Most websites launch broken from an SEO perspective. Missing meta tags, no sitemap, unoptimized images, missing schema markup, robots.txt blocking Google — these aren't edge cases. They're the norm. This checklist covers every SEO requirement before your first visitor arrives from search. Don't launch without it.

Why Pre-Launch SEO Matters

Fixing SEO after launch is harder than doing it right from the start. Once Google crawls your site, mistakes get indexed. Canonical issues propagate. Incorrect redirects get cached. Search engines form first impressions, and those impressions take months to correct.

More importantly, every day your site is live with broken SEO is a day you're not building the organic traffic that compounds over time. Time in search index matters. A site that launches with correct SEO on day one has a significant head start over a site that fixes things three months later.

Part 1: Technical Foundation (Items 1–15)

1. HTTPS is active and forced

Your SSL certificate must be valid and all HTTP traffic must redirect to HTTPS. Mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP assets) causes browser warnings and ranking penalties.

# nginx — force HTTPS
server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com www.example.com;
  return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

2. www vs. non-www canonical is set

Choose one — example.com or www.example.com — and redirect the other. Google treats them as different sites without a redirect.

3. XML sitemap exists and is valid

Your sitemap must be accessible at /sitemap.xml, include all indexable URLs, and exclude noindex pages, paginated pages (or include them correctly), and admin URLs.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-06-15</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/services/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-06-15</lastmod>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

4. robots.txt is correctly configured

Make sure you're not accidentally blocking Googlebot. This is the most common catastrophic mistake we see on new sites:

# Good robots.txt
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /api/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

# BAD — this blocks all crawlers from your entire site
# User-agent: *
# Disallow: /

5. Google Search Console is set up and sitemap submitted

Verify ownership via DNS record or HTML tag. Submit your sitemap. This tells Google your site exists and gives you visibility into crawl errors, coverage issues, and performance data.

6. Core Web Vitals pass in PageSpeed Insights

LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1 — on mobile. Desktop scores are easier and less important. Check field data, not just lab data.

7. Mobile responsiveness passes Google's test

Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Check for: viewport meta tag, touch target sizes (minimum 48x48px), no horizontal scroll, font sizes readable without zooming.

8. No broken links (404s)

Crawl your site with Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or a free tool like deadlinkchecker.com. Fix or redirect every 404 before launch.

9. Redirect chains are cleaned up

A redirect chain (A → B → C) adds latency and loses link equity. Every redirect should be a direct 301 from the original URL to the final destination.

10. Canonical tags on all pages

Every page needs a self-referencing canonical tag to prevent duplicate content issues:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services/" />

11. Pagination handled correctly

For paginated content, either use rel="next"/"prev" (still recommended despite Google's claims), or canonicalize all pages to the first page, or use infinite scroll with proper history API updates.

12. 404 page exists and returns 404 status

Your custom 404 page must actually return a 404 HTTP status code, not 200 (soft 404s confuse crawlers and waste crawl budget).

13. No thin or duplicate content pages indexed

Pages with less than 300 words of unique content, tag pages, archive pages, and filtered URLs (e.g., /products?color=red) should be noindexed or canonicalized.

14. Page speed is consistent across the site

A fast homepage and slow inner pages is a common trap. Test at least 5 representative pages: homepage, a category page, a product/service page, a blog post, and the contact page.

15. Hreflang implemented (for multilingual sites)

If your site serves multiple languages, every page needs correct hreflang annotations pointing to all language variants. See our bilingual SEO guide for implementation details.

Part 2: On-Page SEO (Items 16–30)

16. Unique title tag on every page

50-60 characters. Primary keyword near the front. Brand name at the end. No duplicate titles across the site.

<title>Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode</title>

17. Unique meta description on every page

150-160 characters. Write for clicks, not just keywords. Include a call to action. No duplicate descriptions.

<meta name="description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal. We build fast, SEO-optimized websites that convert visitors into customers. Get a free quote today." />

18. One H1 per page, keyword-rich

Every page has exactly one H1. It contains the page's primary keyword naturally. It matches or closely reflects the title tag.

