Technical SEO helps search engines access, understand and index a website. It also prevents small technical problems from getting in the way of good content.
You do not need a huge audit to start. Check the basics first, then fix the issues that affect real pages and real visitors.
Crawlability
Start with:
• robots.txt • server errors • authentication • broken internal links • redirect chains
Important pages should be reachable through normal links.
Indexing
Review:
• noindex • canonical tags • Search Console Page Indexing • duplicate pages • thin archives
Do not assume every generated WordPress URL needs to be indexed.
Sitemap
WordPress can generate sitemaps natively, while SEO plugins may provide their own.
The sitemap should contain canonical, indexable URLs that you actually want Google to discover.
HTTPS
The site should consistently use HTTPS.
Redirect HTTP versions and avoid mixed-content resources.
Canonicals
Check that canonical tags point to the intended preferred URL.
Be especially careful with:
• product variations • filters • tracking parameters • duplicate landing pages
Redirects
Use permanent redirects when valuable URLs move.
Avoid long chains such as:
text A → B → C → D
Prefer:
text A → D
Core Web Vitals
Google's current Core Web Vitals are:
• LCP — loading performance • INP — responsiveness • CLS — visual stability
Google recommends good thresholds of LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 ms and CLS below 0.1.
Images
Optimise:
• dimensions • compression • lazy loading • format • alt text where meaningful
Internal linking
Important pages should not be isolated.
Use descriptive links between relevant:
• services • categories • guides • location pages
Structured data
Use schema when it accurately represents visible content.
Potential types include:
• Organization • LocalBusiness • Product • Article • Breadcrumb
Do not add markup for information users cannot see.
WordPress-specific checks
Review:
• duplicate SEO plugins • attachment pages • category/tag archives • pagination • author archives • search pages • XML-RPC if unnecessary • plugin bloat • generated query URLs
Search Console
Use Search Console to monitor:
• indexing • crawl errors • Core Web Vitals • manual actions • security issues • search performance
Technical SEO checklist
• [ ] HTTPS • [ ] Correct robots.txt • [ ] No accidental noindex • [ ] Sitemap works • [ ] Canonicals checked • [ ] Redirects tested • [ ] 404s reviewed • [ ] Core Web Vitals reviewed • [ ] Mobile layout tested • [ ] Structured data validated • [ ] Internal links reviewed • [ ] Search Console configured
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Sources
• Google Search technical requirements • Google crawling and indexing documentation • Google Core Web Vitals
Check HTTP status codes
Important indexable pages should normally return 200 OK.
Review:
• 404 pages • soft 404s • 500 errors • unnecessary redirects • redirect loops
Search Console's URL Inspection tool can help confirm how Google sees a specific URL.
Make links crawlable
Important navigation should use standard crawlable links.
Do not rely entirely on:
• JavaScript interactions • search forms • filters • buttons without links
for discovery of core pages.
Technical SEO mistakes common on staging sites
Before launch, check that:
• staging noindex has not moved to production • staging URLs are not in canonical tags • sitemap uses production URLs • analytics uses the correct property • robots.txt is production-ready • staging remains protected
Frequently Asked Questions
Does installing an SEO plugin fix technical SEO?
No. A plugin can provide controls for metadata, sitemaps and schema, but it cannot automatically fix architecture, performance, content or server problems.
Should every WordPress tag page be indexed?
Not necessarily. Index pages that provide useful search value; avoid generating large numbers of thin archives simply because WordPress can create them.
Is an XML sitemap required?
Google can discover pages through links without one, but a sitemap is useful for discovery and monitoring, especially on larger sites.
How often should technical SEO be audited?
After major changes and periodically on active sites. Ecommerce and frequently updated websites generally need more monitoring than static brochure sites.