Website SEO & Discovery Checklist
Reusable checklist for launching or auditing any web property.
Technical Foundation (Required)
Search Engine Registration
- Google Search Console - Verify ownership, submit sitemap
- Bing Webmaster Tools - Verify ownership, submit sitemap
- XML Sitemap - Generate and submit (Astro:
@astrojs/sitemap) - robots.txt - Properly configured, not blocking important pages
Core Technical SEO
- Canonical URLs - Prevent duplicate content issues
- HTTPS - SSL certificate active (Netlify handles this)
- Mobile responsive - Test on mobile devices
- Page speed - Test with PageSpeed Insights, aim for 90+
- 404 page - Custom 404 that helps users navigate
On-Page SEO (High Priority)
Meta Tags
- Page titles - Unique, keyword-rich, under 60 characters
- Format:
Primary Keyword - Secondary | Brand - Example:
AI Archetype Quiz - Discover Your AI Work Style | StartAI
- Format:
- Meta descriptions - Unique per page, 150-160 characters, include CTA
- Canonical tags - Self-referencing canonicals on all pages
Social Sharing (Open Graph / Twitter Cards)
- og:title - Compelling title for social shares
- og:description - Engaging description
- og:image - 1200x630px image for link previews
- og:url - Canonical URL
- og:type - website, article, product, etc.
- twitter:card -
summary_large_imagefor rich previews - twitter:image - Same as og:image or Twitter-specific
Structured Data (JSON-LD)
- Organization - Brand recognition in search
- LocalBusiness - If local services offered
- Person - For personal brand sites
- WebSite - With search action if applicable
- FAQ - For FAQ sections (rich results)
- HowTo - For tutorial content
- Article - For blog posts
- Product/Service - For offerings
- Quiz - For interactive content (startai.how)
Content Structure
- Heading hierarchy - One H1 per page, logical H2/H3 structure
- Alt text - Descriptive alt text on all images
- Internal linking - Cross-link related pages
- External links - Link to authoritative sources where relevant
On-Page SEO (Medium Priority)
Content Optimization
- Keyword research - Target terms identified per page
- Content length - Sufficient depth for topic
- Readability - Short paragraphs, clear language
- Updated dates - Show freshness where relevant
Technical Enhancements
- Lazy loading - Images load on scroll
- Image optimization - WebP format, compressed
- Core Web Vitals - LCP, FID, CLS within targets
- Breadcrumbs - Navigation aids with schema markup
Analytics & Tracking
- Google Analytics 4 (or Plausible/Fathom)
- Google Search Console linked to analytics
- Goal/conversion tracking configured
- UTM parameters for campaign links
Local SEO (If Applicable)
- Google Business Profile - Claimed and optimized
- NAP consistency - Name, Address, Phone match everywhere
- Local schema markup - LocalBusiness JSON-LD
- Local keywords - City/region in content where natural
AI Discovery (Emerging)
- Clear, authoritative content - AI can summarize accurately
- Structured data - Helps AI understand context
- RSS feed - For blog/news content
- FAQ sections - AI pulls from these
- About/Contact pages - Clear entity information
Social & Platform Presence
Profiles to Consider
- LinkedIn (personal or company page)
- Twitter/X
- YouTube (if video content)
- GitHub (if open source)
- Product Hunt (for product launches)
- G2/Capterra (for B2B software)
- Industry directories
Content Distribution
- Blog RSS syndication
- LinkedIn article republishing
- Email newsletter integration
Pre-Launch Checklist
- All links working (no 404s)
- Forms submitting correctly
- Analytics firing on all pages
- Social sharing previews tested (Facebook Debugger, Twitter Card Validator)
- Structured data validated (Google Rich Results Test)
- Mobile usability tested
- Cross-browser tested
Post-Launch Monitoring
- Search Console - Check for crawl errors weekly
- Analytics - Review traffic sources monthly
- Rankings - Track target keywords
- Backlinks - Monitor new links
- Core Web Vitals - Check quarterly
Tools
Validation
Research
Created: 2026-01-06