SEO Health Checklist: 15 Things to Check on Every Website

Great content is necessary for SEO — but it's not sufficient. Technical problems can prevent even the best content from ranking. This checklist focuses on the technical and on-page fundamentals that every website should have in place before focusing on content and link building.

• 1
  Title tags — unique, under 60 characters

  Every page needs a unique title tag that accurately describes the page's content. Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results. Include the primary keyword naturally near the beginning.

• 2
  Meta descriptions — unique, 140–160 characters

  Meta descriptions don't directly affect rankings, but they influence click-through rate from search results. Write unique descriptions for each important page. Include a call to action and the main keyword. Avoid duplicates — they dilute your presence.

• 3
  H1 structure — one per page, descriptive

  Each page should have exactly one H1 tag containing the page's primary topic. It should be unique across pages and include your main keyword naturally. Using multiple H1s confuses both users and search engines about the page's primary subject.

• 4
  Canonical URLs — no duplicate content

  Use <link rel="canonical"> to tell Google which version of a URL is the "main" one. This prevents duplicate content issues caused by URL parameters, session IDs, or multiple domain versions of the same page.

• 5
  Image alt texts — descriptive and present

  Every meaningful image should have an alt attribute that describes the image content. Alt text helps visually impaired users, provides context when images don't load, and is used by Google Image Search. Avoid keyword stuffing — write natural descriptions.

• 6
  Page speed (LCP) — under 2.5 seconds

  Largest Contentful Paint is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Pages taking more than 4 seconds to show the main content have measurably higher bounce rates. Compress images, enable caching, and minimize render-blocking resources.

• 7
  Mobile-friendly — responsive layout

  Google uses mobile-first indexing: it crawls and ranks based on the mobile version of your site. If your site displays poorly on a smartphone, your rankings will suffer. Test with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool or Chrome DevTools.

• 8
  HTTPS — secure certificate, no mixed content

  HTTPS is a confirmed (if minor) Google ranking signal. More importantly, browsers actively warn users about non-HTTPS sites, destroying trust and conversion rates. Also check for "mixed content" — HTTP resources loaded on HTTPS pages trigger browser warnings.

• 9
  Sitemap.xml — submitted to Google Search Console

  A sitemap helps Google discover all your pages, especially those not well-linked internally. Generate a sitemap, place it at /sitemap.xml, reference it in robots.txt, and submit it in Google Search Console. Update it when you add new pages.

• 10
  Robots.txt — no accidental blocking

  A misconfigured robots.txt can accidentally block Googlebot from your entire site. Check that important pages are not blocked. Also check that you're not blocking the resources Google needs to render your pages (CSS, JavaScript, images).

• 11
  Schema.org structured data — relevant markup present

  Structured data helps Google understand your content and can earn rich results (review stars, FAQ dropdowns, product prices) in search. Implement at minimum: Organization, WebSite, and Article/Product/Service as appropriate. Validate with Google's Rich Results Test.

• 12
  Internal linking — logical structure

  Internal links distribute page authority and help Google understand your site's structure. Important pages should be reachable from multiple locations. Avoid orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them) — Google may not find or prioritize them.

• 13
  Broken links — no 404s in navigation or content

  Broken internal links waste crawl budget and create poor user experiences. Broken external links signal a poorly maintained site. Audit regularly and fix or remove broken links. Use 301 redirects when you move or delete pages.

• 14
  Duplicate content — no unintentional copies

  Duplicate content confuses Google about which version to rank and can dilute your authority across multiple URLs. Common causes: www vs non-www, HTTP vs HTTPS, trailing slash vs no trailing slash, URL parameters. Use canonicals and 301 redirects to consolidate.

• 15
  Open Graph tags — for social and AI sharing

  Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image) control how your pages appear when shared on social media and are used by AI crawlers to understand page context. Set unique, accurate values for every important page.