Use this checklist to find what is holding your website back. It covers the ten things that most affect whether Google can index your pages and whether visitors turn into customers. Work through it in order — the first items stop sites being found at all.
Key takeaways
- Check indexing and the “Discourage search engines” setting first.
- Submit a clean XML sitemap with only live pages.
- Every page needs a unique title, description and one H1.
- Re-run the checklist after every redesign or theme change.
The checklist
- Every important page is indexed. In Search Console → Pages, check for “Crawled – currently not indexed”, “Discovered – not indexed” and 404s. Fix those first.
- Search engines aren’t blocked. In WordPress, Settings → Reading → “Discourage search engines” must be unticked. Check robots.txt doesn’t block important folders.
- An XML sitemap is submitted. It should list only live, indexable pages.
- HTTPS everywhere, with HTTP and non-www/www versions redirecting to one version.
- Unique title and meta description on every page, with one H1 that describes the page.
- Passing Core Web Vitals on mobile — compressed images, caching and minimal scripts.
- Mobile-friendly layout with readable text and easy-to-tap buttons.
- No broken links or redirect chains. Old URLs 301-redirect to the most relevant live page.
- Structured data for your organisation, services, articles, FAQs and breadcrumbs.
- Clear conversion paths and tracking — call, WhatsApp and form buttons tracked in GA4.
Content checks
- Each page targets one topic or keyword — no two pages competing for the same search
- Pages contain specific, original information, not generic text repeated across the site
- Important pages are linked from the menu or related pages
- Contact details and business information are consistent everywhere
Tools you need (mostly free)
- Google Search Console: indexing, search performance, Core Web Vitals
- PageSpeed Insights: page speed diagnostics
- Google Analytics 4: traffic and conversions
- Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs): crawl for broken links, missing titles and redirects
- Rich Results Test: validates structured data
How often to run it
Run the full checklist after any redesign, theme change or migration — these are when indexing problems most often appear — and quarterly otherwise. Check Search Console’s Pages report monthly.
Prefer us to run it? Our website optimization audit covers all ten points with a prioritised fix list.
What to do after a redesign or migration
- Crawl the old site (or export URLs from Search Console) before switching.
- Map every old URL to its new equivalent and set up 301 redirects.
- Check that the new site isn’t blocking search engines.
- Submit the new sitemap and remove obsolete ones.
- Compare titles, descriptions and headings with the old pages.
- Monitor Search Console’s Pages report daily for the first two weeks.
Most sudden drops in indexing after a redesign come from missed redirects, accidental noindex settings or thinner content on the new pages.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my pages “Crawled – currently not indexed”?
Google visited the page but decided not to index it, most often because the content is thin or too similar to other pages. Improving and differentiating the content is the usual fix.
Do I need an SEO plugin?
Not necessarily. You need correct titles, descriptions, canonicals, a sitemap and schema — a well-built theme or a plugin can provide them, but not both at once.
What should I check after changing my theme?
Indexing settings, permalinks, titles and descriptions, sitemaps, redirects for any changed URLs, and Core Web Vitals.
Sources and further reading
- Search Console Help: Page indexing report
- web.dev: How the Core Web Vitals metrics thresholds were defined
- Google Search Central documentation
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