19. H2/H3 hierarchy is logical

Headings create an outline. H2s are major sections. H3s are subsections of H2s. Never skip levels (H1 → H3 without an H2 in between).

20. Primary keyword in first 100 words

Google weighs early content more heavily. Introduce your primary topic in the opening paragraph without forcing it.

21. Image alt text on every image

Every <img> tag has a descriptive alt attribute. Decorative images use empty alt (alt=""). Keywords fit naturally where relevant.

22. Internal linking structure is intentional

Every page links to at least 2-3 related pages. No orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them). Use descriptive anchor text, not "click here."

23. URL slugs are clean and keyword-rich

Good: /web-design-montreal
Bad: /page?id=47 or /WD-MTL-2026-FINAL-v3

Lowercase, hyphens (not underscores), no stop words, no special characters.

24. Open Graph tags are complete

<meta property="og:title" content="Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal..." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/services/" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />

25. Twitter/X Card tags are present

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal..." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />

26. OG image is the right size

1200x630px minimum. Under 1MB. Shows your brand, not just a logo on white. Test with the Facebook Sharing Debugger and LinkedIn Post Inspector.

27. Content has sufficient depth

Service pages: minimum 500 words of unique, expert content. Blog posts: 800-2000 words for competitive topics. Homepage: 300+ words beyond navigation elements.

28. No keyword stuffing

Keyword density is not a ranking factor. Write for humans. If your keyword appears more than once every 100-150 words, it reads unnaturally and Google likely sees it too.

29. External links to authoritative sources

Linking out to credible sources (government sites, academic research, industry publications) signals to Google that your content is well-researched. Don't be afraid to link out.

30. FAQ section on key pages

FAQ sections targeting question-based searches ("how much does web design cost?") can capture featured snippet positions. Structure them with clear questions as H3s and concise answers.

Part 3: Structured Data / Schema (Items 31–40)

31. Organization schema on homepage

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "MedCode",
  "url": "https://medcode.ca",
  "logo": "https://medcode.ca/logo.png",
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "telephone": "+1-514-555-0123",
    "contactType": "customer service"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/medcode",
    "https://twitter.com/medcode"
  ]
}
</script>

32. WebSite schema with SearchAction

If your site has a search function, add SearchAction to enable sitelinks search box in Google results.

33. BreadcrumbList on all inner pages

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://example.com/"},
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Services", "item": "https://example.com/services/"},
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Web Design"}
  ]
}
</script>

34. LocalBusiness schema (for local businesses)

Include name, address, telephone, hours, geo coordinates, price range, and area served. See our Montreal SEO guide for the complete implementation.

35. Article schema on all blog posts

Include headline, author (with Person schema), datePublished, dateModified, image, and publisher.

36. FAQPage schema on FAQ sections

Each question/answer pair structured correctly. Can trigger expandable FAQ results directly in Google search.

37. Product schema for e-commerce

Include name, description, image, sku, offers (price, currency, availability). AggregateRating if you have reviews.

38. Service schema on service pages

Name, description, provider, area served, service type. Helps Google understand your service offerings.

39. Schema validated with Rich Results Test

Run every schema implementation through Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results). Fix all errors and warnings before launch.

40. No schema errors in Search Console

After launch, check the Enhancements section in Search Console within 48 hours. Schema errors must be fixed promptly.

Part 4: Content & Authority (Items 41–50)

41. About page with E-E-A-T signals

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Include: team bios with credentials, company history, physical address, professional associations.

42. Contact page with NAP consistency

Name, Address, Phone must be identical everywhere — website, Google Business Profile, directories. Use a consistent format and never abbreviate differently.

43. Privacy policy and terms of service

Required for GDPR/PIPEDA compliance. Also a trust signal for Google — sites without legal pages are treated as less credible.

44. Author bios on all blog content

Google's Helpful Content system evaluates author credentials. Named authors with linked bios outperform anonymous content for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics.

45. Google Analytics 4 installed and verified

Configure GA4 before launch so you have baseline data from day one. Set up conversion events: form submissions, phone clicks, purchases.

