SEO Checklist for New Websites
Launching a new website? Follow this checklist to set up your SEO correctly from day one. Getting these fundamentals right at launch is much easier than fixing them later.
Before Launch
- Choose a clean domain name — domain name guide
- Set up HTTPS/SSL
- Configure 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS
- Set up www to non-www redirect (or vice versa) — check redirects
- Create a robots.txt file
- Install an analytics tool (Google Analytics or similar)
On Every Page
- Unique title tag (30-60 characters)
- Unique meta description (120-160 characters)
- One H1 tag per page
- Canonical URL set
- Viewport meta tag for mobile
- Alt text on all images
Technical Setup
- Create and submit a sitemap
- Set up Google Search Console
- Set up Bing Webmaster Tools
- Add structured data (Organization schema at minimum)
- Add Open Graph tags
- Create a custom 404 page
Content
- Homepage with clear value proposition
- About page with E-E-A-T signals
- Contact page with real details
- Privacy policy and cookie policy
- At least 5-10 pages of useful content
After Launch
- Run a full SEO audit on every page
- Run a site audit across all pages
- Check for broken links
- Verify redirects work correctly
- Check indexing after 1 week
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Last updated: March 2026