Technical SEO forms the foundation of your website’s search performance. Without a solid technical base, even the best content can struggle to rank. Use this comprehensive checklist to ensure your site is technically optimized.
1. Crawlability & Indexation
Robots.txt
- ☐ File exists at /robots.txt
- ☐ Not blocking important pages
- ☐ Pointing to XML sitemap
- ☐ Allowing Googlebot access
XML Sitemap
- ☐ Sitemap exists and is accessible
- ☐ Submitted to Google Search Console
- ☐ Includes all important URLs
- ☐ Excludes non-indexable pages
- ☐ Under 50,000 URLs per sitemap
- ☐ Updated when content changes
Indexation
- ☐ Check index status in Search Console
- ☐ Proper use of noindex tags
- ☐ No duplicate content issues
- ☐ Canonical tags implemented correctly
2. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Target: Under 2.5 seconds
- ☐ Optimize and compress images
- ☐ Use modern image formats (WebP, AVIF)
- ☐ Implement lazy loading
- ☐ Preload critical resources
- ☐ Use a CDN
First Input Delay (FID) / Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Target: Under 100ms
- ☐ Minimize JavaScript execution
- ☐ Break up long tasks
- ☐ Remove unused JavaScript
- ☐ Defer non-critical scripts
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Target: Under 0.1
- ☐ Set explicit image dimensions
- ☐ Reserve space for ads
- ☐ Avoid inserting content above existing content
- ☐ Use font-display: swap for web fonts
3. Mobile Optimization
- ☐ Responsive design implementation
- ☐ Mobile-friendly test passed
- ☐ Viewport meta tag configured
- ☐ Touch targets sized appropriately (48px minimum)
- ☐ No horizontal scrolling required
- ☐ Text readable without zooming
- ☐ No intrusive interstitials
4. Site Architecture
- ☐ Clear URL structure
- ☐ Logical site hierarchy
- ☐ Important pages within 3 clicks from homepage
- ☐ Breadcrumb navigation implemented
- ☐ Internal linking strategy
- ☐ No orphan pages
5. URL Structure
- ☐ URLs are clean and descriptive
- ☐ Using hyphens (not underscores)
- ☐ Lowercase letters only
- ☐ No special characters or spaces
- ☐ Include target keywords where relevant
- ☐ Keep URLs reasonably short
6. HTTPS & Security
- ☐ SSL certificate installed
- ☐ All pages served via HTTPS
- ☐ HTTP redirects to HTTPS
- ☐ No mixed content warnings
- ☐ Certificate not expired
- ☐ HSTS header implemented
7. Structured Data
- ☐ Organization/LocalBusiness schema
- ☐ Article/BlogPosting schema for content
- ☐ Product schema for e-commerce
- ☐ FAQ schema where appropriate
- ☐ Breadcrumb schema
- ☐ Validated with Schema Markup Validator
8. International SEO (If Applicable)
- ☐ Hreflang tags implemented correctly
- ☐ Language targeting in Search Console
- ☐ URL structure for international content
- ☐ No duplicate content across regions
9. Technical Health Checks
- ☐ No 404 errors on important pages
- ☐ 301 redirects for moved content
- ☐ No redirect chains or loops
- ☐ Server response time under 200ms
- ☐ GZIP or Brotli compression enabled
- ☐ Browser caching configured
Tools for Technical SEO Audits
- Google Search Console: Monitor indexation and errors
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Core Web Vitals analysis
- Screaming Frog: Comprehensive site crawling
- GTmetrix: Performance testing
- Ahrefs/SEMrush: Technical SEO audits
- Schema Markup Validator: Structured data testing
Need a professional technical SEO audit?
Contact me today for a comprehensive analysis of your website’s technical health.