SEO December 15, 2025 5 min read

Technical SEO Checklist for 2026

TZD

TZD Creative Team

Digital Marketing Experts

A 2D illustration set on a vibrant yellow background, featuring a magnifying glass surrounded by various SEO-related icons. This design highlights key concepts of search engine optimization, symbolizing analysis, keyword research, website performance, and digital marketing strategies.

Technical SEO is the backbone of your website's search performance. While content and backlinks get most of the attention, technical issues can prevent even the best content from ranking. Use this comprehensive checklist to ensure your website is technically sound and ready to compete in 2026.

1. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals

Google's Core Web Vitals are now critical ranking factors. Your site must load quickly and provide a smooth user experience across all devices.

Speed Optimization Checklist:

  • Optimize images (use WebP format, lazy loading)
  • Minimize CSS and JavaScript files
  • Enable browser caching and compression (GZIP)
  • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
  • Eliminate render-blocking resources

2. Mobile-First Indexing

Google now primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. Your mobile experience must be flawless.

  • Ensure responsive design works on all screen sizes
  • Test mobile usability in Google Search Console
  • Avoid intrusive interstitials and pop-ups on mobile
  • Ensure buttons and links are easy to tap

3. Site Structure & Crawlability

Search engines need to easily discover and crawl all your important pages.

XML Sitemap

Create and submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

Robots.txt

Properly configure robots.txt to guide search engine crawlers

Internal Linking

Build a logical internal linking structure to distribute link equity

Site Depth

Keep important pages within 3 clicks from the homepage

4. HTTPS & Security

Security is a ranking factor. All pages must use HTTPS encryption.

  • Install an SSL certificate on your domain
  • Redirect all HTTP pages to HTTPS
  • Update internal links to use HTTPS
  • Implement HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)

5. Structured Data & Schema Markup

Help search engines understand your content with structured data markup.

Implement Schema.org markup for products, articles, reviews, events, FAQs, and other relevant content types. This can earn you rich snippets in search results, increasing click-through rates.

Regular Maintenance Tasks

Technical SEO isn't a one-time setup. Schedule these tasks regularly:

Weekly

Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors and security issues

Monthly

Run site speed tests and fix broken links

Quarterly

Audit site structure and perform comprehensive technical SEO audit

Need Technical SEO Help?

Our experts can audit your website and fix technical issues holding back your rankings.

Request an Audit

Share this article:

Back to Blog