46. Google Search Console ownership verified

DNS verification is most reliable. HTML file verification can break if the file gets deleted. Tag Manager verification is convenient but adds a dependency.

47. Social profiles linked (sameAs)

Add your social profile URLs to your Organization schema's sameAs array. Keep social profiles active — inactive profiles are a negative signal.

48. At least one high-quality inbound link before launch

If you have an existing relationship with a partner, supplier, or industry association, ask them to link to your new site on launch day. Google discovers new sites faster when they're linked from already-indexed sites.

49. Bing Webmaster Tools configured

Bing has 6-8% of search volume in Canada — worth 5 minutes of setup. Import your Google Search Console verification for instant setup.

50. Launch announcement content ready

Plan your first month of content before launch. A blog with one post from 2024 is a negative signal. Have at least 3 posts ready for day one, and a publishing calendar for the next 90 days.

Post-Launch: The First 30 Days

The checklist doesn't end at launch. In the first 30 days:

Request indexing for your key pages in Google Search Console
Monitor crawl errors daily for the first week
Check Search Console's Coverage report at day 7 and day 30
Verify your Core Web Vitals field data appears in Search Console (takes 28 days of data)
Submit your sitemap to Bing
Build your first 3-5 directory citations (Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry directories)

SEO results take time. Expect to see initial rankings within 3-6 months for most keywords. But the foundation you lay at launch determines how fast and how high you'll climb. Every item on this list is a brick in that foundation.

Why Pre-Launch SEO Matters

Part 1: Technical Foundation (Items 1–15)

1. HTTPS is active and forced

Your SSL certificate must be valid and all HTTP traffic must redirect to HTTPS. Mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP assets) causes browser warnings and ranking penalties.

# nginx — force HTTPS
server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com www.example.com;
  return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

2. www vs. non-www canonical is set

Choose one — example.com or www.example.com — and redirect the other. Google treats them as different sites without a redirect.

3. XML sitemap exists and is valid

Your sitemap must be accessible at /sitemap.xml, include all indexable URLs, and exclude noindex pages, paginated pages (or include them correctly), and admin URLs.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-06-15</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/services/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-06-15</lastmod>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

4. robots.txt is correctly configured

Make sure you're not accidentally blocking Googlebot. This is the most common catastrophic mistake we see on new sites:

# Good robots.txt
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /api/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

# BAD — this blocks all crawlers from your entire site
# User-agent: *
# Disallow: /

5. Google Search Console is set up and sitemap submitted

Verify ownership via DNS record or HTML tag. Submit your sitemap. This tells Google your site exists and gives you visibility into crawl errors, coverage issues, and performance data.

6. Core Web Vitals pass in PageSpeed Insights

LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1 — on mobile. Desktop scores are easier and less important. Check field data, not just lab data.

7. Mobile responsiveness passes Google's test

Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Check for: viewport meta tag, touch target sizes (minimum 48x48px), no horizontal scroll, font sizes readable without zooming.

8. No broken links (404s)

Crawl your site with Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or a free tool like deadlinkchecker.com. Fix or redirect every 404 before launch.

9. Redirect chains are cleaned up

A redirect chain (A → B → C) adds latency and loses link equity. Every redirect should be a direct 301 from the original URL to the final destination.

10. Canonical tags on all pages

Every page needs a self-referencing canonical tag to prevent duplicate content issues:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services/" />

11. Pagination handled correctly

For paginated content, either use rel="next"/"prev" (still recommended despite Google's claims), or canonicalize all pages to the first page, or use infinite scroll with proper history API updates.

12. 404 page exists and returns 404 status

Your custom 404 page must actually return a 404 HTTP status code, not 200 (soft 404s confuse crawlers and waste crawl budget).

13. No thin or duplicate content pages indexed

Pages with less than 300 words of unique content, tag pages, archive pages, and filtered URLs (e.g., /products?color=red) should be noindexed or canonicalized.

