Technical SEO is the foundation every other SEO effort stands on. If search engines cannot crawl, render and index your pages efficiently, even the best content will struggle to rank. Use this 20-point checklist to find the issues that matter most.
Crawling and Indexing
- Submit a clean XML sitemap. Include only indexable, canonical URLs and submit it in Google Search Console.
- Check your robots.txt. Make sure you are not accidentally blocking important pages, CSS or JavaScript files.
- Fix index coverage issues. Review the Pages report in Search Console for pages that are crawled but not indexed, or excluded by mistake.
- Remove accidental noindex tags. A single noindex left over from development can keep key pages out of Google.
Site Architecture and URLs
- Keep important pages within three clicks of the homepage. A shallow architecture helps crawlers and users find them.
- Use clean, descriptive URLs. Short, readable URLs are easier to understand and share.
- Fix broken internal links. Replace links to 404 pages and remove redirect chains.
- Strengthen internal linking. Link from strong pages to the pages you most want to rank, using descriptive anchor text.
Speed and Core Web Vitals
- Improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). Optimize hero images, use modern formats like WebP and preload critical resources.
- Improve Interaction to Next Paint (INP). Reduce heavy JavaScript and third-party scripts that delay interactions.
- Prevent layout shifts (CLS). Set width and height for images and reserve space for ads and embeds.
- Use caching and a CDN. Faster server response times help every page load quicker, worldwide.
Duplicate Content and Canonicals
- Set canonical tags correctly. Every indexable page should point to its preferred URL.
- Pick one domain version. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS and choose either www or non-www.
- Control parameters and filters. Stop sorting and filter URLs from creating thousands of duplicate pages, especially in online stores.
- Handle thin pages. Consolidate, improve or noindex pages with little unique value.
Structured Data, Mobile and International
- Add relevant schema markup. Use Organization, LocalBusiness, Product, Article and Breadcrumb schema where appropriate, and validate it.
- Test mobile usability. Google uses mobile-first indexing, so your mobile site is the version that counts.
- Implement hreflang on multilingual sites. Make sure every language version references the others correctly, including x-default.
- Monitor regularly. Schedule monthly crawls and watch Search Console alerts so new issues are caught early.
How to Prioritize Technical SEO Fixes
Not every issue deserves the same attention. Start with problems that stop pages from being indexed, then fix issues that affect many pages at once, such as templates and site speed, and finally work on smaller improvements. Always measure the impact in Search Console.
Need Help With Technical SEO?
Technical SEO can be complex, especially for large websites, online stores and multilingual sites. Our technical SEO services and SEO audits find and fix the issues holding your website back. Contact us for a free quote.
