SEO goes beyond keywords and content. Behind every high-ranking site is a strong technical backbone. That’s what technical SEO is all about. It’s the foundation that helps search engines find, crawl, and understand your site. Without it, even the best content can go unnoticed.
Unlike on-page SEO, which focuses on what people see, technical SEO is everything working behind the scenes. It’s constantly evolving— with updates like Core Web Vitals and mobile-first indexing. Staying on top of it is the key to staying competitive. That’s what this blog is for! Stay tuned for a complete technical SEO checklist for 2025!
Crawlability & Indexing: Let Search Engines In
A solid technical SEO audit always starts here. If Google can’t crawl your site, it can’t rank it. Simple as that. This step ensures your pages are visible and accessible to search engines.
Checklist:
- Submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
- Check your robots.txt file—don’t accidentally block essential pages.
- Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content.
- Make sure there are no rogue “no index” tags.
- Review crawl stats in Google Search Console.
Site Architecture & URL Structure
Your site’s structure should be easy to navigate. A well-structured site is easier to audit, optimize, and scale—especially when paired with SEO gap analysis insights. It helps spread link authority and improves usability.
Checklist:
- Keep your structure shallow.
- Use clear, short URLs with valuable keywords.
- Avoid messy parameters in URLs.
- Ensure your site has a clear hierarchy with logical categories.
Mobile-Friendliness
Did you know most searches happen on mobile devices? If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, your rankings are at risk.
Checklist:
- Use responsive design for all devices.
- Make buttons and forms touch-friendly.
- Avoid pop-ups that block content.
- Test mobile usability with Google Search Console.
- Ensure fast mobile load times.
Site Speed & Core Web Vitals (2025 Updates)
A strong technical SEO checklist always includes Core Web Vitals because of their direct SEO impact. On the other hand, site speed affects rankings and user experience.
Checklist:
- Optimize LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): load the main content quickly.
- Improve FID (First Input Delay): make your site interactive fast.
- Reduce CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): keep your layout stable.
- Compress images and use lazy loading.
- Minimize code and use caching.
Secure & Accessible Website
Security and accessibility build trust with users and with Google. After all, no one wants to navigate a weird or unsafe site.
Checklist:
- Install an SSL certificate (HTTPS is a ranking factor).
- Ensure forms and user data are encrypted.
- Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, etc.).
- Add alt text to all images.
- Make sure screen readers can navigate your site.
Internal Linking Structure
Good internal linking helps users discover more content and helps search engines crawl your site efficiently. This is also where your SEO technical audit checklist comes full circle—tying all the elements together for stronger site performance.
Checklist:
- Link to important pages from other relevant pages.
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text.
- Fix broken internal links.
- Avoid orphan pages (pages with no internal links).
- Build topic clusters to support your evergreen SEO
D2 Branding: Taking Your SEO to The Next Level
Nobody deserves to lose traffic because of hidden technical problems. At D2 Branding, we understand the stress of digital marketing and are here to make it easier with innovative, up-to-date solutions that get results. Our team knows the ins and outs of every SEO tech audit, so you don’t have to.
Contact our Tulsa SEO experts and let us help you build a stronger foundation with our proven expertise and trusted approach.