Why build SEO in from day one rather than later?
Retrofitting SEO means rewriting templates, changing URLs and adding redirects, which costs more and risks lost rankings. Building it in means every new page inherits good titles, headings, schema and speed automatically. That is the whole idea behind SEO-friendly website design: foundations first, content and promotion second.
A checklist like this one does not replace ongoing search work such as content, local listings and earning links. That is a separate, continuing job, covered by our SEO services. What the checklist does is make sure nothing in the build itself holds your content back.
Can search engines crawl and index every page that matters?
Search engines can only rank pages they can find, fetch and read. Make sure important content is in the server-rendered HTML, not only loaded by JavaScript; that pages return a 200 status; that nothing important is blocked by robots.txt or a noindex tag; and that each page has one canonical URL.
- Main content and links present in the HTML without relying on client-side JavaScript.
- One canonical URL per page (pick www or non-www, and HTTPS only); other versions redirect to it.
- Staging sites password-protected, and any staging noindex tags removed at launch.
- Thin or utility pages (basket, account, internal search results) kept out of the index.
- Custom 404 page that returns a real 404 status, not a 200.
How should URLs, titles and headings be set up?
Use short, readable, lowercase URLs with hyphens that describe the page. Give every indexable page a unique title tag (around 60 characters, main topic first), a unique meta description that invites the click, exactly one H1, and H2s and H3s that follow a logical outline. One page should target one search intent.
| Element | What good looks like | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| URL | /services/website-redesign | IDs, dates or session parameters in the path |
| Title tag | Unique, topic first, brand last | Same title on every page |
| Meta description | Unique summary with a clear benefit | Left blank or duplicated |
| H1 | One per page, matches the intent | Logo marked up as the H1 |
| Headings | H2s and H3s in a logical outline | Headings chosen for font size |
How do internal links and site structure help SEO?
Internal links tell search engines which pages matter and how topics relate, and they help visitors find their way. Plan a shallow structure where key pages are a few clicks from the homepage, use descriptive anchor text rather than "click here", add breadcrumbs, and link guides to the service pages they support.
- Navigation that reaches every main service or product category.
- Breadcrumbs on deeper pages, with matching BreadcrumbList structured data.
- Contextual links inside body copy, not only in menus and footers.
- No orphan pages: every indexable page has at least one internal link to it.
Which structured data, sitemap and robots.txt settings do you need?
Add JSON-LD structured data that matches what is visible on the page: Organization or LocalBusiness, BreadcrumbList, and Article, Product or FAQPage where relevant. Generate an XML sitemap listing only canonical, indexable URLs and submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Keep robots.txt short and never block CSS or JavaScript.
- Keep your business name, address and phone number identical in schema, footer and listings.
- Validate structured data with Google's Rich Results Test before launch.
- Reference the sitemap in robots.txt and update it automatically when pages change.
- Decide deliberately whether to allow AI crawlers if you want to be cited in AI answers.
How fast and mobile-friendly does the site need to be?
Google uses mobile-first indexing, so the mobile version of each page is what gets assessed. Aim to pass Core Web Vitals at the 75th percentile: Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint within 200 milliseconds and Cumulative Layout Shift below 0.1. Design mobile layouts first, not as an afterthought.
Our guide to Core Web Vitals explained covers what each metric means, and how to improve website speed walks through the practical fixes. For why layouts must adapt to every screen, see the benefits of responsive website design.
Does accessibility affect SEO?
Accessibility and SEO overlap heavily. Descriptive alt text, a logical heading order, meaningful link text, captions and good colour contrast help screen reader users and help search engines understand the page. Aim for WCAG 2.2 level AA, which also supports your duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.
- Alt text that describes the image's purpose; empty alt for purely decorative images.
- Real text rather than text baked into images.
- Form fields with visible labels and clear error messages.
- Keyboard access to menus, forms and pop-ups.
What analytics and redirects should be ready at launch?
Before launch, verify the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, set up analytics with conversion tracking for forms and calls, and respect PECR by asking consent before non-essential cookies. If the site replaces an old one, map every old URL to its closest new page with a 301 redirect.
Replacing an existing site? Our website redesign checklist covers the URL inventory and redirect map in more depth.
- Verify ownership in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools; submit the sitemap.
- Track enquiries, calls and purchases as conversions, not just page views.
- Add a cookie consent tool only if you use non-essential cookies, and configure it properly.
- Crawl the old site, build a 301 redirect map and test it before switching DNS.
- Monitor coverage and crawl errors weekly for the first month after launch.