I used to have a huge SEO checklist. Eventually, I realized that a checklist is only useful if you actually follow it.
Now I focus on four areas: content, images, technical SEO, and mobile experience.
Content
- Is the headline accurate?
- Does the introduction deliver value quickly?
- Is there something original or useful?
- Does the article actually deliver what the headline promises?
Image
- Is the main image relevant?
- Is it at least 1200px wide?
- Does it work well in a 16:9 format?
- Is the important subject visible?
- Is the image high quality?
Google's Discover guidelines provide the current image recommendations.
Technical SEO
I check that the page is indexable and that max-image-preview:large is enabled.
I also check the preferred social/preview image and use Google Search Console to verify indexing when needed.
Mobile Experience
I open the article on my phone and check:
- Page speed
- Font size
- Image loading
- Pop-ups
- Layout shifts
- Paragraph spacing
For speed testing, I use Google PageSpeed Insights.
The full checklist in one place
Here's the expanded version I'd suggest printing or saving before you hit publish.
Content
- The headline describes the article accurately without clickbait or exaggeration.
- The first two paragraphs deliver the main point.
- The article includes something original: a first-hand experience, data, an expert view or a fresh angle.
- Dates, facts and figures are current, especially for timely or festival content.
- The author's name links to an author page that explains their experience.
Image
- The featured image is relevant, high quality and at least 1200px wide.
- It still looks good when cropped to 16:9 and to a square.
- It is not the site logo and does not contain small, unreadable text.
- The image is set as the page's og:image and in the article's structured data.
Technical
- The page returns 200, is indexable and has a self-referencing canonical.
- The robots meta tag includes
max-image-preview:large. - Article structured data includes headline, image, datePublished, dateModified and author.
- The page is linked from at least one other relevant page on the site.
Mobile experience
- The page loads quickly on a mid-range Android phone on 4G.
- No pop-up covers the content on first load.
- Text is readable without zooming and nothing shifts while loading.
Why the image checks matter so much
Discover is a visual feed. Google's guidance says large images are more likely to drive visits from Discover than thumbnails. Without the max-image-preview:large setting, Google may show only a small thumbnail next to your headline, which is much easier to scroll past. It's a one-line change in your page template and one of the highest-impact technical fixes for Discover. Read more in our guide to the max-image-preview:large tag.
What the checklist can't guarantee
Discover is not keyword-driven, and there's no way to request inclusion. Google decides what to show based on each user's interests and on its assessment of content quality. Even articles that pass every item on this checklist may not appear, and traffic often comes in short bursts. The checklist simply removes the reasons Google might be unable or unwilling to show your content.
After publishing
- Check the page with URL Inspection and request indexing if it's not yet indexed.
- Share it on your own channels to get early engagement.
- Review the Discover report in Search Console after a few days. It appears only once your site has a minimum level of Discover impressions.
- Note which topics, headline styles and images perform, and use them in your next content plan.
My Final Test
Before publishing, I ask:
Would I stop scrolling for this article—and would I feel satisfied after clicking?
If the answer is yes, I publish.
For more on presentation and readability, read Formatting Tweaks That Actually Boosted My Discover Traffic.
For the bigger Discover strategy, go back to Writing for Google Discover — What Actually Worked for Me.