14. Page speed is consistent across the site

A fast homepage and slow inner pages is a common trap. Test at least 5 representative pages: homepage, a category page, a product/service page, a blog post, and the contact page.

15. Hreflang implemented (for multilingual sites)

If your site serves multiple languages, every page needs correct hreflang annotations pointing to all language variants. See our bilingual SEO guide for implementation details.

Part 2: On-Page SEO (Items 16–30)

16. Unique title tag on every page

50-60 characters. Primary keyword near the front. Brand name at the end. No duplicate titles across the site.

<title>Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode</title>

17. Unique meta description on every page

150-160 characters. Write for clicks, not just keywords. Include a call to action. No duplicate descriptions.

<meta name="description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal. We build fast, SEO-optimized websites that convert visitors into customers. Get a free quote today." />

18. One H1 per page, keyword-rich

Every page has exactly one H1. It contains the page's primary keyword naturally. It matches or closely reflects the title tag.

19. H2/H3 hierarchy is logical

Headings create an outline. H2s are major sections. H3s are subsections of H2s. Never skip levels (H1 → H3 without an H2 in between).

20. Primary keyword in first 100 words

Google weighs early content more heavily. Introduce your primary topic in the opening paragraph without forcing it.

21. Image alt text on every image

Every <img> tag has a descriptive alt attribute. Decorative images use empty alt (alt=""). Keywords fit naturally where relevant.

22. Internal linking structure is intentional

Every page links to at least 2-3 related pages. No orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them). Use descriptive anchor text, not "click here."

23. URL slugs are clean and keyword-rich

Good: /web-design-montreal
Bad: /page?id=47 or /WD-MTL-2026-FINAL-v3

Lowercase, hyphens (not underscores), no stop words, no special characters.

24. Open Graph tags are complete

<meta property="og:title" content="Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal..." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/services/" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />

25. Twitter/X Card tags are present

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Web Design Services Montreal | MedCode" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Award-winning web design in Montreal..." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />

26. OG image is the right size

1200x630px minimum. Under 1MB. Shows your brand, not just a logo on white. Test with the Facebook Sharing Debugger and LinkedIn Post Inspector.

27. Content has sufficient depth

Service pages: minimum 500 words of unique, expert content. Blog posts: 800-2000 words for competitive topics. Homepage: 300+ words beyond navigation elements.

28. No keyword stuffing

Keyword density is not a ranking factor. Write for humans. If your keyword appears more than once every 100-150 words, it reads unnaturally and Google likely sees it too.

29. External links to authoritative sources

Linking out to credible sources (government sites, academic research, industry publications) signals to Google that your content is well-researched. Don't be afraid to link out.

30. FAQ section on key pages

FAQ sections targeting question-based searches ("how much does web design cost?") can capture featured snippet positions. Structure them with clear questions as H3s and concise answers.

Part 3: Structured Data / Schema (Items 31–40)

31. Organization schema on homepage

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "MedCode",
  "url": "https://medcode.ca",
  "logo": "https://medcode.ca/logo.png",
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "telephone": "+1-514-555-0123",
    "contactType": "customer service"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/medcode",
    "https://twitter.com/medcode"
  ]
}
</script>

32. WebSite schema with SearchAction

If your site has a search function, add SearchAction to enable sitelinks search box in Google results.

33. BreadcrumbList on all inner pages

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://example.com/"},
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Services", "item": "https://example.com/services/"},
    {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Web Design"}
  ]
}
</script>

34. LocalBusiness schema (for local businesses)

Include name, address, telephone, hours, geo coordinates, price range, and area served. See our Montreal SEO guide for the complete implementation.

35. Article schema on all blog posts

Include headline, author (with Person schema), datePublished, dateModified, image, and publisher.

36. FAQPage schema on FAQ sections

Each question/answer pair structured correctly. Can trigger expandable FAQ results directly in Google search.

37. Product schema for e-commerce

Include name, description, image, sku, offers (price, currency, availability). AggregateRating if you have reviews.

38. Service schema on service pages

Name, description, provider, area served, service type. Helps Google understand your service offerings.

