Free Workbook · Updated 2026-10

Technical SEO Workbook + 90-Day Checklist (No Coding)

One task per module of the free technical SEO course, then a 90-day plan you can follow with free tools and settings you already have.

The companion to the Technical SEO Complete Course: a task and checklist for each module, with free tools only. Finish it and you know Google can find, index and load every page that earns you money.

For: Business owners and marketers who run their own website and want to fix technical SEO without hiring a developer for every check.

Modules 0-1: How Google finds and reads your pages · 3
Module 2: Indexing: get the right pages shown · 4
Module 3: Sitemaps and robots.txt without fear · 4
Module 4: Internal links that push buyers to money pages · 1
Modules 5-6: Speed, Core Web Vitals and mobile · 5
Module 7: Redirects, redesigns and broken links · 4
Module 8: Structured data basics · 4
Module 9: Your 90-day technical SEO checklist · 9

How to use it

Watch one module, then do that module's section here. One a day is a good pace.
Write your answers in the templates. They become your site's technical record.
Then follow the 90-day checklist at the end, one block of weeks at a time.

Modules 0-1: How Google finds and reads your pages

Google crawls (fetches) pages by following links and sitemaps, renders them, then decides whether to index them. Your job is to remove anything in the way.

Search site:yourdomain.com on Google
A rough check of what's indexed. It isn't an exact count; use the Search Console Pages report for real numbers.
Open Search Console > URL Inspection for your homepage and top money page
Check 'URL is on Google', the Google-selected canonical and the crawled page screenshot (Test live URL > View tested page).
Write down your 10 money pages
The pages that bring leads or sales. Every later module checks these first.

Module 2: Indexing: get the right pages shown

None of your 10 money pages show 'Excluded by noindex tag' in the Pages report
A leftover noindex is the fastest way to disappear from Google.
Each money page has one canonical URL (check the Google-selected canonical in URL Inspection)
If Google picks a different canonical than you expected, it's treating your page as a duplicate.
You've read the top 'Why pages aren't indexed' reasons and know which are fine
'Page with redirect' and 'Alternate page with proper canonical tag' are usually normal. 'Crawled - currently not indexed' on a money page needs work.
Thin or duplicate pages (tag pages, empty categories, old promos) are improved, merged or removed
Practical advice: fewer, better pages are easier for Google to index and for buyers to use.

Module 3: Sitemaps and robots.txt without fear

yourdomain.com/robots.txt loads and does not contain 'Disallow: /' for all user agents
That one line blocks crawling of the whole site.
robots.txt is not used to hide pages from search results
Google says robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing. A blocked URL can still be indexed without its content. Use noindex to keep a page out.
A sitemap exists, lists only canonical 200-status URLs and is submitted in Search Console
Google's limit is 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed per sitemap file.
The Sitemaps report shows Success
If it says 'Couldn't fetch', Google isn't reading it.

Module 4: Internal links that push buyers to money pages

Internal link audit (one row per money page)

Money page URL: ____
Internal links pointing to it (Search Console > Links > Top linked pages, internal): ____
Linked from homepage? Y/N
Linked from main menu? Y/N
3 related pages that should link to it:
1. ____  anchor text: ____
2. ____  anchor text: ____
3. ____  anchor text: ____

Use descriptive anchor text like 'emergency plumbing in Austin', not 'click here'. Google's link best practices say anchor text helps it understand the linked page.

Modules 5-6: Speed, Core Web Vitals and mobile

Each money page tested in PageSpeed Insights on the Mobile tab
Look at real-user data first (top of the report). Lab scores are a test, not what customers felt.
LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1
These are Google's 'good' thresholds, measured at the 75th percentile of visits.
Images are compressed, sized correctly and below-the-fold images lazy-load
Large images are one of the most common causes of slow LCP.
Every money page works on a real phone: text readable, buttons tappable, no pop-up covering the content
Google uses mobile-first indexing, so the mobile version is the one that counts.
The mobile version has the same main content as desktop
If content is hidden or missing on mobile, Google may not see it.

Module 7: Redirects, redesigns and broken links

Crawl the site with Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs) and export 4xx and 3xx
Shows broken internal links and redirect chains.
Fix internal links that point to redirects or 404s so they point to the final URL
Saves crawling and keeps link signals clean.
Every changed URL has a server-side 301 to its closest new page
Google treats 301/308 as a strong signal the page moved. Use the Redesign SEO checklist for a full move.
http, https, www and non-www all end on one version
One version per page means signals aren't split.

Module 8: Structured data basics

Pick the types that match your pages
Common ones for small businesses: Organization or LocalBusiness on the homepage, Product on product pages, Article on blog posts, BreadcrumbList site-wide.
Add it as JSON-LD
Google recommends JSON-LD. Many CMS plugins add it without code.
Test it
Use the Rich Results Test for Google features and the Schema Markup Validator for general schema.org errors.
Keep it honest
Markup must match what's visible on the page. Google's structured data policies can lead to a manual action for misleading markup, and valid markup doesn't guarantee a rich result.

Module 9: Your 90-day technical SEO checklist

Days 1-7: Search Console (Domain property) and Bing Webmaster Tools set up, sitemap submitted, robots.txt and noindex checked
Nothing else matters if Google can't get in.
Days 1-7: URL Inspection run on all 10 money pages, any not indexed written down
This is your fix list for the month.
Days 8-30: full crawl done, broken links and redirect chains fixed, one preferred domain version enforced
Cleans the hallways before you add more rooms.
Days 8-30: PageSpeed Insights run on money pages, biggest image and script problems fixed
Start with LCP on mobile. It's usually images or a slow server.
Days 31-60: every money page gets at least 3 relevant internal links with descriptive anchors
Practical advice: this is the cheapest ranking lever most small sites ignore.
Days 31-60: thin and duplicate pages merged, improved or removed
Fewer weak pages, clearer signals.
Days 61-90: structured data added and validated on homepage and key page types
Helps Google understand who you are and what each page is.
Days 61-90: weekly 10-minute Search Console routine running
Use the Search Console weekly checklist so problems get caught in days, not months.
Day 90: re-run the Day 1 checks and compare indexed pages, clicks and Core Web Vitals
Write the before and after numbers down. That's your proof it worked, or your clue where it didn't.

Unlock the full workbook

Everything above, plus the branded PDF to keep.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I do technical SEO without coding?

For most small sites, yes. Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, a free crawler and your CMS settings cover crawling, indexing, sitemaps, redirects and basic speed fixes. Server or template changes may need a developer.

What is the most important technical SEO check?

Making sure Google is allowed to crawl and index your money pages: no 'Disallow: /' in robots.txt, no noindex tag, and the page shows 'URL is on Google' in URL Inspection.

Does robots.txt stop a page from appearing in Google?

No. It stops crawling, not indexing. To keep a page out of results, use a noindex tag and let Google crawl it.

What are good Core Web Vitals scores?

LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds and CLS under 0.1, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads.