SEO Checklist for New Websites
Most new websites miss 3-5 critical technical and on-page requirements before launch. These silent mistakes cost months of ranking time. Use this 4-phase checklist to launch right.
The 4-Phase Launch Checklist
Pre-Launch: Technical Baseline
SSL certificate installed and HTTPS enforced (HTTP → HTTPS 301 redirect).
Naked domain redirect (domain.com → www.domain.com or vice versa).
robots.txt file present, correctly allowing Googlebot — NOT blocking all crawlers.
XML sitemap auto-generated, accessible at /sitemap.xml.
Google Search Console property created and verified.
GA4 analytics tag installed and firing on all pages.
On-Page Foundation
Every page has a unique, keyword-optimized title tag under 60 characters.
Every page has a unique, descriptive meta description under 155 characters.
Exactly one H1 tag per page, aligned with the title tag.
No paragraphs of lorem ipsum or placeholder text remaining.
Canonical tags set correctly on all pages (self-referencing at minimum).
Structured data (Organization schema) on homepage.
Content Seeding
Homepage clearly states: what you do, who you serve, and your core value proposition.
At least 5-10 real, substantive pages published before launch (no stubs).
Alt text on all images — no empty alt attributes on content images.
At least 1 core pillar page / service page per primary keyword cluster.
Contact page with NAP (Name, Address, Phone) matching your Google Business Profile exactly.
Performance & Core Web Vitals
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) under 2.5 seconds — especially the hero image.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) under 0.1 — no elements jumping during load.
All content images served in AVIF or WebP format.
Render-blocking JavaScript deferred or moved to end of body.
CDN configured for static assets (images, CSS, fonts).
Murkuz AI SEO Scorecard Criteria
Robots.txt Configuration
No disallow rules blocking Googlebot, CSS, or JavaScript — verified via robots.txt tester in GSC.
XML Sitemap Submission
Dynamically generated sitemap submitted to GSC within 24 hours of launch.
Analytics Setup
GA4 and GSC data streams firing correctly across staging, production, and all subdomain variants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I launch my website before optimizing for SEO?
No. Critically, you should ensure your core technical SEO is in place before removing password protection from a staging site or changing your domain's DNS to point to production. Launching with critical issues (like a robots.txt blocking all crawlers, or HTTPS misconfiguration) means you are starting from a disadvantaged position — early Google signals skew toward dysfunction. Establish GSC, submit your sitemap, and verify SSL before launch.
How many pages should a new website have at launch?
For most small to mid-size sites, launch with at least 5-10 substantive, well-optimized pages to give Google enough semantic context about your site's purpose and authority. For content sites, include at least 3-5 pillar articles alongside your core commercial pages. Launching with a homepage only, or with placeholder 'coming soon' pages, delays meaningful crawling and indexing by weeks to months.
What is Google Search Console and when should I set it up?
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free Google tool that allows you to submit your sitemap, monitor indexation status, identify crawling issues, and see which queries are driving impressions and clicks. You should set it up and verify ownership the day your domain is live — before any content is published. Submit your XML sitemap immediately through GSC's Sitemaps report.
Does website speed affect SEO from day one?
Yes. Google's Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are ranking factors and are assessed as soon as Google has collected sufficient field data from real users visiting your site. Sites that launch with optimized performance (AVIF images, minimal JavaScript, CDN) earn better CWV scores from their very first real user visits, establishing a better baseline than sites that optimize performance after launch.
Written by Junaid Khalid