Before you hit publish, run through this checklist so your new page is ready to rank from day one.
A page only starts earning rankings once it is published, linked and findable. This list covers the easy-to-forget steps from research to post-launch, so nothing stalls your new page out of the gate.
Before you write
- Confirmed the target keyword and search intent
- Checked you are not cannibalising an existing page
- Outlined from the top results and "people also ask"
On the page
- Title tag, meta description and one H1 in place
- Answer up top, scannable structure, internal links added
- Images compressed with descriptive alt text
After publishing
- Submitted or confirmed in your sitemap
- Requested indexing in Search Console
- Linked to it from related existing pages
Start here: The fastest post-launch win is linking to the new page from your strongest existing ones.
How to apply it
Work top to bottom. The steps are ordered the way a launch actually happens. The "after publishing" steps are the most skipped, yet they are what turns a live page into one Google can find and rank.