16 SEO Checks Every Website Needs Before Launch

March 2, 2026 · 8 min read

You've built something awesome. Your code is clean, the design is pixel-perfect, and you're ready to ship. But wait — have you checked your SEO?

Most developers forget these critical SEO elements before launch. I've built AuditMyPage to catch these issues automatically, but here's the full checklist so you know what to look for:

1. Title Tag

Your <title> is the single most important SEO element. Google displays it in search results, and it tells users what your page is about.

Keep it under 60 characters
Put your most important keywords first
Make it unique for every page
Include your brand name at the end

2. Meta Description

While not a direct ranking factor, your meta description shows up in search results and affects click-through rate.

Keep it between 120-160 characters
Write compelling copy — this is your ad
Include a call-to-action
Make it unique per page

3. Open Graph Tags

When someone shares your link on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Slack, Open Graph tags control what they see.

<meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="..." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://..." />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://..." />

4. Twitter Card Tags

Similar to Open Graph, but for Twitter/X:

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="..." />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="..." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://..." />

5. Favicon

That little icon in the browser tab? It matters. Missing favicons make your site look unfinished.

Include multiple sizes: 16x16, 32x32, 180x180
Add an apple-touch-icon for iOS
Don't forget favicon.ico in your root directory

6. SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

Google penalizes sites without HTTPS. Get a free certificate from Let's Encrypt or Cloudflare.

7. Canonical URL

Tell search engines which version of your page is the "real" one to avoid duplicate content issues:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page" />

8. Structured Data (JSON-LD)

Help Google understand your content with structured data. For a business site, use Organization schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Company",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png"
}
</script>

9. Robots.txt

Tell search engines what they can and can't crawl. At minimum, include your sitemap:

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

10. XML Sitemap

List all your important pages so Google can find them. Submit it to Google Search Console.

11. Responsive Design

Google uses mobile-first indexing. If your site doesn't work on mobile, you won't rank.

12. Page Speed

Slow sites rank lower. Use PageSpeed Insights to check your performance.

13. Alt Text on Images

Describe your images for screen readers and search engines:

<img src="product.jpg" alt="Red running shoes on white background" />

14. Heading Structure

Use <h1> for your main title (only one per page), then<h2>, <h3> in hierarchical order.

15. Internal Links

Link to your other pages. It helps users navigate and distributes SEO value across your site.

16. Privacy Policy

Not technically SEO, but legally required if you collect any user data (cookies, analytics, forms). GDPR and CCPA mandate it.

You can generate one with AuditMyPage's AI privacy policy generator — it's free during our launch.

Automate It

Checking all this manually is tedious. That's why I built AuditMyPage — paste your URL, get a full report in 30 seconds. Plus, you can generate a privacy policy while you're at it.

Try it free →