Technical SEO is the foundation that search engines use to crawl, index, and understand your site. Without it, even the best content can fail to rank. This checklist covers every critical technical SEO factor we check in Krokanti Audit.

On-Page Fundamentals

1. Meta Title

Every page needs a unique <title> tag between 50-60 characters. The title should include your primary keyword naturally and clearly describe the page content.

<title>Buy Running Shoes Online | Free Shipping | BrandName</title>

2. Meta Description

While not a direct ranking factor, meta descriptions influence click-through rates from search results. Aim for 120-160 characters with a clear value proposition and call to action.

3. H1 Tags

Each page should have exactly one H1 tag that contains the primary keyword. Multiple H1s dilute SEO signals. H2-H6 tags can be used freely for structure.

4. Canonical URLs

Prevent duplicate content issues with canonical tags. Every page should either be canonical itself or point to its canonical version:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page/" />

Crawlability & Indexation

5. robots.txt

Your robots.txt must allow crawling of all content you want indexed. Common mistakes:

Accidentally blocking CSS/JS files
Blocking your entire site during development and forgetting to update

6. XML Sitemap

A sitemap helps search engines discover all your pages. Key rules:

Submit it to Google Search Console
Only include canonical, indexable URLs
Keep it under 50,000 URLs or split into a sitemap index
Include <lastmod> dates

7. Noindex Tags

Review all <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tags. Make sure you're not accidentally noindexing important pages. Common culprits: /thank-you/, /cart/, /checkout/.

8. Crawl Depth

Important pages should be reachable within 3 clicks from the homepage. Deeply nested pages get crawled less frequently and pass less link equity.

URL Structure

9. HTTPS

SSL is a confirmed Google ranking signal. Ensure:

All pages redirect HTTP → HTTPS
No mixed content warnings
HSTS headers are set

10. URL Format

URLs should be short, descriptive, and lowercase. Use hyphens (not underscores) to separate words:

✅ /blog/technical-seo-guide
❌ /blog/Technical_SEO_Guide_2024

11. Redirects

Avoid redirect chains (A → B → C — consolidate to A → C)
Use 301 for permanent redirects, 302 for temporary
Eliminate all 404 errors or redirect them to relevant pages

Structured Data

12. Schema Markup

Structured data (JSON-LD) helps search engines understand your content and can trigger rich results. Key schemas:

Organization — on your homepage
WebSite — enables sitelinks search box
BreadcrumbList — on article/product pages
Article — on blog posts
Product — on e-commerce pages
FAQ — on support/pricing pages

13. Open Graph Tags

While not directly for search, OG tags control how your pages look when shared on social media, which affects click-through rates:

<meta property="og:title" content="Page Title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Description" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />

Page Speed

14. Core Web Vitals

(See our Core Web Vitals guide for the full breakdown.)

15. Image Optimization

Use next-gen formats (WebP, AVIF)
Implement lazy loading for below-the-fold images
Always specify width and height
Use responsive images with srcset

16. Server Response Time (TTFB)

Time to First Byte should be under 600ms. Key improvements:

Use a CDN
Enable caching headers
Optimize database queries
Consider edge computing for dynamic content

Mobile & Accessibility

17. Mobile-Friendly

Google uses mobile-first indexing — your mobile experience is what Google primarily indexes and ranks. Test with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.

18. Core Accessibility

While accessibility is primarily a UX concern, some factors affect SEO:

All images need descriptive alt text (improves image search)
Proper heading hierarchy (helps Google understand structure)
Sufficient color contrast (reduces bounce rate)

Security Headers

19. Security Headers

Headers like X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, and Content-Security-Policy don't directly affect SEO but signal site quality and reduce attack surface:

X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

20. No Mixed Content

Mixed content warnings (HTTPS pages loading HTTP resources) negatively impact user trust and can affect rankings. Check browser DevTools Console for warnings.

Run an Automated Audit

Instead of checking all 20 points manually, Krokanti Audit automatically checks every item on this list and gives you a prioritized action plan. Free for 3 reports per month — no credit card required.