Technical SEO Checklist to Boost Site Performance
- Leadraft SEO
- Aug 8
- 6 min read
In today's hypercompetitive digital landscape, having high-quality content alone isn’t enough to dominate search engine rankings. What separates a good website from a great one is technical SEO — the foundation upon which your visibility in search engines is built. Technical SEO ensures that your site is accessible, fast, mobile-friendly, and structured in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index.
For businesses looking to stand out, especially in thriving digital hubs like Vizag, mastering technical SEO is non-negotiable. In this detailed guide, we explore the ultimate technical SEO checklist that can supercharge your website performance and help you rank higher in Google. If you're looking to partner with the best digital marketing company in Vizag, having a clear understanding of these technical aspects will also help you make more informed choices.
Let’s dive into the must-follow checklist.
Understanding the Role of Technical SEO
Before we break down the specific tasks, it’s important to understand why technical SEO matters.
Search engines like Google prioritize websites that are:
Fast and responsive
Secure and mobile-friendly
Free from crawl errors and broken links
Structured using clean code and proper tags
Technical SEO acts as the backbone of all other digital marketing efforts. No matter how engaging your content is or how strong your backlink profile might be, if your website isn’t technically sound, your rankings will suffer.
In cities like Vizag, where more local businesses are investing in digital presence, having a site that meets the highest technical standards is key to gaining a competitive edge.
1. Improve Website Loading Speed
Website speed is one of the top-ranking factors for both desktop and mobile searches. Slow websites not only frustrate users but also increase bounce rates, reducing the chances of conversions.
Steps to Optimize Speed:
Compress image files using next-gen formats like WebP.
Use browser caching for faster repeat visits.
Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files to reduce load time.
Implement lazy loading for offscreen images.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix are great tools for measuring and optimizing page speed.
2. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. So, your website must be responsive and easy to navigate on all devices.
Key Elements of a Mobile-Friendly Site:
Responsive design that adapts to screen sizes
Tap-friendly buttons and menus
Fast mobile loading time
Consistent content across desktop and mobile
A mobile-optimized site enhances user experience and boosts your site’s credibility in search rankings.
3. Secure Your Site with HTTPS
Security is a trust signal. Google favors websites that use HTTPS, which encrypts the connection between your site and users. If your site still uses HTTP, it’s time to upgrade.
Installing an SSL certificate not only improves your SEO ranking but also reassures visitors that their data is protected.
4. Create an XML Sitemap and Submit It
An XML sitemap helps search engines crawl your website more efficiently. It acts as a roadmap that guides bots to all the important pages on your site.
Use tools like:
Google Search Console to submit your sitemap
Yoast SEO (for WordPress) to generate it
Make sure your sitemap is updated regularly, especially after adding new content or pages.
5. Optimize Your Robots.txt File
The robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections they can or cannot access. A misconfigured robots.txt file can block essential pages from being indexed.
Ensure that:
Important pages are not accidentally disallowed
The file includes a link to your sitemap
Crawl budget is preserved by restricting irrelevant pages
6. Fix Crawl Errors and Broken Links
Crawl errors occur when search engines fail to access your website's pages. These can severely hurt your SEO performance.
Tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog help identify:
404 errors (broken pages)
Server errors (5xx issues)
Redirect loops or chains
Regularly scan your site to identify and resolve broken links, incorrect URLs, or server issues.
7. Improve Site Architecture and Internal Linking
A clean and logical site structure allows search engines to understand your content hierarchy. The simpler and more structured your site architecture, the easier it is for bots to crawl and index.
Best practices include:
Using a flat structure: keep important pages within three clicks from the homepage
Creating a consistent internal linking strategy
Grouping related content under categories and tags
A strong internal linking system also helps distribute page authority and keeps users engaged.
8. Implement Structured Data (Schema Markup)
Schema markup is a form of microdata that helps search engines understand your content better. It can also enhance your search listings with rich snippets — like star ratings, FAQs, and product prices.
