The technical SEO checklist

Technical SEO makes sure search engines and AI assistants can reach, read and trust your pages. Work through this checklist in order, because each stage depends on the one before.

1. Can pages be found?

• The XML sitemap lists the pages you want indexed, and only those
• robots.txt does not block important pages, scripts or styles
• Important pages are reachable through links from other pages, not only the sitemap
• There are no long chains of redirects, and no redirect loops

2. Are the right pages indexed?

• Compare the pages in your sitemap with those Search Console reports as indexed
• Group the ones that are missing by page type and look for the shared cause
• Check that no important page carries a noindex tag
• Check that canonical tags point to the right address

3. Is each page unique and useful?

• Similar pages are merged or clearly differentiated
• Filters and parameters do not create endless indexable variants
• Thin pages are improved or removed
• Each page has one clear topic and a unique title

4. Does it render properly?

• Important content is in the HTML or appears reliably after rendering
• Links are real links that crawlers can follow
• Nothing is hidden in a way that could look deceptive
• The mobile version has the same content as the desktop version

5. Is the structured data right?

• Organization and WebSite markup are present sitewide
• Page types have the right markup and it validates
• The markup matches what the page shows

6. Is it fast and stable?

• Largest content paints quickly on a phone
• Layout does not jump as the page loads
• The page responds quickly to taps and clicks
• Images are sized correctly and compressed

7. Is it secure and consistent?

• Every page is served over HTTPS, with one preferred hostname
• The same page cannot be reached at several addresses without a canonical
• Error pages return the right status code

How often to check

Run the first four sections after any redesign, migration or platform change, and monthly otherwise. Our crawler runs these checks and more for every client, and explains the cause of each problem in plain language.

Common questions

What should I fix first?

Start with anything that stops important pages being found or indexed, since nothing else helps until that is fixed. Then deal with duplicates, then speed.

Do I need a developer?

For most items, yes, or a content system that exposes the settings. We write exact change requests, so the work is quick for whoever makes them.

Will fixing these raise my rankings?

It removes the blocks. Pages that could not be found or trusted become eligible. How far they rise depends on their content and the competition.