Technical SEO checklist: the 18 checks dotmap runs on every page
checklist // , 7 min read, by Darthwares
A dotmap audit runs 18 technical checks on every page it fetches: whether the page loads, whether it can be indexed, whether its title, description, headings, canonical, language, viewport, structured data and links are in order, and how fast the server answers. Fix the ones that block indexing first, then the ones that affect how the page appears in results.
On this page // 5 sections
The short version
- Fix broken pages and accidental noindex before anything else.
- Titles, descriptions and H1s decide how a page is understood and shown.
- Canonical tags and structured data are the most often missing.
- A technical pass does not mean the content is good. That is scored separately.
Can the page be reached and indexed?
These come first because nothing else matters if a page cannot be fetched or is told to stay out of the index.
| Check | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Broken page (HTTP error) | The URL returns a 4xx or 5xx status | Fix or redirect it, and remove links that point to it |
| Marked noindex | The page tells search engines not to index it | Confirm that is intentional |
| Canonical points to another URL | The page names a different URL as the preferred one | Check the target is the one you mean |
| Missing canonical link | No preferred URL is declared | Add rel=canonical |
| Slow server response (over 2 s) | The server takes too long to answer | Add caching or a CDN, and reduce payloads |
Is the page described properly?
These control what a search result shows and how an engine summarises the page.
| Check | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing title tag | The page has no title | Add a unique title of 30 to 60 characters |
| Title length outside 30 to 60 characters | The title is too short to describe or too long to fit | Rewrite within the range |
| Missing meta description | No description is provided | Write 70 to 160 characters that summarise the page |
| Meta description length outside 70 to 160 characters | The description is too short or will be cut off | Rewrite within the range |
| Missing H1 | No main heading | Add one H1 that states the topic |
| Multiple H1 headings | More than one main heading | Keep one and demote the rest |
| Missing Open Graph title | Shared links have no proper preview | Add og:title and og:description |
Is the page complete and connected?
The last group covers content basics, accessibility and how the page links to the rest of the site.
| Check | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Thin content (under 300 words) | There is little for a reader or an engine to use | Expand the page or merge it into a stronger one |
| Images without alt text | Images have no text alternative | Describe every meaningful image |
| Missing html lang attribute | The page language is not declared | Set lang on the html element |
| Missing viewport meta tag | The page may not adapt to phones | Add the viewport meta tag |
| No structured data (JSON-LD) | Engines have to infer what the page is | Add JSON-LD such as Article, FAQPage or Product |
| Fewer than 3 internal links | The page is a near dead end | Link to related pages |
The order to fix things in
A report ranks issues by how many pages they affect. Within that, this order avoids polishing pages that cannot be indexed.
- 01Broken pages and server errors.
- 02Pages that are noindex or canonicalised by mistake.
- 03Missing and duplicate titles, then descriptions.
- 04Headings, canonical tags and structured data.
- 05Thin pages, alt text and internal links.
Common questions
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the work of making sure search engines can fetch, render, understand and index a site's pages. It covers status codes, indexing directives, titles, canonical URLs, structured data, speed and internal links.
How many technical checks does dotmap run?
Eighteen on every fetched page, plus three flags that come from the content review by Jev.
Which technical SEO issue should I fix first?
Anything that stops a page being fetched or indexed: HTTP errors, accidental noindex directives and wrong canonical targets.
Primary sources and further reading
Prepared with AI-assisted drafting and checked against the primary sources below. These sources support the platform and measurement claims; the examples and recommendations are dotmap analysis, not results reported by the sources.