Common schema types:
Article
Product
LocalBusiness
FAQ
Event
Use tools like Google's Structured Data Testing Tool or Schema.org to add and validate schema markup.
9. Canonical Tags to Avoid Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can confuse search engines and dilute your SEO efforts. Canonical tags help identify the main version of a page, preventing indexing of duplicates.
Place canonical tags in:
Product pages with different filters or URLs
Blog content syndicated to other sites
Multiple versions of the same content (HTTP vs HTTPS, trailing slash vs non-slash)
10. Pagination and Infinite Scroll Handling
If your website features paginated content or infinite scrolling (like eCommerce categories), you need to make sure Google can crawl it effectively.
For paginated content:
Use rel="next" and rel="prev" tags (though Google has stated they no longer use these signals officially, they can still help with user experience)
For infinite scroll:
Provide a paginated series of static links
Use JavaScript frameworks responsibly so that bots can access all content
11. Optimize Your URL Structure
SEO-friendly URLs are short, descriptive, and keyword-rich. Avoid using unnecessary parameters or numbers.
Examples:
Make sure URLs are consistent across your site, especially if you have multilingual or multi-regional setups.
12. Monitor and Improve Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of performance metrics related to user experience. They include:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Should be under 2.5 seconds
First Input Delay (FID): Should be less than 100ms
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Should be under 0.1
Use Google Search Console and Lighthouse to monitor these metrics and resolve performance issues.
13. Redirect Management
Not all redirects are equal. Use:
301 redirects for permanent moves
302 redirects for temporary changes
Too many redirects or improper usage can impact SEO. Avoid redirect chains (one redirect leading to another) and loops.
14. Set Preferred Domain
Choose whether you want your domain to appear with or without “www” and make sure search engines know your preference.
For example:
Configure this in Google Search Console and make sure your internal linking remains consistent.
15. Audit JavaScript and CSS Rendering
Search engines may struggle to index content hidden behind complex JavaScript. If you're using JS-heavy frameworks like React or Angular, ensure server-side rendering (SSR) or prerendering is in place.
Tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or Chrome’s DevTools can help inspect how content is rendered for search bots.
16. Leverage Log File Analysis
Log files provide raw data on how search engine bots interact with your site. Analyzing log files can reveal:
Which pages get crawled most often
Crawl frequency and patterns
Pages that are ignored or overlooked
Use log data to fine-tune your crawl budget and remove unnecessary barriers to indexing.
17. Maintain Clean Code
Cluttered, outdated, or deprecated code can hurt your website’s speed and structure. Keeping your backend code lean and standards-compliant helps with faster loading and better indexing.
Conduct regular code audits, especially after major website changes or plugin installations.
18. Monitor Technical SEO with the Right Tools
Staying on top of technical SEO is an ongoing process. Use trusted tools to monitor and audit your website regularly.
Recommended tools:
Google Search Console
Google PageSpeed Insights
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Ahrefs Site Audit
SEMrush Site Audit
These tools help you catch and resolve issues before they impact rankings.
19. Partner with the Right SEO Experts
While these technical SEO strategies can be implemented in-house, working with a dedicated team ensures consistent optimization. For businesses in Andhra Pradesh, choosing the best digital marketing company in Vizag is essential for sustainable growth.
Agencies offering digital marketing services in Vizag like Leadraft bring both technical and creative expertise to the table — helping you align backend optimizations with front-end user engagement strategies.
Technical SEO is not a one-time activity — it’s a continuous process that ensures your website stays healthy, fast, and competitive. From improving speed and mobile responsiveness to managing crawl budgets and fixing broken links, each element of technical SEO contributes to your site’s overall performance and visibility.
By following this comprehensive checklist, and possibly partnering with a top digital marketing agency in Vizag, you can future-proof your website and outperform competitors in search engine rankings.
Investing in technical SEO today means building a digital asset that continues to bring in traffic, leads, and growth for years to come.
