Technical SEO sounds like a job for developers, and parts of it are. But most of what goes wrong on a small business site can be checked by the owner in an afternoon with Search Console and a browser. The problems are rarely exotic. They are settings left in the wrong position, old addresses that lead nowhere, or pages Google has been told to ignore.
This technical SEO checklist covers the basics in the order they matter: can Google reach your pages, will it keep them, does it know which version is the real one, and does the site work for visitors on a phone. Each item gets a short explanation and a pointer to a fuller guide where one exists.
Before you start: get Search Console working
Almost every check below starts in Google Search Console, because it shows the site as Google sees it rather than as you see it. If the site is not verified yet, do that first. Then give Google some time to gather data before drawing conclusions. You will mainly use three areas: the page indexing report, the URL Inspection tool, and the sitemaps section.
Technical SEO basics: crawling and indexing
1. Crawlability: can Google reach the pages?
Google discovers pages by following links and reading your sitemap. A page that nothing links to, or that sits behind a login, a search box or a form, may never be found. Check that every important page is reachable through ordinary links from your menu, a services page or other content. Use the URL Inspection tool on a key page and look at whether Google could fetch it and what it saw.
2. Robots.txt: is anything blocked by mistake?
The robots.txt file tells crawlers which parts of the site not to visit. On most small sites it should block very little. A careless rule can block a whole folder of pages, or the files Google needs to render them properly. Remember that blocking a page in robots.txt stops Google from crawling it but does not reliably remove it from results. Our guide to robots.txt in WordPress explains what a sensible file looks like.
3. Noindex: are important pages excluded?
A noindex instruction tells Google not to show a page in results. It is useful for thank-you pages, internal search results and thin archives. It is a disaster on a service page. In Search Console’s page indexing report, look for pages excluded by a noindex tag and confirm each one is intentional. On WordPress, also check the reading setting that asks search engines not to index the whole site.
4. XML sitemap: does it list the right pages?
A sitemap is a list of the pages you want Google to know about. Your SEO plugin usually creates one automatically. Open it in a browser and check that it contains your real pages and posts, and not hundreds of tag archives, attachment pages or test pages. Then make sure it is submitted in Search Console. Our existing walkthrough on submitting a WordPress sitemap to Google shows each step.
5. Index coverage: what is left out, and why?
The page indexing report lists pages Google knows about but has not indexed, grouped by reason. Some exclusions are normal, such as redirected addresses or duplicates you have canonicalised. Others need action. Our article on why a page is not indexed by Google translates each status into plain words and what to do about it.
Duplicates and the preferred version of each page
6. Canonical tags
The same content can often be reached at several addresses: with and without a trailing slash, with tracking parameters, through a category path, or as a printer-friendly version. A canonical tag tells Google which address is the main one. Your SEO plugin normally sets a self-referencing canonical on every page, which is fine. Problems arise when a canonical points to the wrong page, or when a theme or plugin adds a second, conflicting one. Our explainer on duplicate content and canonical URLs in WordPress covers the common cases.
7. One version of the domain
Your site should load on a single combination of HTTPS and either www or non-www. Every other combination should redirect permanently to that one. Type each variation into a browser and confirm they all end up on the same address. If two versions load separately, Google may treat them as duplicates.
Redirects and broken addresses
8. Permanent redirects for moved pages
When you rename or remove a page that had visitors or links, redirect its old address to the closest replacement with a permanent (301) redirect. This passes visitors and most of the value along. Avoid sending everything to the home page, which Google tends to treat like a missing page. Our guide to creating a 301 redirect in WordPress explains the options.
9. Redirect chains and loops
A chain is when one redirect leads to another, then another. Each step slows things down and adds a chance of failure. A loop is when redirects send the browser round in circles until it gives up. Point every old address directly at its final destination.
10. Broken internal links and 404 errors
Links on your own site that lead to missing pages waste visitors and crawl effort. Check your menus, footer and older posts for links to pages that no longer exist, and either fix the link or redirect the old address. A small number of 404s for addresses that never mattered is normal and harmless.
Security, mobile and speed
11. HTTPS everywhere
Every page should load over HTTPS with a valid certificate, and no page should pull in images or scripts over plain HTTP, which causes mixed content warnings. Google uses HTTPS as a light ranking signal, but the bigger reason is visitor trust: browsers warn people away from insecure pages.
12. Mobile usability
Google mainly uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. Open your key pages on an actual phone. Can you read the text without zooming? Are buttons easy to tap? Does anything spill off the side of the screen? Is the same content present on mobile as on desktop? Hidden or missing content on mobile is a real problem, because that is the version Google judges.
13. Page speed and Core Web Vitals
Search Console has a Core Web Vitals report based on real visitor data, where enough data exists. A slow site loses visitors and may be held back slightly in rankings, but speed alone rarely makes or breaks a small site in search. If pages take a long time to show content on a phone, it is worth fixing. Our separate article on whether Core Web Vitals affect SEO explains how much weight Google gives it.
Structure and the small things that add up
14. Sensible URL structure
Short, readable addresses that describe the page help visitors and are easy to manage. Avoid long strings of numbers, dates in service page addresses and repeated words. Choose a permalink setting once and stick to it, because changing it later means redirecting every page.
15. Thin and unnecessary pages
Many WordPress sites accumulate pages with almost no content: attachment pages for every image, tag archives with one post each, author archives on a single-author site. Keep these out of the index or switch them off, so Google spends its attention on the pages that matter.
16. Structured data that is accurate
Schema markup describes your business, products or articles in a format machines read easily. It can make you eligible for richer search listings, but it is not a ranking boost. Check that any markup matches what is visible on the page and that it has no errors in Search Console’s enhancement reports.
How often to run through a technical SEO checklist
Do a full pass when you first take responsibility for a site, after any redesign, theme change or migration, and after installing or switching an SEO plugin. Between those, a quick monthly look at the page indexing report catches most new problems early.
Technical health is the foundation, not the whole job. Once Google can reach and keep your pages, what ranks them is how well they answer searches, which our SEO for small business guide covers end to end, and the wider plan across channels is in our overview of digital marketing services.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid crawler tool for technical SEO on a small site?
Not usually. Search Console, a browser and your SEO plugin cover the essentials for a site with a modest number of pages. Desktop crawlers are handy for finding broken links and redirect chains in bulk, and some have free versions that are enough for a small site.
Will fixing technical issues increase my rankings straight away?
Fixing a real blocker, such as a noindex tag on a service page, can let that page appear once Google recrawls it. Most other fixes remove obstacles rather than add a boost. They make it possible for good content to rank but do not replace the need for it.
Is it safe for me to edit robots.txt or redirects myself?
Yes, if you take care and keep a copy of what was there before. A single wrong line in robots.txt or a mistaken redirect rule can hide many pages, so change one thing at a time, test the affected pages afterwards, and check Search Console over the following weeks.
If you want a developer who also understands search to go through these checks and fix what turns up on your WordPress site, our SEO services start with exactly this kind of technical review.
Next in this series: Page Not Indexed by Google? Read the Status First
