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Technical SEO
10 min read

Technical SEO Checklist: 50+ Points for Better Rankings

A comprehensive technical SEO checklist covering every aspect of your website's technical health. Perfect for audits and ongoing optimisation.

KT
Kaan TURK
Senior SEO Specialist

15 years of SEO expertise. Former SEO Lead for Louis Vuitton, LC Waikiki, Vakko, Enterprise Rent a Car, and Greyder. Mathematics graduate bringing data-driven precision to search engine optimisation.

Technical SEO Checklist: 50+ Points for Better Rankings

Technical SEO forms the foundation of your website's ability to rank. Use this comprehensive checklist to ensure your site is technically sound.

Site Architecture & Crawlability

URL Structure

  • URLs are clean, descriptive, and readable
  • URLs use hyphens (not underscores) for word separation
  • URLs are lowercase
  • URLs match content hierarchy
  • No dynamic parameters where possible

XML Sitemap

  • XML sitemap exists and is properly formatted
  • Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
  • Sitemap includes all important pages
  • Sitemap excludes noindex pages
  • Images included in sitemap (if applicable)

Robots.txt

  • Robots.txt file exists
  • No critical pages blocked
  • Sitemap reference included
  • Properly configured for crawlers

Page Speed & Core Web Vitals

Loading Performance

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) under 2.5s
  • FID (First Input Delay) under 100ms
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) under 0.1
  • Server response time under 200ms

Optimisation Techniques

  • Images optimized and compressed
  • Using WebP or AVIF format where possible
  • Lazy loading implemented for images
  • CSS and JavaScript minified
  • Browser caching configured
  • CDN implemented (if applicable)
  • Gzip/Brotli compression enabled

Mobile Optimisation

  • Responsive design implemented
  • Mobile-friendly test passed
  • Tap targets appropriately sized
  • Font sizes readable on mobile
  • No horizontal scrolling required
  • Mobile page speed optimized

Security & HTTPS

  • HTTPS implemented site-wide
  • SSL certificate valid and up to date
  • HTTP redirects to HTTPS
  • Mixed content issues resolved
  • HSTS header implemented

Content & On-Page Elements

Title Tags

  • Unique title tags on every page
  • Target keyword included naturally
  • Length between 50-60 characters
  • Brand name included (if appropriate)

Meta Descriptions

  • Unique descriptions on important pages
  • Length between 150-160 characters
  • Compelling and action-oriented
  • Keywords included naturally

Header Tags

  • One H1 per page
  • Logical header hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3)
  • Keywords in headers where relevant
  • Headers describe content accurately

Structured Data

  • Schema markup implemented
  • Organization schema present
  • LocalBusiness schema (if applicable)
  • Product schema (for e-commerce)
  • Article/BlogPosting schema (for content)
  • FAQ schema (if applicable)
  • Breadcrumb schema implemented

Internal Linking

  • Clear site hierarchy
  • Important pages 3 clicks from homepage
  • Descriptive anchor text used
  • Orphan pages eliminated
  • Broken internal links fixed

International & Local SEO

  • Hreflang tags (if multi-language/region)
  • Location pages optimized (if applicable)
  • Local schema markup
  • NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone)

Indexation

  • Important pages indexed by Google
  • Canonical tags properly implemented
  • Duplicate content issues resolved
  • Noindex tags used appropriately
  • Pagination handled correctly

Technical Elements

JavaScript & Rendering

  • Critical content not dependent on JavaScript
  • Server-side rendering or static generation used
  • JavaScript doesn't block page rendering

Images

  • Alt text on all images
  • Descriptive file names
  • Appropriate file formats
  • Responsive images implemented
  • No broken outbound links
  • External links open in new tabs (if appropriate)
  • Nofollow used on untrusted links

Monitoring & Analytics

  • Google Search Console set up
  • Google Analytics or alternative tracking
  • Regular monitoring of Core Web Vitals
  • Error tracking implemented
  • Regular site audits scheduled

How to Use This Checklist

  1. Initial Audit: Go through every item
  2. Prioritize: Fix critical issues first
  3. Implement: Address issues systematically
  4. Verify: Confirm fixes are working
  5. Maintain: Regular ongoing checks

Tools for Technical SEO

  • Google Search Console
  • Google PageSpeed Insights
  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider
  • GTmetrix
  • Schema.org Validator
  • Mobile-Friendly Test

Conclusion

Technical SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Regular audits and continuous improvement are essential for maintaining and improving your search rankings.

Need help with technical SEO? Get a comprehensive technical audit from MNJTP.

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