Technical SEO Checklist for Indian
Business Websites in 2026

robots.txt is correctly configured

Ensure your robots.txt does not accidentally block important pages. Check at yourdomain.com/robots.txt and verify that CSS, JS, and key page directories are not disallowed.

XML sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console

Your sitemap should list every indexable page, have correct lastmod dates, and be free of redirects or 404 URLs. Submit it at search.google.com/search-console.

No noindex tags on pages you want indexed

Search your HTML for noindex. Legitimate uses include 404, thank-you, and login pages. Any service or content page with noindex will not rank.

No broken internal links (404s)

Use Screaming Frog or Google Search Console's Pages report to find broken links. Every 404 wastes Google's crawl budget and creates a poor user experience.

All 301 redirects are correctly implemented

Old URLs that have changed should redirect with 301 (permanent), not 302. Redirect chains (A→B→C) waste link equity — ensure each redirect goes directly to the final destination.

Every page has a unique title tag (50–65 characters)

Duplicate title tags confuse Google about which page to rank for a given query. Include the primary keyword and brand name. Example: SEO Services in Mumbai | Susania

Every page has a unique meta description (140–160 characters)

Meta descriptions do not directly affect rankings but significantly impact click-through rate. Include your keyword, location, and a clear call to action.

One H1 per page containing the primary keyword

Multiple H1 tags or missing H1 headings are common issues. Use H1 once per page for the main heading, then H2 for sections, H3 for sub-sections.

Canonical tags on all pages (self-referencing)

Every page should have a <link rel="canonical"> tag pointing to its own URL. This prevents duplicate content issues caused by URL parameters or www vs non-www.

All images have descriptive alt text

Alt text helps Google understand image content and ranks your images in Google Images search. It also makes your site accessible to visually impaired users. Use descriptive text, not keyword stuffing.

All images converted to WebP format and compressed under 150KB

WebP images are 25–35% smaller than JPEG/PNG at the same quality. Use tools like Squoosh or ShortPixel. Hero images should be under 100KB.

Non-critical JavaScript is deferred or loaded asynchronously

Add defer to all non-critical scripts. This prevents JS from blocking HTML parsing and significantly improves First Contentful Paint.

Browser caching enabled with Cache-Control headers

Set long cache durations for static assets (images, CSS, JS). Add to .htaccess: ExpiresByType image/* "access plus 1 year"

GZIP or Brotli compression enabled on server

Compression reduces HTML, CSS, and JS transfer sizes by 60–80%. Enable in .htaccess with AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript

Cloudflare or CDN enabled for Indian traffic

A CDN serves your static assets from servers physically closer to your visitors. Cloudflare has data centres in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai — significantly reducing latency for Indian users.

Site runs on HTTPS with valid SSL certificate

HTTPS is a direct Google ranking signal. Free SSL certificates are available through Let's Encrypt, included with most Indian hosting providers including Susania hosting plans.

www → non-www (or vice versa) redirect enforced

Your site must be accessible from only one version. If both www and non-www load without redirecting, Google treats them as two separate sites and splits your link equity.

Security headers set (X-Frame-Options, CSP, HSTS)

Security headers protect your site from common attacks and are a minor trust signal for Google. Set them in your .htaccess or server configuration file.