Technical SEO Checklist: 10 Things to Fix First

Most people would rather write new content and build links. But if the foundation under the site is broken, that work is wasted. Technical SEO is boring, and that is exactly why most sites have gaps in it. Here are the ten things I always check first.

1. Can Google find your pages?

Start in Google Search Console. If your most important pages are not indexed, they effectively do not exist for Google. Check the Coverage report for errors and excluded pages.

2. Do you have a sitemap, and is it submitted?

An XML sitemap is the list you hand Google of everything worth looking at. Build it, keep it updated, and submit it in Search Console.

3. Does the page load fast enough?

Run Lighthouse in Chrome and look at Core Web Vitals. Speed is a direct ranking factor, and it matters even more on mobile.

4. Does it work on mobile?

Google indexes mobile first. If the mobile experience is poor, that is the one counting against you. Test on a real phone, not just in an emulator.

5. Are your title tags in order?

Every page needs a unique, descriptive title tag with the most important keyword early. It is still one of the strongest on-page signals.

6. Do you write meta descriptions that get people to click?

Google does not use them directly as a ranking factor, but they decide your click-through rate. A good meta description is a small piece of sales copy.

7. Is your site structure logical?

A clear structure helps both Google and the user. The most important pages should sit a few clicks from the front page.

8. Do you use internal linking?

Link smartly between your own pages. It distributes authority and helps Google understand what belongs together. It is some of the cheapest SEO work there is.

9. Do you have schema markup?

Structured data tells the search engine exactly what a page is about. It is also the key to showing up correctly in AI answers.

10. Are there broken links or redirect chains?

Run a full crawl in Screaming Frog and clean up 404 errors and long redirect chains. They waste both crawl budget and the user’s patience.

Want an extra pair of eyes on the technical side?

This is the foundation, but the list grows quickly once you look closely at a real site. Read more about how I work with SEO, or book a meeting and we will look at your numbers together.