The Technical SEO Checklist We Run on Every New Client

A technical SEO review starts with the foundations: pages getting crawled but not indexed, slow or unstable pages, and an internal link structure that makes useful content hard to find. This repeatable five-area framework helps identify those issues before creating more content.

1. Crawlability & Indexation

Before anything else, we verify that Google can actually find and index the pages that matter. We pull a full Screaming Frog crawl and cross-reference it against Google Search Console's coverage report. The goal: no important URL should be blocked, noindexed by accident, or returning a 4xx status. We're specifically looking for:

• Duplicate content and canonical conflicts — pagination, parameter-based URLs, and www/non-www variations are the usual culprits.
• Crawl traps — infinite faceted navigation loops that waste crawl budget on thousands of near-identical pages.
• Orphaned pages — URLs that exist in the sitemap but have zero internal links pointing to them.
• Sitemap hygiene — the XML sitemap should contain only indexable 200-status URLs, nothing else.

Fixing crawlability issues can help search engines reach important pages. Track indexing and search impressions afterward; the timing and impact depend on the site and the issues found.

2. Core Web Vitals & Page Speed

Slow or unstable pages can make it harder for visitors to complete a task. Google uses Core Web Vitals in its ranking systems, alongside many other signals. We benchmark LCP, CLS, and INP using PageSpeed Insights and available CrUX field data, then prioritise fixes by impact:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — usually a hero image that isn't preloaded or a slow TTFB from un-cached server responses. Target: under 2.5s.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — fonts loading without size-adjust, images without explicit dimensions, or late-injected banners. Target: under 0.1.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint) — heavy main-thread JavaScript blocking user input. Target: under 200ms.

"A slow site makes visitors work harder. Speed is user experience first, SEO second."

Google's Core Web Vitals guidance explains these metrics and thresholds. Passing them supports a good experience; it does not guarantee a particular search position.

3. On-Page Signals

Once we know pages can be found and are fast, we audit the signals Google uses to understand what those pages are about. We're not talking about keyword stuffing — we're talking about the structural signals that help Google classify content correctly:

• Title tags — unique, concise, and descriptive of the page. Google has no fixed character limit; titles may be shortened to fit the device. We flag duplicates and vague titles.
• Meta descriptions — not a direct ranking factor, but they influence CTR. Missing or duplicate descriptions are low-effort wins.
• Heading hierarchy — one H1 per page that matches the primary intent. H2s that map to supporting subtopics. No heading tags used for styling.
• Image alt text — descriptive, not keyword-stuffed. Missing alt text is both an accessibility and a rankings issue.

4. Internal Linking Architecture

Internal links are the most underrated lever in technical SEO. They do three things: pass PageRank between pages, signal topical relationships to Google, and guide users through conversion funnels. We audit internal linking using a combination of log file analysis and crawl data to identify:

• Link equity distribution — are your highest-value commercial pages receiving links from high-authority pages, or are they buried three clicks deep?
• Descriptive anchor text — link wording should help readers understand the destination, without forcing keywords into every link.
• Broken internal links — any 404s reached via internal links are a waste of crawl budget and a poor user experience.
• Click depth — priority pages should be easy to reach through relevant navigation and contextual links.

5. Structured Data

Schema markup helps Google understand context and may make supported pages eligible for rich results, such as product information, breadcrumbs, or article details. Eligibility does not guarantee a rich result or a ranking improvement. We audit for correct implementation of:

• Organization and Website schema — should be present on every site
• BreadcrumbList — helps Google display cleaner URLs in search results
• Article / BlogPosting — describes the headline, author, image, and actual publication or update date of an article
• Product and Review — for e-commerce, can add star ratings to SERPs
• LocalBusiness — critical for any business with a physical presence

We validate all schema through Google's Rich Results Test, not just structured data validators — the distinction matters because syntax-valid markup can still fail to generate rich results.

For implementation details, see Google's guidance on descriptive title links and article structured data. Markup should describe the content readers can actually see.

The Bottom Line

Technical SEO is a foundation for useful content and a good visitor experience. Crawl errors, broken links, and performance problems can undermine the work you put into content and campaigns. Run this five-area checklist first, fix what you find, then build on top of a solid foundation.

If you'd like us to run this audit on your site, get in touch — we include a full technical audit in every SEO engagement at no extra cost.