Skip to main content

Technical SEO Checklist

🎯 Overview​

This comprehensive technical SEO checklist ensures your website has a solid foundation for search engine crawling, indexing, and ranking. Use this checklist for website launches, major redesigns, migrations, or quarterly technical audits.

Priority System
  • 🔴 Critical: Fix immediately - blocking indexing or causing major issues
  • 🟡 High Priority: Significant SEO impact - address within 1-2 weeks
  • 🟢 Optimization: Incremental improvements - schedule when resources allow

📂 1. Site Architecture & Crawlability​

Robots.txt Configuration​

  • 🔴 Verify robots.txt exists at domain.com/robots.txt
  • 🔴 Confirm robots.txt isn't blocking important pages
  • 🔴 Ensure sitemap location is declared in robots.txt
  • 🟡 Check for outdated disallow rules from staging/development
  • 🟢 Add specific user-agent directives if needed (e.g., GPTBot)

Tool: Robots.txt Tester in Google Search Console

XML Sitemaps​

  • 🔴 Verify XML sitemap exists and is accessible
  • 🔴 Submit sitemap to Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools
  • 🔴 Ensure sitemap only includes indexable pages (no 404s, redirects, or blocked URLs)
  • 🟡 Limit each sitemap to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed
  • 🟡 Implement sitemap index file if multiple sitemaps exist
  • 🟡 Include priority and lastmod tags accurately
  • 🟢 Create separate sitemaps for images, videos, and news content
  • 🟢 Set up automatic sitemap generation on content publish

Best Practice: Update sitemaps automatically when content changes

URL Structure​

  • 🔴 Use HTTPS across entire site (no mixed content)
  • 🔴 Implement consistent URL structure (trailing slash policy)
  • 🟡 Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich
  • 🟡 Use hyphens (not underscores) for word separation
  • 🟡 Implement proper URL hierarchies reflecting site structure
  • 🟢 Avoid dynamic URL parameters when possible
  • 🟢 Use lowercase letters in all URLs

Example Good URL: https://example.com/seo-services/local-seo/
Example Bad URL: https://example.com/page.php?id=123&category=services

Redirect Management​

  • 🔴 Audit and fix all 404 errors in Google Search Console
  • 🔴 Implement 301 redirects for all moved or deleted pages
  • 🔴 Avoid redirect chains (A → B → C)
  • 🟡 Review and consolidate unnecessary redirects
  • 🟡 Ensure redirects point to relevant replacement content
  • 🟢 Set up 410 status codes for permanently removed content
  • 🟢 Document redirect mapping in a spreadsheet

Tool: Screaming Frog for comprehensive redirect audit

Internal Linking​

  • 🔴 Ensure all important pages are reachable within 3 clicks from homepage
  • 🟡 Implement breadcrumb navigation on all pages
  • 🟡 Use descriptive anchor text (avoid "click here")
  • 🟡 Link from high-authority pages to important content
  • 🟢 Create topic clusters with pillar pages and supporting content
  • 🟢 Audit and fix broken internal links
  • 🟢 Balance link equity distribution

Best Practice: Implement a clear topical hierarchy with strategic internal linking

⚡ 2. Core Web Vitals & Performance​

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)​

  • 🔴 Achieve LCP under 2.5 seconds on mobile and desktop
  • 🟡 Optimize server response time (TTFB < 600ms)
  • 🟡 Implement efficient image loading (lazy loading, WebP format)
  • 🟡 Preload critical resources (fonts, hero images)
  • 🟢 Use a CDN for faster content delivery
  • 🟢 Minimize render-blocking JavaScript and CSS

Target: LCP < 2.5s for 75% of page loads

First Input Delay (FID) / Interaction to Next Paint (INP)​

  • 🔴 Achieve FID under 100ms (or INP < 200ms)
  • 🟡 Minimize main thread work
  • 🟡 Defer non-critical JavaScript
  • 🟡 Break up long tasks into smaller chunks
  • 🟢 Use web workers for heavy computations
  • 🟢 Implement code splitting for JavaScript bundles

Target: FID < 100ms (INP < 200ms) for 75% of page loads

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)​

  • 🔴 Achieve CLS score under 0.1
  • 🟡 Set explicit width and height for images and embeds
  • 🟡 Reserve space for ads and dynamic content
  • 🟡 Avoid inserting content above existing content
  • 🟢 Use CSS aspect-ratio for responsive images
  • 🟢 Preload fonts to avoid FOIT/FOUT

