SEO checklist: 47 things to check before you launch

Use this list to organize a review, not to predict a ranking. Some checks apply only to shops or eligible local businesses. Record the URL, evidence, owner and outcome of each change. A completed checklist does not guarantee indexing, enquiries or first place.

Technical SEO checklist

1. Verify the correct Search Console property and access.
2. List canonical public URLs in the sitemap and check its processing.
3. Check robots rules for important pages and required resources.
4. Inspect representative rendered URLs, including mobile content.
5. Verify HTTPS and resolve mixed-content failures.
6. Test navigation and forms on real devices where needed.
7. Repair broken internal links; genuinely missing pages may return 404.
8. Preserve useful existing URLs and plan any necessary migration.
9. Make canonical signals consistent with the intended pages.
10. Use accurate structured data that matches visible content.
11. Redirect moved URLs directly to relevant replacements with a permanent redirect.
12. Separate field Core Web Vitals from laboratory measurements.

Start with Google's developer guidance and our speed-testing guide. A crawlable page is not proof that Google has indexed it.

On-page SEO checklist

13. Write a specific, concise title for each important page.
14. Write a useful description; Google may choose another snippet.
15. Give the main topic a clear visible heading.
16. Organize sections in a readable, accessible hierarchy.
17. Use the audience's terms naturally, without word-placement quotas.
18. Size images appropriately, reserve space and write alternatives according to purpose.
19. Link relevant pages with descriptive anchor text.
20. Answer the intent behind the query, such as a price or a procedure.
21. Give each indexed page a useful purpose, not an arbitrary minimum word count.
22. Review duplication without treating genuine language versions as unwanted copies.

Character budgets are editorial aids, not Google's fixed eligibility limits. A canonical expresses a preference and should not collapse translations into English. Canonical guidance.

Content strategy checklist

23. Identify the audience and the questions the page serves.
24. Use search data and observed results; label untested keyword hypotheses.
25. Prioritize useful updates over a publishing quota.
26. Give related pages distinct purposes and inspect genuine overlap.
27. Support statistics and project outcomes with evidence.
28. Change an update date only after a meaningful revision.
29. Identify the actual author or publishing organization accurately.
30. Connect helpful articles to relevant services and real examples.

A content plan should explain which question each page answers and how its result will be assessed. Our AI content guide covers verification when a model helps prepare a draft.

Link building checklist

31. Review useful backlink evidence, including Search Console's link report.
32. Treat third-party authority scores as tool metrics, not Google's score.
33. Investigate relevant publications and genuine industry references.
34. Create work, research or tools that others have a reason to cite.
35. Avoid purchased ranking links and link schemes.
36. Make outreach relevant to the recipient and the resource.
37. Use disavow only when Google's narrow conditions justify it, not for every unfamiliar domain.

Google says most sites do not need the disavow tool. An unusual link is not, by itself, evidence of harm.

Local SEO checklist

38. Check eligibility and accurate details for the business profile.
39. Use current, authentic photographs of the business where appropriate.
40. Request honest reviews without inventing or purchasing them.
41. Keep the business's identity and contact details consistent.
42. Maintain relevant, accurate directory listings.
43. Create location pages only for real, distinct locations or services.

These checks depend on how the business actually operates. A city name added to otherwise duplicated pages does not create useful local evidence.

E-commerce SEO checklist

44. Write product information that helps a real purchase decision.
45. Make categories and product discovery understandable and crawlable.
46. Match product markup to actual price, availability and visible information.
47. Plan filters and faceted URLs according to which combinations deserve indexing.

Structured data can support eligibility for an applicable rich result; it does not guarantee one. FAQ rich results were retired in May 2026, so adding FAQ markup is not a current Google presentation advantage. Google's update.

How to use this checklist

Start with a proven access or functional problem, then prioritize pages using current search and enquiry data. Verify each correction after release and keep a record of the result. Revisit checks when the site, offer or platform changes. Our SEO service covers ongoing work, while the free website analysis can provide an initial public-site review.