Technical SEO is the part of search optimisation that makes sure Google can find, read, understand and trust your pages. It is unglamorous, it is mostly invisible to visitors, and it is where new websites lose rankings in the first month through avoidable mistakes.
This is the checklist we work through on every site we launch. It applies whether the site is WordPress, a custom build or a headless front end.
Crawling and indexing
- robots.txt allows crawling of everything that should rank and blocks only admin and private paths. Check it does not still contain a 'Disallow: /' left over from staging.
- No noindex tags on live pages. Staging sites routinely ship with them.
- XML sitemap listing every indexable URL with accurate lastmod dates, submitted in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Clean URLs: lowercase, hyphenated, no trailing .html or session parameters, one canonical version of each page.
- Redirects from every old URL if the site is replacing a previous one, with a 301 and no chains.
Page structure and metadata
- One H1 per page containing the primary topic, with a logical H2/H3 hierarchy beneath it.
- Unique title tags (50–60 characters) and meta descriptions (140–155 characters) on every page.
- Canonical tags on every page pointing to the preferred URL, including self-referencing canonicals.
- Open Graph and Twitter Card tags so shared links render properly on social platforms.
- Descriptive alt text on meaningful images.
Structured data
Structured data (JSON-LD) tells search engines what a page is about in machine-readable terms and unlocks rich results. At minimum: Organization and WebSite on the home page, BreadcrumbList on inner pages, Article or BlogPosting on posts, FAQPage where you answer questions, Service for service pages and Product for products. Keep it in a single connected graph rather than scattered fragments, and validate it with Google's Rich Results Test.
Performance and mobile
Core Web Vitals on mobile should be 'good' before launch. Images sized and compressed, fonts loaded asynchronously, scripts deferred, caching and compression enabled. See our Core Web Vitals explainer for the details. The site must be fully usable on a phone; Google indexes the mobile version.
Security and infrastructure
- HTTPS everywhere with HTTP redirecting to HTTPS and a single canonical host (www or non-www, not both).
- Security headers: HSTS, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy and a sensible Permissions-Policy.
- A real 404 page that returns a 404 status, not a 200.
- Hosting in a region near your primary audience, or a CDN in front of it.
AI search and LLM discovery
An increasing share of discovery happens through AI answer engines. Add an llms.txt file summarising the site, make sure your robots.txt does not accidentally block AI crawlers you want citing you, and keep key facts about the business in clear, quotable prose. Our guide to being cited by AI answer engines covers this in depth.
After launch
Request indexing of key pages in Search Console, watch the Coverage and Core Web Vitals reports for the first two weeks, and check that analytics and conversion tracking are recording. Technical SEO is part of every SEO engagement we run, and part of every site we build.
Internal linking and site architecture
Search engines discover and rank pages partly by how they are linked internally. Every important page should be reachable within three clicks of the home page. Service pages should link to related case studies, case studies back to services, and blog posts to both. Use descriptive anchor text rather than 'click here'. Orphan pages, reachable only from the sitemap, rarely rank. A simple architecture with clear hubs beats a sprawling one every time.
Analytics and measurement from day one
- Google Search Console verified for the exact canonical host.
- Google Analytics 4 or an alternative installed with consent handling appropriate to your markets.
- Conversion events defined: form submissions, calls, bookings, purchases.
- Bing Webmaster Tools connected; it takes two minutes and Bing powers more search than most expect.
- A baseline crawl saved so you can compare after future changes.
You cannot improve what you do not measure, and the launch is the only moment when the baseline is clean.
Frequently asked questions
How long until a new site ranks?
Indexing usually takes days; meaningful rankings for competitive terms take months and depend on content and authority. Technical SEO removes the obstacles; it does not replace content.
Do I need an SEO plugin on WordPress?
A good one helps with metadata and sitemaps, but it cannot fix slow templates, poor structure or missing structured data. The build matters more than the plugin.
What is the most common launch mistake?
Leaving noindex or a blocking robots.txt from staging on the live site. It happens to large companies too. Check it on launch day.
Founder & CEO of Devontix Solutions. Absaar leads strategy, automation planning and product thinking across every build, from the first discovery call to the running system. More about Absaar