Target: CLS < 0.1 for 75% of page loads

Page Speed Optimization​

  • 🔴 Enable GZIP or Brotli compression
  • 🔴 Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • 🟡 Implement browser caching with proper cache headers
  • 🟡 Optimize image file sizes (aim for < 100KB per image)
  • 🟡 Remove unused CSS and JavaScript
  • 🟢 Implement HTTP/2 or HTTP/3
  • 🟢 Use resource hints (preconnect, prefetch, dns-prefetch)

Tool: PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest

📱 3. Mobile Optimization​

Mobile-First Indexing​

  • 🔴 Verify mobile version contains same content as desktop
  • 🔴 Ensure mobile site is fully crawlable (no blocked resources)
  • 🔴 Use responsive design or dynamic serving (not separate m. URLs)
  • 🟡 Test mobile usability in Google Search Console
  • 🟡 Verify structured data exists on mobile version
  • 🟢 Optimize tap targets (minimum 48x48 pixels)
  • 🟢 Ensure font sizes are readable without zooming

Tool: Mobile-Friendly Test

Responsive Design​

  • 🔴 Implement viewport meta tag correctly
  • 🔴 Avoid horizontal scrolling on mobile devices
  • 🟡 Use responsive images with srcset attribute
  • 🟡 Test across multiple devices and screen sizes
  • 🟡 Ensure forms are easy to complete on mobile
  • 🟢 Implement touch-friendly navigation
  • 🟢 Avoid mobile-only pop-ups and interstitials

Best Practice: Test on real devices, not just browser emulators

Mobile Performance​

  • 🔴 Achieve PageSpeed Insights mobile score > 85
  • 🟡 Optimize for 3G/4G network speeds
  • 🟡 Reduce mobile page weight to < 1MB
  • 🟢 Implement Progressive Web App (PWA) features
  • 🟢 Use AMP for content pages (if appropriate)

🏷️ 4. Structured Data & Schema Markup​

Schema Implementation​

  • 🔴 Implement Organization schema on homepage
  • 🟡 Add appropriate schema for content type (Article, Product, FAQ, etc.)
  • 🟡 Validate all structured data using Rich Results Test
  • 🟡 Implement breadcrumb schema on all pages
  • 🟢 Add Local Business schema (if applicable)
  • 🟢 Implement HowTo or FAQ schema where relevant
  • 🟢 Add Review/Rating schema for products or services

Tool: Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator

JSON-LD Format​

  • 🔴 Use JSON-LD format (preferred by Google)
  • 🟡 Place schema in <head> section or end of <body>
  • 🟡 Ensure schema data matches visible page content
  • 🟢 Implement multiple schema types when appropriate
  • 🟢 Keep schema updated when page content changes

Best Practice: JSON-LD is easier to maintain than microdata or RDFa

🔒 5. Security & HTTPS​

SSL/TLS Configuration​

  • 🔴 Install valid SSL certificate (not self-signed or expired)
  • 🔴 Force HTTPS site-wide (301 redirect HTTP to HTTPS)
  • 🔴 Update all internal links to HTTPS
  • 🟡 Fix mixed content warnings
  • 🟡 Implement HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)
  • 🟢 Use TLS 1.2 or higher (disable older protocols)
  • 🟢 Configure secure cipher suites

Tool: SSL Labs Server Test

Security Headers​

  • 🟡 Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) header
  • 🟡 Add X-Frame-Options header (protect against clickjacking)
  • 🟡 Set X-Content-Type-Options to nosniff
  • 🟢 Configure Referrer-Policy header
  • 🟢 Implement Permissions-Policy for API access control

Tool: Security Headers Scanner

📊 6. Indexing & Search Console Setup​

Google Search Console​

  • 🔴 Verify property ownership in Google Search Console
  • 🔴 Submit XML sitemap
  • 🔴 Review Index Coverage report for errors
  • 🟡 Set up email alerts for critical issues
  • 🟡 Review Enhancement reports (Core Web Vitals, Mobile Usability)
  • 🟡 Monitor Manual Actions section
  • 🟢 Use URL Inspection tool to debug indexing issues
  • 🟢 Submit updated pages for re-indexing

Access: Google Search Console

Bing Webmaster Tools​

  • 🟡 Verify site ownership in Bing Webmaster Tools
  • 🟡 Submit XML sitemap
  • 🟡 Review crawl errors and indexing status
  • 🟢 Enable IndexNow for faster indexing

