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The SEO checklist that still works in 2026

Search has changed, but the fundamentals have not. Here is the exact order we work through when we take on a new website.

João FerreiraHead of SEO · 7 min read

Start with what is broken, not what is new

Most websites do not need a bigger content budget. They need the pages they already have to be crawlable, fast and pointed at the right search intent. Before we write a single new article we run a full technical audit and fix what is quietly costing traffic.

The pattern repeats across almost every audit we run: duplicate templates competing for the same keyword, thin category pages, and internal links that never reach the pages that matter commercially.

  • Fix indexation before you scale content
  • Consolidate pages that compete with each other
  • Make sure every money page is three clicks from the homepage
  • Ship Core Web Vitals fixes before redesigning anything

Match intent, not just keywords

A keyword tells you what people typed. Intent tells you what they expected to find. Ranking for a term with the wrong page format is the fastest way to earn traffic that bounces and never converts.

We look at what is already ranking, what format those results take, and whether our client can genuinely produce something better. If the answer is no, we choose a different battle.

Measure revenue, not rankings

Rankings are a leading indicator, not the goal. Our monthly reporting always ties organic performance back to enquiries, quote requests or sales, because that is the number the business is actually judged on.

João Ferreira

Head of SEO at Digital Marketing Agency

Part of the team that has helped over 200 businesses grow online from our base in Portugal.

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