New website technical checklist for SEO
Published
A quick summary of technical items to consider when launching a new website.
It's time to take your website live, but the lingering thought, in some cases is "What did I forget to do?"
This is a simple,** on-going technical checklist **for your static HTML website.
The whold purpose is to get your website indexed by the search engine, while providing them the relevant files & web pages they are looking for.
Files
These files should be set up in addition to the web pages on the website.
- Robot.txt
- sitemap.xml
robots.txt
This file is key to letting search engines know which pages not to index in to their database.
The robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or directories of your website to crawl or exclude. Use it to guide search engine bots and protect sensitive or irrelevant content from indexing.
sitemap.xml file
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website. It helps search engines crawl and index your content more efficiently. Make sure to generate an XML sitemap and submit it to search engines.
Mobile-Friendliness
With the increasing use of mobile devices, it's essential to have a responsive design that provides a seamless user experience across different screen sizes.
Mobile-friendly websites tend to rank higher in search results.
Web Page Elements
Web page URL structure:
Create SEO-friendly URLs that are descriptive and contain relevant keywords. Use hyphens to separate words and avoid using numbers and special characters in your URLs. Alternate names for this would be: page slug or permalink.
Canonical tags
If you have duplicate content or similar pages on your site, use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version to search engines. This helps avoid potential duplicate content issues and ensures that the correct page gets indexed.
Example of canonical tag within webpage:
Header Tags
Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content hierarchically. This helps search engines understand the organization and importance of your content.
Structured Data Markup (Schema)
Helping search engine better understand data and your website content. Implement structured data markup (e.g., Schema.org) to provide additional context to search engines about your content. This can enhance search results with rich snippets and increase visibility.
View full gallery of structured data Google supports: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/search-gallery
If you are running local small business, the local busienss https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/local-business
Testing links
Image optimization
Optimize images by reducing file sizes without compromising quality, using descriptive file names, and adding alt tags that describe the image content. This helps search engines understand your images and can lead to improved rankings in image search results.
Website Performance
Website speed is crucial for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Ensure your website loads quickly by optimizing images, minimizing code, leveraging browser caching, and using a reliable hosting provider.
Security
HTTPS and Security: Use secure HTTPS encryption to protect user data and ensure a secure browsing experience. HTTPS is a ranking signal, and search engines tend to prioritize secure websites.