Crawl and index foundations
A clean sitemap lists indexable pages. Robots rules do not accidentally block important content. Canonical tags identify the preferred URL. Internal links use stable paths. HTTP status codes distinguish working pages, redirects, and missing content. Search Console then shows how Google is actually processing the site.
Performance and mobile usability
Fast rendering matters on phones and slower connections. Image dimensions prevent layout shifts, modern formats reduce weight, scripts remain minimal, and responsive CSS keeps navigation, buttons, forms, and content usable at small sizes. Performance should be measured on real pages, not assumed from a theme demo.
Structured data
Schema can identify the organization, business, articles, breadcrumbs, and FAQs where appropriate. It does not create rankings by itself, and it must match visible content. A service-area business should not invent a public street address or fake offices in nearby cities.
Safe migrations
Domain, subdomain, platform, and URL changes need redirects, canonical checks, sitemap updates, analytics continuity, and Search Console monitoring. The highest-risk technical SEO work often happens during launch... not during normal content editing.