The 30-Point SEO Launch Checklist for New Websites

1. Setup: Search Console, Bing and analytics

• Google Search Console set up as a Domain property

  A Domain property (DNS verification) covers http, https, www and all subdomains in one place. Keep the DNS record in place or you can lose verification.

• A second verification method added

  Google suggests adding more than one method, so a template change or DNS move doesn't lock you out.

• Bing Webmaster Tools set up

  Use the import option to pull your sites from Search Console in a few clicks. Bing also gives you a free AI Performance report (public preview since February 2026) that shows how often Copilot and Bing's AI answers cite your pages.

• Google Analytics 4 installed and recording

  Open the Realtime report and visit your own site from your phone to confirm it counts the visit.

• Analytics linked to Search Console

  So you can see search queries next to what visitors did on the site. Do it in GA4 under Admin > Product links > Search Console links.

2. Indexing: sitemap, robots.txt and noindex

• No leftover noindex on live pages

  Developers often add <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> on staging. If it ships, Google won't show those pages. Check the page source and the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header.

• robots.txt doesn't block the site

  'Disallow: /' blocks crawling of the whole site. Also, if robots.txt blocks a page, Google can't see a noindex on it, so the two can fight each other.

• XML sitemap exists with full https URLs

  Google asks for fully qualified, absolute URLs. Each sitemap file can hold up to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed.

• Sitemap submitted in Search Console and listed in robots.txt

  Add a line like 'Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml'. A sitemap is a hint that helps Google find pages, not a promise that they get indexed.

• Only one version of the site loads

  http, https, www and non-www should all redirect to one version, so Google picks one address to show.

3. Pages: titles, headings and one job per page

• Every page has its own title tag

  Google says to give each page a distinct, descriptive title and avoid vague ones like 'Home' or 'Untitled'.

• One clear main heading per page

  Google recommends making the main heading stand out, such as the first visible H1, and matching it to the page's topic.

• Each page has one job

  If two pages target the same service, Google has to guess which to show and buyers get confused. One service, one page.

• Short, readable URLs

  Google's SEO Starter Guide recommends descriptive words in URLs, like /services/roof-repair/, not /page?id=123.

• Unique meta description on key pages

  Google sometimes uses it for the snippet under your title. Keep it short and specific to that page.

4. Trust: about, contact and consistent business info

• A real About page: who runs this and why you know your stuff

  Google's helpful content guidance asks 'Who created the content?' and says trust is the most important part of E-E-A-T.

• Contact page with phone, email and address (if you have one)

  Customers and Google both look for a real business behind the site.

• Name, address and phone match everywhere

  Same details on your site, Google Business Profile and directories, so every mention points to one business. This is the one that quietly costs real sales: a wrong phone number on one listing is a lost call.

• Google Business Profile claimed (only if you meet customers face to face)

  Google says only businesses that make in-person contact with customers are eligible. Online-only businesses aren't, and should skip this one.

• Organization or LocalBusiness schema passes the tests

  Check it in Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator. It must match what's visible on the page.

5. Speed and mobile

• LCP under 2.5 seconds

  Google's 'good' threshold for loading the main content. Test in PageSpeed Insights.

• INP under 200 milliseconds

  Google's 'good' threshold for how fast the page reacts to taps and clicks.

• CLS under 0.1

  Google's 'good' threshold for layout jumping around while the page loads.

• Site works on a real phone

  Tap every button, menu and form on your own phone. Mobile menus and forms break more often than desktop.

• Images compressed and have alt text

  Big images are a common cause of slow loading, and Google uses alt text to understand images.

6. Launch day and week one

• 301 redirects from every old URL

  If you replaced an old site, Google recommends server-side permanent redirects (301 or 308) from each old URL to its closest new page, kept for at least a year. Google says permanent redirects don't lose PageRank.

• No broken links

  Crawl the site with Screaming Frog's free version (up to 500 URLs per crawl) and fix every 404.

• Key pages submitted with URL Inspection

  Request indexing in Search Console for your homepage and main money pages.

• site:yourdomain.com checked after a few days

  A quick way to see roughly which pages Google has stored. It's rough, so trust Search Console for the real count.

