A Simple Technical SEO Checklist for High-Performance Websites
A straightforward checklist any business can follow to improve their site's visibility and structure.
Technical SEO is the often-overlooked foundation of online visibility. It ensures that search engine crawlers can efficiently access, crawl, and understand the content on your website. For high-performance sites built with modern frameworks, a simple audit can unlock significant ranking improvements. This checklist covers the critical technical components every website must verify before launch.
1. Indexing and Crawlability Basics
The most basic step is ensuring search engines can find and read your site without roadblocks. A single error here can make your entire site invisible:
• **Robots.txt:** Verify that no critical pages (e.g., public blog posts) are disallowed from crawling. • **Sitemap:** Submit an accurate `sitemap.xml` file to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. • **Canonical URLs:** Implement the `<link rel='canonical' ...>` tag on every page to prevent duplicate content issues.
2. Performance and Core Web Vitals
Speed is a ranking factor. You must architect your site to deliver a premium user experience:
• **LCP Optimization:** Ensure the main content block (Largest Contentful Paint) is server-rendered and loads instantly, often by using SSR/SSG. • **Image Optimization:** Use modern formats (WebP/AVIF) and declare `width` and `height` attributes to prevent Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). • **Minimal JavaScript:** Reduce client-side JavaScript execution time (Time to Interactive) by leveraging Server Components.
3. On-Page Structure and Metadata
Clarity and consistency in your page structure help search engines understand the intent of your content:
• **Metadata Export:** Ensure every page dynamically exports unique `title` and `description` tags (for SERP). • **Heading Tags:** Use only one `H1` tag per page for the main topic, followed by sequential subheadings (`H2`, `H3`). • **Structured Data (JSON-LD):** Implement schema markup (`BlogPosting`, `Product`, `FAQPage`) to provide rich context and qualify for rich results.
4. Mobile Experience and Accessibility
Your site must function flawlessly for all users and devices, reflecting Google’s mobile-first index:
• **Viewport Meta Tag:** Verify the `<meta name='viewport' content='width=device-width, initial-scale=1'>` tag is present. • **Mobile Usability:** Check that tap targets are large enough and elements don't overlap on mobile views. • **SSL/HTTPS:** Ensure the entire site runs exclusively over HTTPS (a critical trust and ranking factor).
5. Internal Linking and Architecture
The way you link pages internally tells search engines which pages are most important (Pillar Content) and helps them discover new ones:
• **Clean URLs:** Maintain short, readable, semantic URLs that reflect the content structure. • **Consistent Navigation:** Ensure all main pages are easily accessible via primary navigation. • **Link Context:** Use descriptive anchor text for internal links, telling users and bots what the destination page is about.
6. Handling Errors and Redirects
Errors degrade user experience and waste crawl budget. Proper management is essential:
• **404 Page:** Create a custom, helpful 404 page that links back to key areas of the site. • **Redirects:** Use permanent 301 redirects for any deleted or moved pages. Avoid long redirect chains (A -> B -> C).
Final Audit Steps (Post-Launch)
Technical SEO is an ongoing process. After launch, continually monitor these points:
• **Google Search Console:** Regularly check the Coverage, Core Web Vitals, and Enhancements reports for errors. • **Structured Data Testing:** Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to validate all schema markup. • **Site Speed Tools:** Audit performance with PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to ensure optimal scores are maintained.