SEO · 27 May 2026 · 8 min read
The SEO checklist for a brand new website
Retrofitting SEO is expensive. Here is the launch day checklist that costs almost nothing during the build.
Most SEO problems on new sites are not strategic, they are omissions. This is the list we run before any site we build goes live, in the order we run it.
Technical foundations
Use the list below as a working reference. Each item is something specific you can check or action directly.
- One canonical domain. Pick www or non www and redirect the other.
- HTTPS everywhere, with no mixed content warnings.
- A real robots.txt that points to the sitemap.
- An XML sitemap containing only indexable, canonical URLs.
- Correct status codes: 200 for real pages, 301 for moves, 404 for missing.
- No accidental noindex left over from staging. This is the single most common launch failure.
On page basics
The details matter here. The points below separate what actually moves the needle from what is just noise.
- A unique title under 60 characters on every page, keyword first.
- A unique meta description under 160 characters written to earn the click.
- Exactly one H1 per page that matches the page intent.
- Descriptive alt text on every meaningful image.
- Readable URLs with words, not identifiers.
- Internal links from related pages, not only from the navigation.
Structured data
Before going further, get clear on the following. Each point below covers a different part of the picture.
- Organization schema on the homepage.
- Breadcrumb schema matching the visible breadcrumb.
- Article or Service schema where relevant, with no claims the page does not support.
- FAQ schema only where genuine questions and answers appear on the page.
Performance
Here is the process broken into clear steps. Take them one at a time and check each off before moving on.
- Compress and correctly size every image, and serve modern formats.
- Preload the font used in the largest contentful element and use display swap.
- Defer anything that is not needed for first paint.
- Test on a throttled mobile connection, not on your laptop.
Measurement
Ship the site with measurement already working, otherwise the first month of data is lost. Verify Search Console, submit the sitemap, install analytics, and define at least one conversion event before launch day rather than after it.
Questions
Indexing can happen within days. Meaningful rankings for competitive terms usually take several months of consistent content and links.
No. A valid sitemap and good internal linking handle discovery. Manual submission is only useful for urgent single pages.
Leaving a staging noindex tag in place. It is the single most frequent reason a new site fails to appear in search results after launch.