Access: Bing Webmaster Tools

Meta Robots & X-Robots-Tag​

  • 🔴 Remove "noindex" from important pages
  • 🔴 Ensure staging/development sites are noindexed
  • 🟡 Use "nofollow" appropriately for untrusted links
  • 🟢 Implement X-Robots-Tag for PDF and non-HTML files
  • 🟢 Use canonical tags to consolidate duplicate content

🗂️ 7. Technical Content Elements​

Canonicalization​

  • 🔴 Implement self-referencing canonical tags on all pages
  • 🔴 Use absolute URLs in canonical tags
  • 🟡 Resolve duplicate content issues with canonicals
  • 🟡 Ensure canonical points to indexable version (not 404 or blocked)
  • 🟢 Handle URL parameters with canonical tags

Best Practice: Every page should have a canonical tag, even if self-referencing

Pagination & Multi-Page Content​

  • 🟡 Implement proper pagination structure
  • 🟡 Use rel="prev" and rel="next" for paginated series (optional)
  • 🟡 Allow search engines to crawl all paginated pages
  • 🟢 Consider "View All" page with canonical
  • 🟢 Implement infinite scroll with pagination fallback

International & Multilingual SEO​

  • 🔴 Implement hreflang tags for multi-language/region sites
  • 🔴 Use correct hreflang language and region codes
  • 🟡 Create language-specific sitemaps
  • 🟡 Use appropriate URL structure (subdomain, subdirectory, or ccTLD)
  • 🟢 Implement language selector that's crawlable
  • 🟢 Ensure consistent content across language versions

Tool: Hreflang Tags Testing Tool

🔍 8. Crawl Budget Optimization​

Server Configuration​

  • 🟡 Monitor server response time (aim for < 200ms)
  • 🟡 Optimize database queries for dynamic pages
  • 🟡 Implement effective caching strategy
  • 🟢 Use CDN for static assets
  • 🟢 Configure server to handle high crawl rates

Crawl Efficiency​

  • 🟡 Block low-value pages from crawling (faceted navigation, search results)
  • 🟡 Fix crawl errors identified in Search Console
  • 🟢 Monitor Googlebot crawl rate and adjust if needed
  • 🟢 Review crawl stats in Google Search Console monthly

📋 Technical SEO Audit Workflow​

Pre-Audit Preparation​

  1. Gather Access

    • Google Search Console
    • Google Analytics
    • Website hosting/CMS
    • CDN/caching services

  2. Set Up Tools

    • Screaming Frog SEO Spider
    • PageSpeed Insights
    • Google Search Console
    • Chrome DevTools

Audit Execution​

  1. Crawl Website - Use Screaming Frog to crawl entire site
  2. Analyze Data - Review crawl data for issues
  3. Test Performance - Run PageSpeed Insights on key pages
  4. Review Search Console - Check for errors and warnings
  5. Document Findings - Create prioritized issue list

Post-Audit Actions​

  1. Create Action Plan - Prioritize issues by impact
  2. Assign Responsibilities - Determine who fixes each issue
  3. Set Timeline - Establish realistic implementation schedule
  4. Track Progress - Monitor resolution of identified issues
  5. Re-Test - Verify fixes are effective

🎯 Key Performance Indicators​

Track these metrics to measure technical SEO success:

Indexing & Crawling​

  • Indexed Pages: Number of pages in Google's index
  • Crawl Budget: Pages crawled per day
  • Crawl Errors: 404 errors, server errors, redirect chains

Performance​

  • Core Web Vitals: LCP, FID/INP, CLS scores
  • Page Load Time: Time to fully load pages
  • TTFB: Server response time

Mobile​

  • Mobile Usability Score: Issues identified in Search Console
  • Mobile PageSpeed: Mobile performance score

Technical Health​

  • HTTPS Coverage: Percentage of pages on HTTPS
  • Structured Data: Pages with valid schema markup
  • XML Sitemap Coverage: Percentage of site in sitemap

🔗 Additional Resources​

📌 Quick Win Checklist​

Start with these high-impact, relatively easy fixes:

  • Submit XML sitemap to Google Search Console
  • Fix broken internal links
  • Implement HTTPS site-wide
  • Add Organization schema to homepage
  • Enable GZIP compression
  • Optimize image file sizes
  • Fix mobile usability issues
  • Remove "noindex" from important pages
  • Implement self-referencing canonical tags
  • Set up Google Search Console alerts

Last Updated: November 2024
Audit Frequency: Quarterly or after major site changes
Maintained By: Omar Corral