How to use this checklist
Each item below is a question you can answer with yes, no or not sure. A “no” is not automatically a problem; it is a prompt to look closer and decide whether it matters for your site. Copy the list into a document, add a notes column, and record the page or section where you saw each issue.
Work through the groups in order. Access comes first because the later groups only matter if pages can be found.
1. Crawlability and indexing
- Does the site load at one consistent address, with other versions pointing to it?
- Do key pages load without errors?
- Does the robots file allow access to the sections you want visible?
- Are important pages free of instructions telling search engines to skip them?
- Is there an xml sitemap, and does it list the pages you want found, and only those?
- Do menu and in-content links work, with no broken links on key pages?
- Do redirects go straight to the final page, with no redirect chains?
- Do your main pages appear when you search for your site name or distinctive phrases?
2. Content
- Does every important page have a clear purpose that you can state in one sentence?
- Is the information accurate and up to date?
- Does each page match what someone searching for the topic would expect to find?
- Is the writing clear, specific and written for people rather than for search engines?
- Are there thin pages, or pages that repeat each other, that could be merged or removed?
- Do pages have their own descriptive titles?
- Does each page follow a logical heading structure?
- Do images have descriptions and sensible file sizes?
3. Technical basics
- Is the whole site served over a secure connection, with no mixed content warnings?
- Do pages load acceptably on a normal phone connection?
- Do pages stay stable as they load, without text or buttons jumping?
- Does the site use responsive design, adapting to small and large screens?
- Is the software, including any plugins or add-ons, kept current?
- Do you have recent site backups, and do you know how to restore it?
- Are error pages helpful, showing a message and a way back, rather than a blank screen?
4. Structure and links
- Can a visitor reach important pages within a few clicks from the home page?
- Do menus and categories group pages in a way a newcomer would expect?
- Are related pages linked to each other with descriptive link text?
- Is every page linked from somewhere, so there are no orphan pages?
- Are addresses readable and consistent?
- Do you link out to other sites only where it helps the reader, and cite sources where useful?
- Do you know roughly which other sites link to yours, and does anything look suspicious?
5. User experience and trust
- Is the purpose of the site obvious within a few seconds of landing?
- Is the main action, such as contacting you or buying, easy to find and complete?
- Is text readable, with enough contrast and a comfortable size on a phone?
- Are buttons and links big enough to tap without errors?
- Do pop-ups or banners block content, especially on small screens?
- Can the site be used with keyboard navigation alone?
- Are contact details, policies and ownership information easy to find?
- Are forms short, clear and working?
6. Measurement
- Do you have a way to see which pages get visits?
- Do you know what a useful visit looks like for your site?
- Do you keep a short record of changes you make?
Reading your results
Count the “no” and “not sure” answers in each group, but do not treat the count as a grade. Five missing image descriptions on an unimportant page matter less than one robots instruction blocking your main section. Sort what you find by how many pages are affected and how much it would matter to a visitor, and begin with the group nearest the top of the list that has real problems.
Search engines change how they work, and no checklist can cover every situation. Treat this one as a starting point. Add questions specific to your site, remove ones that do not apply, and reuse the list on a schedule. Over time, a checklist you have adapted to your own site becomes more useful than any general one.