Mastering technical SEO is the foundation for driving organic growth and achieving top search engine rankings. This 100-Point Technical SEO Checklist is your ultimate guide to ensuring your website is fully optimized for performance, crawlability, and user experience. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting your SEO journey, this comprehensive checklist covers everything from site speed and mobile-friendliness to structured data and indexation issues. Ready to boost your site’s visibility and stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape? Let’s dive in and tick off every box for SEO success!
| Technical SEO Checklist |
|---|
| Website Structure & Architecture |
| Use a secure HTTPS connection. |
| Ensure proper implementation of a responsive design. |
| Optimize the website for mobile-first indexing. |
| Create a clear and logical URL structure. |
| Use short, descriptive URLs with target keywords. |
| Implement breadcrumb navigation. |
| Ensure easy site navigation and hierarchy. |
| Limit the depth of important pages (3-click rule). |
| Implement a 404 custom error page. |
| Remove any duplicate content. |
| Indexability & Crawlability |
| Ensure robots.txt is properly configured. |
| Submit an XML sitemap to Google and Bing. |
| Check the indexing status in Google Search Console. |
| Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues. |
| Verify all important pages are indexed. |
| Block non-relevant pages using robots.txt or meta noindex. |
| Add structured data (schema) to key pages. |
| Ensure site search pages are noindexed. |
| Use hreflang tags for multilingual websites. |
| Avoid soft 404 errors and fix them. |
| Page Speed & Performance |
| Minimize HTTP requests. |
| Enable browser caching. |
| Optimize images for faster loading (use WebP/AVIF). |
| Use lazy loading for images and videos. |
| Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. |
| Implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN). |
| Reduce server response time. |
| Compress files with Gzip or Brotli. |
| Remove unused JavaScript. |
| Optimize the Critical Rendering Path. |
| On-Page SEO |
| Ensure each page has a unique and descriptive title tag. |
| Optimize meta descriptions with target keywords. |
| Use only one H1 tag per page. |
| Optimize header tags (H1-H6) with keywords. |
| Ensure content is well-structured and scannable. |
| Use descriptive alt tags for images. |
| Include target keywords naturally in content. |
| Maintain an appropriate keyword density. |
| Link to internal pages using descriptive anchor text. |
| Use outbound links to high-authority sites. |
| Technical Configuration |
| Implement AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) if applicable. |
| Ensure proper pagination implementation. |
| Use a single language and currency per page. |
| Avoid excessive use of query parameters in URLs. |
| Fix any redirect chains or loops. |
| Set preferred domain (www or non-www) in GSC. |
| Enable caching for dynamic content. |
| Avoid mixed content warnings. |
| Ensure correct use of meta tags (noindex, follow). |
| Limit the use of dynamic URLs. |
| Site Security |
| Regularly update CMS, themes, and plugins. |
| Install a reliable security plugin or firewall. |
| Scan for malware and vulnerabilities. |
| Implement two-factor authentication. |
| Hide sensitive files (wp-config, htaccess). |
| Use a secure admin panel URL. |
| Regularly back up your website. |
| Prevent DDoS attacks with a firewall. |
| Secure form inputs to prevent SQL injection. |
| Disable directory browsing. |
| Technical Tools & Monitoring |
| Set up and verify Google Search Console. |
| Use Bing Webmaster Tools for additional insights. |
| Integrate Google Analytics for tracking. |
| Monitor site health with tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. |
| Audit broken links regularly. |
| Track crawl errors and fix them. |
| Monitor uptime with tools like Pingdom or UptimeRobot. |
| Use Lighthouse for site performance checks. |
| Test site speed using PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. |
| Conduct regular SEO audits. |
| Media Optimization |
| Add video schema for video content. |
| Optimize video file sizes. |
| Use audio transcriptions for accessibility. |
| Create a video sitemap. |
| Avoid using too many heavy media files. |
| Compress PDFs and other downloadable content. |
| Ensure proper redirection for moved media files. |
| Use CDN for faster media delivery. |
| Verify all images have alt text. |
| Remove unused images from the server. |
| User Experience (UX) |
| Ensure fast page load times. |
| Test website functionality on all devices. |
| Optimize the layout for ease of navigation. |
| Use clear call-to-action buttons. |
| Remove intrusive interstitials. |
| Check for cross-browser compatibility. |
| Avoid pop-ups that hurt user experience. |
| Make sure forms are easy to fill out. |
| Ensure all interactive elements work. |
| Provide clear error messages for form inputs. |
| Advanced Technical SEO |
| Implement Open Graph and Twitter Card meta tags. |
| Enable server-side rendering if using JavaScript frameworks. |
| Use preloading for important resources. |
| Add key entity annotations with schema. |
| Optimize for voice search by answering common queries. |
| Use log file analysis to track crawler behavior. |
| Implement event tracking for interactions. |
| Monitor backlinks for spammy links. |
| Ensure proper implementation of 301 redirects for moved pages. |
| Regularly review and update your SEO strategy. |
This was great, I hope we can use these.