• Search Console Pages report reviewed after week one

  Open Indexing > Pages and read 'Why pages aren't indexed'. Fix anything that should be indexed.

The tracking sheet (paste into Google Sheets)

Copy the block below, paste it into cell A1 of a new Google Sheet, then use Data > Split text to columns (separator: comma). You get all 30 checks with columns for status and fixes. Share it with your developer so nothing gets lost in chat.

#,Group,Check,How to check,Status (Pass/Fail/NA),Fix needed,Owner,Date done
1,Setup,Search Console Domain property,Search Console property list shows a Domain property,,,,
2,Setup,Second verification method,Settings > Ownership verification,,,,
3,Setup,Bing Webmaster Tools,bing.com/webmasters > Import from Search Console,,,,
4,Setup,GA4 recording,GA4 Realtime report while you visit the site,,,,
5,Setup,GA4 linked to Search Console,GA4 Admin > Product links,,,,
6,Indexing,No leftover noindex,Page source + X-Robots-Tag header,,,,
7,Indexing,robots.txt not blocking,Open /robots.txt,,,,
8,Indexing,Sitemap with absolute https URLs,Open /sitemap.xml,,,,
9,Indexing,Sitemap submitted + in robots.txt,Search Console > Sitemaps,,,,
10,Indexing,One version of the site,Type the http and www versions and watch the redirect,,,,
11,Pages,Unique title tags,Screaming Frog > Page Titles > Duplicate,,,,
12,Pages,One clear H1 per page,Screaming Frog > H1 tab,,,,
13,Pages,One job per page,List pages vs services; no two pages for one service,,,,
14,Pages,Short readable URLs,Screaming Frog > URL tab,,,,
15,Pages,Unique meta descriptions,Screaming Frog > Meta Description > Duplicate,,,,
16,Trust,Real About page,Read it: who runs this + why trust you,,,,
17,Trust,Contact page complete,Phone + email + address if you have one,,,,
18,Trust,Name/address/phone match everywhere,Compare site vs Business Profile vs top 5 listings,,,,
19,Trust,Business Profile claimed (if eligible),business.google.com,,,,
20,Trust,Organization/LocalBusiness schema valid,Rich Results Test + validator.schema.org,,,,
21,Speed,LCP under 2.5s,PageSpeed Insights (mobile),,,,
22,Speed,INP under 200ms,PageSpeed Insights field data,,,,
23,Speed,CLS under 0.1,PageSpeed Insights (mobile),,,,
24,Speed,Works on a real phone,Tap every button and form,,,,
25,Speed,Images compressed + alt text,Screaming Frog > Images,,,,
26,Launch,301s from old URLs,Open each old URL and confirm it redirects,,,,
27,Launch,No broken links,Screaming Frog > Response Codes > Client Error (4xx),,,,
28,Launch,Key pages inspected,Search Console URL Inspection,,,,
29,Launch,site: search checked,site:yourdomain.com on Google,,,,
30,Launch,Pages report reviewed,Search Console > Indexing > Pages,,,,

What Search Console tells you, and what to do

In week one you'll see some of these messages in Search Console's Pages report. Here's what each means for a brand-new site.

Common launch mistakes (check you didn't make these)

• Leaving 'Discourage search engines' ticked in WordPress after launch

  It asks search engines not to index the whole site. It's an easy one to miss when a site moves from staging to live.

• Launching the new design on new URLs with no redirects

  Every old link and bookmark breaks, and Google has to learn the site from scratch.

• Putting staging URLs or http:// URLs in the sitemap

  List only the live https pages you want found, written in full.

• Copying the same title onto every page

  Many builders default to the site name. Google then has nothing to tell the pages apart.

• Blocking CSS or JavaScript folders in robots.txt

  Google needs them to see the page the way visitors do.

• Requesting indexing for hundreds of pages one by one

  Search Console limits how many requests you can make, and the sitemap already covers them. Inspect only your key pages.

• Judging SEO in week one

  Google gives no fixed time for indexing a new site. It can be days or weeks. Check the Pages report, not your rankings.