Technical SEO for a new page: a 19-point pre-launch checklist

A new page can be perfectly written and still never reach search: robots.txt blocks it, it returns the wrong status code or it has no canonical. Here are the 19 points we check before launching every page, based on Google's documentation, with Core Web Vitals thresholds.

Why check every page?

A search engine first has to find a page, then crawl it, understand it and only then show it. A mistake at any step wastes the work on the text: the page isn't indexed, competes with itself or loads slowly on a phone. The checklist below follows exactly that order — from access to the page to speed and rendering.

What to check: 19 points

Point	What to check
1. Indexing	The page can be indexed (no noindex), or is closed on purpose
2. robots.txt	It doesn't block the page, its CSS or scripts
3. sitemap.xml	The page is in the sitemap (except deliberately closed ones)
4. canonical	Points to the right URL, usually the page itself
5. Status code	The page returns 200
6. Redirects	No chains: one hop, 301 for permanent moves
7. 404 errors	No links to pages that don't exist
8. Duplicates	No copies at other URLs; language versions linked with hreflang
9. Title and Description	Filled in and unique for every page
10. Headings H1–H6	One H1, then H2–H6 in order
11. URL structure	Readable URL without unnecessary parameters
12. Internal links	Other pages link to it, and it links out too
13. Broken links	Every link on the page works
14. Schema.org markup	Valid and matches the content
15. Image alt text	Meaningful images have a description
16. Load speed	The page loads fast, images are compressed
17. Core Web Vitals	LCP, INP and CLS in the green
18. Mobile layout	No horizontal scrolling on a phone, text is readable
19. JavaScript rendering	Important text and links are visible without JavaScript or after rendering

Points 1–8 decide whether search sees the page at all. Points 9–15 decide how it understands and shows it. Points 16–19 decide whether a person stays.

How to check without hurting your site

1. Inspect the URL in Search Console: the URL Inspection tool shows whether Google can index the page, which canonical it chose and how it sees the rendered page.
2. Check one page at a time: a mass parallel crawl of your own site can overload the server, especially a small one.
3. Measure speed in PageSpeed Insights: it shows lab data and real-visitor data (when there is enough).
4. Record a result for every point: "passed", "failed" or "not checked". An honest "not checked" beats an unverified "all good".

What are the Core Web Vitals thresholds?

• LCP (largest element on the page) — within 2.5 s.
• INP (response to interactions) — under 200 ms.
• CLS (layout shift) — under 0.1.
• Assessed at the 75th percentile of visits, separately for mobile and desktop.
• Google indexes sites by their mobile version, so check the phone first.

Metriverra brings Search Console data and real-visitor Core Web Vitals together in its SEO section, so you can see which page dropped out of the index or slowed down.

In short

• The checklist runs from access (indexing, robots.txt, sitemap) to speed and rendering.
• Inspect the URL in Search Console to see the page as Google does.
• Core Web Vitals thresholds: LCP 2.5 s, INP 200 ms, CLS 0.1.
• Check one page at a time, no mass crawls.
• Record "passed / failed / not checked".

Sources: Google — SEO Starter Guide · robots.txt · Sitemaps · Canonicalization · HTTP status codes · Structured data · Images · Core Web Vitals · web.dev — Web Vitals · Mobile-first indexing · JavaScript SEO · URL Inspection