Why You Need a Pre-Launch Checklist

Launching a website without checking your SEO and GEO fundamentals is like opening a store without putting up a sign. Fixing issues after launch is always more expensive and time-consuming than getting them right from the start.

This checklist covers all 32 items that IndexReady evaluates — 18 for SEO and 14 for GEO. Each item includes what to check, why it matters, and how to fix it.

SEO Checklist (18 Items)

1. Title Tag

What to check: Is a title tag present? Is the length appropriate?

The title tag is the most prominent element in search results
Recommended length: 30-60 characters
Include your primary keyword naturally

<title>
  Internal Linking for SEO: How to Build a Link Structure That Ranks
</title>

2. Meta Description

What to check: Is a meta description present? Is the length appropriate?

Displayed as the snippet below the title in search results
Recommended length: 70-160 characters
Write compelling copy that encourages clicks

<meta
  name="description"
  content="Learn how to design an internal linking strategy that boosts SEO. Covers anchor text, hierarchy, orphan pages, and practical examples."
/>

3. PageSpeed Score

What to check: Performance score from PageSpeed Insights

Good: 90 or above
Needs improvement: 50-89
Poor: Below 50
Focus on image optimization, JS/CSS reduction, and caching

4. Core Web Vitals

What to check: LCP, INP, and CLS metrics

LCP: Under 2.5 seconds is good
INP: Under 200ms is good
CLS: Under 0.1 is good
These are actual ranking factors used by Google

5. Heading Structure

What to check: Is there an h1 tag? Is the heading hierarchy logical?

Every page should have exactly one h1 tag
Do not skip heading levels (h1 to h3 without h2 is incorrect)
Include relevant keywords in headings naturally

6. OGP Tags

What to check: Are og:title, og:description, and og:image present?

Controls how your page appears when shared on social media
og:image should be at least 1200x630 pixels

<meta property="og:title" content="Article Title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Article description" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.png" />

7. HTTPS

What to check: Is the site served over HTTPS?

HTTPS has been a Google ranking signal since 2014
HTTP sites show a "Not Secure" warning in browsers
Free certificates are available through Let's Encrypt

8. No Accidental Noindex

What to check: Is a noindex tag accidentally present?

A noindex meta tag or header prevents the page from appearing in search results
Common mistake: leaving staging environment settings in production

<!-- Make sure this is NOT on your production pages -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />

9. Canonical Tag

What to check: Is a canonical tag present?

Specifies the preferred URL when duplicate content exists
Self-referencing canonicals are best practice

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/blog/seo-checklist" />

10. Image Alt Attributes

What to check: Do images have alt text?

Alt text describes the image content for search engines and screen readers
Important for both SEO and accessibility
Use empty alt (alt="") for purely decorative images

11. robots.txt

What to check: Does robots.txt exist and is it configured correctly?

Ensure important pages are not accidentally blocked
Specify your sitemap location

User-agent: *
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

12. sitemap.xml

What to check: Does a valid sitemap.xml exist?

Include all important pages in the sitemap
Keep it updated as you add or remove pages
Submit it to Google Search Console

13. Content Length

What to check: Does the page have enough substantive body text?

Thin pages struggle to rank and to be cited by AI systems
Aim for a meaningful amount of unique text per page (roughly 500+ words for English content)
Depth and coverage matter more than hitting an exact count

14. HTML lang Attribute

What to check: Is a valid lang attribute set on the <html> element?

Tells browsers and search engines the page's primary language
Affects correct indexing, translation prompts, and screen-reader pronunciation
Use a valid code such as en, ja, or a regional variant like en-US

<html lang="en"></html>

15. Viewport Configuration

What to check: Is the meta viewport tag correctly set?

A fundamental requirement for mobile-friendliness
Google uses mobile-first indexing, so mobile rendering is essential
The standard configuration is:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />

16. Image Optimization

What to check: Are images optimized for performance and layout stability?

Set explicit width and height on every <img> to prevent layout shift (CLS)
Lazy-load below-the-fold images with loading="lazy"
Serve modern formats (WebP/AVIF), which are far smaller than JPEG/PNG

17. Hreflang

What to check: For multilingual sites, are hreflang annotations valid and reciprocal?

Each language version should reference all others with hreflang
Include an x-default for unmatched languages
Use valid codes such as en, ja, or en-US

18. Internal Linking

What to check: Does the page link to related pages with descriptive anchors?

