®Technical SEO is the work that lets search engines find, load and understand your website. It is less visible than writing content or earning links, but problems here can hold back every page on the site. This technical SEO checklist covers the foundations a business website should have in place, in plain terms you can share with your developers.
Crawling and indexing basics
Search engines first need to reach your pages and be allowed to index them.
- Robots.txt. Check that it does not block important pages, scripts or styles. Use it to keep crawlers out of areas such as admin panels and internal search results.
- XML sitemap. List every page you want indexed, keep it up to date automatically, and submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Noindex tags. Make sure staging settings have not left a noindex tag on live pages. This is a common mistake after a site launch.
- Canonical tags. Each page should point to its preferred address, so duplicates created by tracking parameters, filters or print versions do not compete with the original.
- Clean URLs. Use short, readable addresses with words rather than IDs, and keep one consistent format for trailing slashes and letter case.
- Internal links. Every important page should be reachable through normal links, not only through a search box or a script.
Google Search Console's indexing reports show which pages are indexed and why others are not. Review them regularly.
Speed, mobile and Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google's measures of real-world page experience. They currently look at three things:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how quickly the main content appears.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how quickly the page responds when someone taps, clicks or types.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures how much the layout jumps around while loading.
Google publishes the target values for each measure in its documentation, and they can change, so check the current guidance there. Page experience is one of many ranking signals, and helpful content still matters more, but a slow site loses visitors whatever its ranking.
Common fixes include:
- Serving images in modern formats, at the right size, with width and height set.
- Lazy-loading images below the fold, but not the main image at the top.
- Reducing heavy scripts, especially third-party tags, chat widgets and trackers.
- Using caching and a content delivery network.
- Loading fonts efficiently and avoiding large layout changes when they arrive.
- Choosing hosting that responds quickly from the regions where your customers are.
PageSpeed Insights shows both lab tests and field data from real Chrome users where enough data exists. Field data is the better guide to what visitors experience.
Mobile, HTTPS and accessibility
Google mainly uses the mobile version of a page for indexing and ranking. Your mobile site should therefore contain the same content, headings, structured data and links as the desktop version, not a reduced copy.
Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are large enough to tap, and nothing important is hidden behind pop-ups that cover the page. The whole site should run on HTTPS, with every HTTP address redirecting to its secure version and no mixed content warnings.
Basic accessibility helps here too. Descriptive alt text, a logical heading order and clear link text help search engines and people using screen readers in the same way.
Redirects and site changes
Redirects protect your rankings when addresses change.
- Use 301 redirects for permanent moves, pointing each old URL directly to its closest new page.
- Avoid redirect chains, where one redirect leads to another. Point straight to the final address.
- Fix or redirect broken internal links that return 404 errors.
- Return a proper 404 status for pages that no longer exist and have no replacement, rather than sending everyone to the home page.
- Before a redesign or platform move, export every existing URL and map it to its new address.
Our guide to moving from WordPress to a custom site walks through a migration step by step.
Structured data
Structured data is code, usually in JSON-LD format, that describes your content using the shared Schema.org vocabulary. It helps search engines understand what a page is about and can make it eligible for rich results.
Useful types for business websites include:
| Page | Structured data type |
|---|---|
| Home or about page | Organization or LocalBusiness |
| Blog post | Article or BlogPosting |
| Service page | Service |
| Breadcrumb trail | BreadcrumbList |
| Product page | Product |
Only mark up content that is visible on the page, and test it with Google's Rich Results Test. Google decides when to show rich results, and the types it supports change over time, so structured data improves eligibility rather than guaranteeing a feature.
Hreflang for international sites
If you publish the same content in several languages or for different countries, hreflang tags tell search engines which version to show each audience.
- Each language or regional version should list all the others, including itself.
- Use valid codes, such as "en" for English or "en-gb" for English in the United Kingdom.
- Add an "x-default" version for visitors who match none of your listed languages.
- Links must work in both directions, or search engines may ignore them.
Hreflang is a hint, not a redirect. Do not force visitors to a version based only on their location, and always let them switch.
Quick checklist
- Robots.txt allows important content
- XML sitemap is current and submitted
- No accidental noindex tags
- Canonical tags on every page
- Core Web Vitals reviewed using field data
- Mobile version matches desktop content
- HTTPS everywhere, with no mixed content
- Redirects are single 301 steps
- Structured data validated
- Hreflang set correctly if you have several languages
Frequently asked questions
How often should I run a technical SEO check?
Review Search Console every month, and run a fuller audit at least once or twice a year. Always check before and after a redesign, migration or large content change.
Will fixing technical SEO alone improve my rankings?
It removes obstacles, but it does not replace useful content and a good reputation. Technical work makes sure the effort you put into content is not wasted.
Do small business websites need structured data?
It is not required, but basic Organization, LocalBusiness and Article markup is quick to add and helps search engines understand your business.
If you would like a technical review of your website, our SEO and store optimisation team can check these foundations and fix what is holding your pages back.