Notion – Technical SEO Checklist Template

Notion – Technical SEO Checklist Template

This template is perfect for following basic technical best practices and is based on the work of Ahrefs (links in checklist link back to Ahrefs website).

With this SEO template, you’ll be able to:

• Plan your website structure (new sites only)
• Make sure your site is crawlable
• Make sure your site is indexable
• Make sure you’re using HTTPs
• Make sure your website is accessible at one domain
• Make sure your site loads fast
• Make sure your site is mobile-friendly
• Install an image compression plugin
• Fix broken pages
• Fix duplicate content issues

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What you need before purchase

• Basic knowledge of how to use Notion
• Paid Notion account if you’re looking to add lots of content to your template / Notion account (sign up here). Not much content? You’re able to use their free account.

After purchase, you’ll be able to view the template immediately. The template can be added to your Notion account by:

• Click on the template download link in Gumroad
• When viewing the Notion template, click on the “Duplicate” link in the top-right of your screen
• The template will now be available in your own Notion account

For ongoing use, the steps are:

• Login to Notion and select the template you want to view
• Click on the Duplicate link in the top-right of your screen to create a copy to use
• You’ll be able to retain the Notion template and work on the Duplicate (with a new name) and can repeat this process whenever you want to use the template again

What is a Technical SEO Checklist Template?

A Technical SEO Checklist Template is a pre-designed format or outline used to ensure that technical aspects of search engine optimization (SEO) are properly addressed for a website. It provides a structured checklist of technical elements and tasks that need to be optimized and maintained to improve the website’s visibility and performance in search engine results.

Here are some common elements you might find in a Technical SEO Checklist Template:

1. Website structure and crawlability: This section typically includes tasks related to optimizing the website’s structure and ensuring that search engine crawlers can easily navigate and index the website. Tasks may include creating an XML sitemap, optimizing robots.txt file, and using the appropriate URL structure.

2. Website speed and performance: The template may include items related to optimizing the website’s speed and performance. This can involve tasks such as compressing image files, minifying CSS and JavaScript, enabling browser caching, and utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs).

3. Mobile-friendliness: Create tasks related to ensuring the website is mobile-friendly and provides a positive user experience on mobile devices. This can include implementing responsive design, optimizing viewport settings, and testing the website’s mobile compatibility.

4. Website security: Include tasks related to website security, such as implementing HTTPS encryption, ensuring SSL certificates are properly installed, and regularly monitoring for security vulnerabilities.

5. Structured data and schema markup: Add tasks related to implementing structured data using schema markup to provide search engines with additional context and information about the website’s content. This can help enhance search engine result listings and improve visibility.

6. Canonicalization and URL redirects: Reserve a section for tasks related to canonicalization, which ensures that search engines understand the preferred version of a webpage when duplicate content exists. Additionally, include tasks related to managing URL redirects to maintain proper website structure and redirect users and search engines appropriately.

7. HTML tags and metadata: Create tasks related to optimizing HTML tags and metadata. This can include tasks such as optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, heading tags (H1, H2, etc.), and ensuring proper use of alt tags for images.

8. XML sitemap and search engine submission: Include tasks related to generating and maintaining an XML sitemap for the website, and submitting it to search engines to ensure efficient crawling and indexing of web pages.

9. Error and broken link management: Add tasks related to monitoring and resolving website errors, such as broken links (404 errors) and server errors (500 errors). Regularly check for broken links and fix them to provide a better user experience and maintain search engine visibility.

10. Accessibility and usability: Create tasks related to optimizing website accessibility and usability. This can include tasks such as improving website navigation, ensuring proper use of headings and subheadings, providing descriptive alt text for images, and optimizing forms and input fields.

11. Website analytics and tracking: Include tasks related to setting up website analytics tools, such as Google Analytics or other analytics platforms, to track and analyze website traffic, user behaviour, and key performance metrics.

The purpose of a Technical SEO Checklist Template is to provide a structured approach to optimizing the technical elements of a website for better search engine visibility and user experience. It helps website owners, developers, or SEO professionals stay organized, follow best practices, and address critical technical factors that can impact search engine rankings. By using such a template, you can systematically address key technical SEO elements and improve your website’s chances of ranking higher in search engine listings.

How do I create a Technical SEO Checklist Template in Notion?

To create a Technical SEO Checklist Template in Notion, you can follow these steps:

1. Open Notion and create a new page or open an existing one where you want to create the template.

2. Decide on the structure and layout of your template. Consider the technical SEO elements and tasks you want to include, such as website structure and crawlability, website speed and performance, mobile-friendliness, website security, structured data and schema markup, canonicalization and URL redirects, HTML tags and meta data, XML sitemap and search engine submission, error and broken link management, accessibility and usability, and website analytics and tracking.

3. Start by adding headings or subheadings for each section. You can use the “/” command in Notion to quickly create different block types, such as headings, subheadings, or bullet points.

4. For each section, create a checklist of specific tasks or items related to that technical SEO element. These tasks should represent the fundamental steps or best practices that need to be addressed.

5. Under the “Website Structure and Crawlability” section, add tasks such as creating an XML sitemap, optimizing robots.txt file, and ensuring proper URL structure.

6. In the “Website Speed and Performance” section, include tasks like compressing image files, minifying CSS and JavaScript, enabling browser caching, and utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs).

7. Under the “Mobile-Friendliness” section, add tasks related to implementing responsive design, optimizing viewport settings, and testing the website’s mobile compatibility.

8. In the “Website Security” section, include tasks such as implementing HTTPS encryption, ensuring SSL certificates are properly installed, and regularly monitoring for security vulnerabilities.

9. Under the “Structured Data and Schema Markup” section, add tasks related to implementing schema markup to provide additional context and information to search engines.

10. In the “Canonicalization and URL Redirects” section, include tasks related to managing canonical tags to address duplicate content issues and setting up URL redirects when necessary.

11. Under the “HTML Tags and Meta Data” section, add tasks related to optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, heading tags, and ensuring proper use of alt tags for images.

12. In the “XML Sitemap and Search Engine Submission” section, include tasks related to generating and maintaining an XML sitemap for the website and submitting it to search engines.

13. Under the “Error and Broken Link Management” section, add tasks related to monitoring and resolving broken links and server errors to provide a better user experience and maintain search engine visibility.

14. In the “Accessibility and Usability” section, include tasks related to optimizing website navigation, headings, alt text for images, forms, and input fields.

15. Under the “Website Analytics and Tracking” section, add tasks related to setting up website analytics tools like Google Analytics or other analytics platforms to track and analyze website performance.

16. Customize and refine the template: Adjust the formatting, colors, or styles to make the template visually appealing and easy to read. You can also add additional sections or customize the template based on your specific needs.

17. Save and reuse: Once you have completed your template, save it for future use. You can duplicate the page to create Technical SEO Checklist templates for different websites or modify the template as needed for various SEO projects.

By following these steps, you can create a Technical SEO Checklist Template in Notion that suits your specific SEO requirements. Remember to customize the template based on your needs and adjust the structure or sections as necessary.