Internal links help crawlers discover pages and spread topical relevance
Use descriptive anchor text, not generic "click here" or bare URLs
Avoid orphan pages that no other page links to

GEO Checklist (14 Items)

19. llms.txt

What to check: Does an llms.txt file exist at the domain root? Is the content comprehensive?

A dedicated file that helps AI systems understand your site
Include site overview, key content links, and contact information
An llms-full.txt with more detail is a bonus

20. AI Crawler Access

What to check: Are AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, etc.) allowed in robots.txt?

If you block AI crawlers, your content will never appear in AI-generated answers
Explicitly allow them in your robots.txt

User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

21. Structured Data (JSON-LD)

What to check: Is JSON-LD structured data implemented?

Article, FAQ, HowTo, and BreadcrumbList schemas are particularly valuable
Makes your content machine-readable for AI extraction

<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "Article Title",
    "datePublished": "2026-03-19"
  }
</script>

22. Clear Answer Paragraphs

What to check: Does the content contain concise, direct answers?

Answer questions in the first one or two sentences
Follow with supporting detail
AI models extract these direct answers for citations

23. FAQ / List / Definition Patterns

What to check: Are there FAQ structures, numbered lists, or definition patterns?

FAQ-style Q&A is among the most frequently cited formats in AI search
Write procedures as numbered steps
Use definition patterns ("X is...") for key concepts

24. Question-Based Headings

What to check: Do h2/h3 headings use question format?

Headings like "What is...?" or "How do you...?" match AI search queries directly
This pattern makes your content more extractable by AI systems

25. Statistics and Numerical Data

What to check: Does the content include specific numbers and statistics?

Concrete data points are more likely to be cited by AI
Always attribute your sources

26. Content Freshness

What to check: Are publication and update dates present in metadata?

Use datePublished and dateModified in structured data
Regularly update content to maintain freshness signals

27. E-E-A-T Signals

What to check: Are author info, source citations, and dates present?

Include author bios with relevant credentials
Link to authoritative external sources that support your claims
A key factor in Google's quality evaluation guidelines

28. Google-Recommended Structured Data

What to check: Are you using schema types that Google recommends?

Article, FAQ, HowTo, Product, LocalBusiness, and others
Check Google's official structured data documentation for the full list
Use the Rich Results Test to validate your markup

29. Authoritative External Citations

What to check: Does the content link to authoritative external sources?

Linking to primary sources (.gov, .edu, official documentation) supports your claims and builds trust
AI search engines favor content that cites verifiable sources over unsupported assertions
Attribute statistics and factual claims to where they came from
This is distinct from author E-E-A-T: it is about the quality of the sources you reference, not who wrote the page

30. Schema Completeness

What to check: Do your Article and Organization schemas include the recommended properties?

Article: headline, author, datePublished, and image
Organization: logo, url, and sameAs
Complete schema helps search engines and AI resolve your entity accurately

31. Passage Citability

What to check: Does the content contain self-contained, citable-length passages?

AI engines favor passages of roughly 134-167 words that stand alone
Answer in the first 40-60 words of each section
Avoid passages that are too short (thin) or too long (hard to extract)

What to check: Is BreadcrumbList structured data implemented and valid?

Powers a Google rich result and clarifies your site hierarchy for AI
Each itemListElement needs a valid position and item (or name)
Match the breadcrumb trail to the page's actual location

Automate Your Checks

Going through 32 items manually is tedious and error-prone. IndexReady automates this entire checklist. Enter a URL and get scored on all 32 criteria — 100 points for SEO plus 100 points for GEO, totaling 200 points. Each item comes with specific improvement suggestions.

Use it before launch, after major updates, and as part of your regular site maintenance routine.

FAQ

Do I need a perfect score on all 32 items?

No. Perfection is not the goal — coverage is. Make sure the high-impact items (title tag, meta description, HTTPS, noindex check) are solid first. Then work through the remaining items by priority. Even improving a few low-scoring items can make a meaningful difference.

How often should I run through this checklist?

Run the full checklist before any site launch. After that, do a monthly check to catch any regressions. Major site updates, redesigns, or CMS migrations warrant a complete re-check.

Can I use this checklist for an existing site?

Absolutely. In fact, existing sites often benefit the most from a structured audit. Run your site through IndexReady to get a baseline score, then prioritize improvements based on which items score lowest.

Do the GEO items also help with traditional SEO?

Yes, many of them do. Structured data, content freshness, and E-E-A-T signals are valuable for both traditional SEO and GEO. Investing in GEO optimization often improves your conventional search performance as a side benefit.