why you should link with other websites, read the following article: Why links help SEO.
  
  
  • Listen to the Volacci Drupal SEO Podcast for more tips and tricks about Drupal SEO.
  
  
  • Include page number references from the Drupal 6 SEO Book by Ben Finklea. - Purchase from Packt Publishing
  
  
  • Buy Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization by Ben Finklea from Amazon or Packt.
  
  
  
  

That IS a long list but if you go through everything, all these will save you a lot of hassle finding and picking out the right modules in the pool of thousands of Drupal contributed modules.