A technical SEO checklist for small business websites starts with crawlability, HTTPS, mobile usability, speed, clean indexation, working sitemaps and clear titles — before you worry about advanced link schemes. If Google and Bing cannot fetch and understand your pages reliably, content and ads underperform.
1. Can search engines crawl your important pages?
- Important pages are not blocked in robots.txt
- No accidental noindex on live service pages
- XML sitemap submitted in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
- Internal links reach key service and contact pages
2. Is the site on HTTPS with clean redirects?
- HTTPS works site-wide
- HTTP redirects to HTTPS without long chains
- One preferred host (www or non-www), not both competing
- Old URLs redirect to the right new pages after redesigns
3. Does the site work on mobile?
Most local searches happen on phones. Check tap targets, readable text, and forms that work on a small screen. A beautiful desktop site that frustrates mobile users loses Fenland and Cambridge enquiries alike.
4. Is the site fast enough?
Compress images, avoid huge page builders where possible, and test key templates. Slow pages hurt rankings and conversion. If speed only improves by deleting half the site, you may need a cleaner rebuild — see web design vs SEO.
5. Are titles, headings and canonicals sane?
- Unique title tags on important pages
- One clear H1 that matches the page topic
- Canonical tags pointing at the preferred URL
- No doorway pages stuffed with every town name
Bing often rewards clear exact-match clarity. Write titles humans would click.
6. Do you have broken links and soft 404s?
Crawl the site or use Search Console coverage reports. Fix or redirect broken URLs. Soft 404s (pages that say “not found” but return 200) confuse indexation.
7. Is structured data helping or noise?
LocalBusiness, Organization, FAQ and Article schema can help machines understand your business. Invalid or spammy schema does not. Validate important types rather than dumping every possible markup.
8. Are Analytics and Search Console connected?
Without measurement you cannot tell whether technical fixes worked. Connect GA4, Google Search Console and ideally Bing Webmaster Tools. Track forms and calls where you can.
Full technical SEO checklist (copy/paste)
- HTTPS + single preferred domain
- robots.txt allows important sections
- XML sitemap live and submitted
- No accidental noindex on money pages
- Mobile usable
- Core templates load acceptably
- Unique titles and meta descriptions
- Clear H1 hierarchy
- Broken links cleaned
- Redirects mapped after any migration
- Schema only where accurate
- Search Console + Bing Webmaster verified
- Spam plugins / malware checked
- Important pages in internal navigation
When to DIY vs hire help
Owners can fix many basics. Deeper crawl issues, migrations and competing URL patterns benefit from a professional pass. Start with a free SEO review, or see monthly SEO packages from £250 if you want implementation done for you. Website foundations: web design.