The Basics: SEO Checklist for Building a Website
Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the basics. Technical SEO ensures your site is crawlable, indexable, fast, secure, and accessible. Use this checklist during builds and major releases to launch with confidence.
Crawlability & Indexation
- Verify
robots.txtexists, is accessible, and correctly allows/disallows engines. - Check page-level
meta robotsand server-levelX-Robots-Tagheaders. - Implement self-referencing canonical tags; handle duplicates appropriately.
- Create and submit XML sitemap(s) to Google & Bing; keep them updated.
- Keep key content within ~3 clicks from the homepage.
- Handle pagination correctly (and/or canonicalize collections).
- Ensure CSS/JS/images required for rendering aren’t blocked.
- Eliminate orphan pages via internal links.
Site Architecture & URL Structure
- Organize content with a clear category → subcategory hierarchy.
- Use clean, descriptive, hyphenated URLs; avoid unnecessary parameters.
- Redirect all variants (http/https, www/non-www) to a single canonical host.
- Implement breadcrumbs (and add structured data).
- Use strategic internal linking to aid discovery and distribute authority.
Speed & Performance
- Optimize Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP/FID, CLS).
- Ensure mobile-first responsive design.
- Enable compression (Gzip/Brotli).
- Leverage browser caching and set far-future cache headers for static assets.
- Minify and defer/async CSS & JS where appropriate.
- Optimize images (compression, resizing) and use WebP/AVIF; provide width/height to prevent layout shift.
- Lazy-load below-the-fold images/iframes.
- Use a CDN; reduce TTFB (target <200ms).
Security & Accessibility
- Force HTTPS site-wide with 301 redirects; keep TLS current.
- Enable HSTS; fix mixed-content issues.
- Use semantic HTML, proper landmark roles, and ARIA where necessary.
- Provide descriptive
alttext for images. - Target WCAG 2.1 AA compliance (color contrast, focus order, keyboard navigation).
On-Page Technical Elements
- Unique, descriptive title tags (~50–60 chars).
- Unique, compelling meta descriptions (~150–160 chars).
- One descriptive H1 per page; logical H2–H6 hierarchy.
- Structured data/schema (Organization, Article, Product, LocalBusiness, etc.).
- Open Graph and Twitter Card tags for social sharing.
- Avoid duplicate or thin content; consolidate or expand as needed.
Technical Integrity
- Use 301s for permanent moves; avoid redirect chains/loops.
- Monitor and fix 404s; track 5xx errors.
- Provide a helpful custom 404 page.
- Manage URL parameters via canonicals or Search Console settings.
- Use
hreflangfor multilingual/multiregional sites. - If using AMP, validate and link AMP ↔ canonical correctly.
Analytics & Monitoring
- Install and verify GA4 (or preferred analytics) with key events configured.
- Verify Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Set up uptime monitoring and error logging.
- Schedule recurring page speed tests and Core Web Vitals monitoring.
- Track rankings for priority keywords and pages.
Ongoing Maintenance
- Optimize crawl budget; block low-value URLs (e.g., filters, internal search).
- Refresh and improve high-value content regularly.
- Monitor backlinks; address toxic links when necessary.
- Re-validate structured data after releases.
- Run quarterly technical audits (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, SEMrush, Ahrefs).
