Technical SEO is the foundation under content and links. This tutorial is a launch checklist Kabim Tech runs on marketing sites before go-live.
What you will build
- A reusable pre-launch SEO checklist
- Quick wins for crawlability, Core Web Vitals, and indexation
- A verification pass with free tools
Prerequisites
- A staging or production URL
- Access to Google Search Console (or readiness to set it up)
- Chrome DevTools
Step-by-step
1. Crawlability
- Confirm `robots.txt` allows important paths and points to your sitemap.
- Confirm `sitemap.xml` lists only 200 OK, canonical URLs.
- Fix redirect chains (A → B → C) into a single hop.
- Ensure soft 404s return a real 404 status, not a 200 empty page.
2. On-page structure
- One `<h1>` per page that matches the primary intent.
- Descriptive internal links (avoid “click here”).
- Image `alt` text that describes the image, not keyword stuffing.
- Language (`html lang`) and locale metadata set correctly.
3. Performance & CWV
- Compress hero images (WebP/AVIF) and set explicit width/height.
- Lazy-load below-the-fold media; keep LCP image eager.
- Defer non-critical third-party scripts (chat widgets, heatmaps).
- Aim for LCP under ~2.5s on mobile on a mid-tier device.
4. Indexation hygiene
- No accidental `noindex` on staging leftovers in production.
- Paginated or filter URLs either canonicalized or `noindex` if thin.
- HTTPS everywhere; HSTS if you are ready.
Sample robots.txt
User-agent: *
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xmlVerify
- Google Search Console URL Inspection on home, services, and one blog post
- PageSpeed Insights mobile report
- Screaming Frog or Sitebulb crawl for status codes and missing titles
Common mistakes
- Blocking CSS/JS in robots.txt (hurts rendering)
- Duplicate titles across services pages
- Shipping `localhost` or staging URLs in canonical tags
Next steps
Pair this checklist with content briefs: one primary keyword intent per page, supporting FAQs, and clear CTAs to Contact or Rent a developer.
