Why a checklist beats memory
Search traffic usually drops because of what happened during a release, not because of some algorithm change. A developer moves the site from a test server and leaves the block on indexing. A new template gives every page the same title. A contact form stops submitting. Nobody notices because the handover review focused on design rather than the technical layer.
Run the list in three situations: before a new site launches, after a major update such as a new template, a hosting change or added sections, and once a month as routine maintenance.
Indexing and URLs
Start with the most basic question: can search engines see the site at all? Settings left over from a test server are the most common reason a site disappears from Google and Yandex.
- robots.txt does not block the whole site, and pages carry no stray noindex tags
- The sitemap opens, lists only live pages and is referenced in robots.txt
- Any test copy of the site is closed to search engines
- The site loads on one main address: HTTPS, with or without www, and every other variant redirects to it
- If page addresses changed, old URLs redirect to the new ones in a single step, with no chains
- A missing page shows a helpful 404 with links to main sections
- Important pages return a 200 status
Page content and tags
Every page needs its own title and description, one H1 and a sensible heading hierarchy. After a template change, check that titles haven't become identical across the site. It is one of the most common breakages.
If you sell online, look at catalog filters. They should not generate thousands of near-duplicate URLs in the index, and the cart and customer account should stay out of search. For items that are out of stock, a page with an explanation and alternatives is better than an error.
- No empty pages, placeholders or duplicated text
- Images are compressed and have alt text
- Canonical URLs are set correctly
- Phone, address and opening hours are current and match your map listing
- Service and category pages give enough to decide: what the price depends on, timing, terms, payment through Click and Payme
Mobile speed and usability
Many customers open your site on a phone, arriving from Instagram, a Telegram channel or OLX, often on mobile data that can be patchy outside the capital. Checking the site on an office computer with good Wi-Fi tells you very little.
Take an ordinary mid-range smartphone and walk the customer's path: home page, service page, request form. Key pages should open without a long wait, buttons should be easy to tap, pop-ups should not cover the text, and the layout should not jump while loading. Oversized images are worth compressing and resizing.
Analytics: do leads reach your reports?
A site without analytics is spending without feedback, especially if you pay for ads. Confirm the tracking code sits on every page and that goals fire for form submissions, calls and clicks to Telegram or WhatsApp. Send a test request and find it in the report.
Exclude your team's own visits, verify the site in Google Search Console and Yandex Webmaster, and submit the sitemap to both. Repeat the test request after every update, because tracking breaks during template changes more often than people expect.
Uzbek and Russian versions of a site
If the site runs in two languages, add a separate block of checks. Errors are especially easy to miss here because the owner usually reviews only one version.
- Each language version has its own URL and languages are not mixed on a page
- Versions point to each other with hreflang
- Uzbek pages have Uzbek titles and descriptions, not leftovers from the Russian template
- The language switcher leads to the translation of the same page, not the home page
- The sitemap includes every language version
After launch, and making the checklist a habit
Once the site is live, inspect a few key pages with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console, ask for recrawling of changed pages in Webmaster, review the indexing and error reports after a week, and compare traffic and leads with the period before the update.
Appoint one person to tick off the list before each release and keep it next to the developers' deployment notes. Add every mistake that has happened on your own site; over time that becomes your most useful documentation. Remember the limit, too: a checklist catches technical faults but does not judge quality. When every box is ticked, read your main pages as a customer would and ask whether they answer real questions.
If you would rather have someone run this audit or adapt the list to your site, markdev works on SEO optimisation for websites in Uzbekistan. Tell us about your task and we will work out where to start.
FAQ
How often should I go through an SEO checklist?
Always before launch and after every noticeable update. A short monthly check is also worthwhile: errors in Search Console and Webmaster, the number of indexed pages and whether contact details are current.
Can a business owner check a site without an SEO specialist?
Most items, yes: open the site on a phone, send a test request, verify contacts and read the Search Console reports. Technical points such as redirects and hreflang are easier to hand to a developer or SEO specialist.
What should I check first?
Whether the site can be indexed at all: no block in robots.txt and no noindex on pages. Then redirects from old URLs and working analytics. These mistakes are the most expensive.
Does a bilingual site need a separate checklist?
Add a block to the main list covering separate URLs per language, hreflang, Uzbek titles and descriptions, and a language switcher that works correctly.
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