Use this checklist before launch or during periodic audits. It covers the technical foundations that matter for most business sites.

Performance and speed

  • Fast hosting (see How to choose hosting)
  • CDN enabled where appropriate
  • Caching configured
  • Images optimised (format, size, compression)
  • JavaScript and CSS minified where possible
  • Lazy loading enabled for images
  • No heavy hero videos that block load

Core Web Vitals

  • LCP under 2.5 seconds
  • INP fast and responsive
  • CLS stable (no major layout shifts)
  • TTFB optimised via hosting

See Core Web Vitals explained.

Crawlability and indexing

  • XML sitemap created and submitted to Search Console
  • Robots.txt configured correctly
  • No important pages blocked
  • No orphan pages (all key pages linked internally)
  • Clean internal linking
  • Clear site navigation

See Crawlability and indexing.

Accessibility

  • Alt text on meaningful images
  • Sufficient contrast for text
  • Keyboard navigation works
  • Forms and buttons properly labelled
  • ARIA labels where needed

See Accessibility basics.

Security

  • HTTPS enabled
  • Regular backups in place
  • Malware monitoring (via hosting or plugin)
  • Strong passwords and limited admin accounts
  • Plugins and themes kept up to date

See Website security basics.

Structured data

  • Organisation schema
  • Article schema for blog and guides
  • FAQ schema where useful
  • Breadcrumb schema
  • Product schema if ecommerce

See Structured data and schema basics.

Hosting

  • Managed or quality hosting
  • SSL included and active
  • Firewall and basic protection
  • Reasonable uptime

See How hosting affects technical SEO.

Next steps

Use this checklist before launch or as part of a regular review. Strong technical SEO supports long-term performance.

For tools to monitor and diagnose issues, see Technical SEO tools.

Want crawl, index, or structure issues fixed? Explore SEO foundations →