39. Schema validated with Rich Results Test

Run every schema implementation through Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results). Fix all errors and warnings before launch.

40. No schema errors in Search Console

After launch, check the Enhancements section in Search Console within 48 hours. Schema errors must be fixed promptly.

Part 4: Content & Authority (Items 41–50)

41. About page with E-E-A-T signals

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Include: team bios with credentials, company history, physical address, professional associations.

42. Contact page with NAP consistency

Name, Address, Phone must be identical everywhere — website, Google Business Profile, directories. Use a consistent format and never abbreviate differently.

43. Privacy policy and terms of service

Required for GDPR/PIPEDA compliance. Also a trust signal for Google — sites without legal pages are treated as less credible.

44. Author bios on all blog content

Google's Helpful Content system evaluates author credentials. Named authors with linked bios outperform anonymous content for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics.

45. Google Analytics 4 installed and verified

Configure GA4 before launch so you have baseline data from day one. Set up conversion events: form submissions, phone clicks, purchases.

46. Google Search Console ownership verified

DNS verification is most reliable. HTML file verification can break if the file gets deleted. Tag Manager verification is convenient but adds a dependency.

47. Social profiles linked (sameAs)

Add your social profile URLs to your Organization schema's sameAs array. Keep social profiles active — inactive profiles are a negative signal.

48. At least one high-quality inbound link before launch

49. Bing Webmaster Tools configured

Bing has 6-8% of search volume in Canada — worth 5 minutes of setup. Import your Google Search Console verification for instant setup.

50. Launch announcement content ready

Plan your first month of content before launch. A blog with one post from 2024 is a negative signal. Have at least 3 posts ready for day one, and a publishing calendar for the next 90 days.

Post-Launch: The First 30 Days

The checklist doesn't end at launch. In the first 30 days:

Request indexing for your key pages in Google Search Console
Monitor crawl errors daily for the first week
Check Search Console's Coverage report at day 7 and day 30
Verify your Core Web Vitals field data appears in Search Console (takes 28 days of data)
Submit your sitemap to Bing
Build your first 3-5 directory citations (Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry directories)

Why Pre-Launch SEO Matters

Part 1: Technical Foundation (Items 1–15)

1. HTTPS is active and forced

2. www vs. non-www canonical is set

3. XML sitemap exists and is valid

4. robots.txt is correctly configured

5. Google Search Console is set up and sitemap submitted

6. Core Web Vitals pass in PageSpeed Insights

7. Mobile responsiveness passes Google's test

8. No broken links (404s)

9. Redirect chains are cleaned up

10. Canonical tags on all pages

11. Pagination handled correctly

12. 404 page exists and returns 404 status

13. No thin or duplicate content pages indexed

14. Page speed is consistent across the site

15. Hreflang implemented (for multilingual sites)

Part 2: On-Page SEO (Items 16–30)

16. Unique title tag on every page

17. Unique meta description on every page

18. One H1 per page, keyword-rich

19. H2/H3 hierarchy is logical

20. Primary keyword in first 100 words

21. Image alt text on every image

22. Internal linking structure is intentional

23. URL slugs are clean and keyword-rich

24. Open Graph tags are complete

25. Twitter/X Card tags are present

26. OG image is the right size

27. Content has sufficient depth

28. No keyword stuffing

29. External links to authoritative sources

30. FAQ section on key pages

Part 3: Structured Data / Schema (Items 31–40)

31. Organization schema on homepage

32. WebSite schema with SearchAction

33. BreadcrumbList on all inner pages

34. LocalBusiness schema (for local businesses)

35. Article schema on all blog posts

36. FAQPage schema on FAQ sections

37. Product schema for e-commerce

38. Service schema on service pages

39. Schema validated with Rich Results Test

40. No schema errors in Search Console

Part 4: Content & Authority (Items 41–50)

41. About page with E-E-A-T signals

42. Contact page with NAP consistency

43. Privacy policy and terms of service

44. Author bios on all blog content

45. Google Analytics 4 installed and verified

46. Google Search Console ownership verified

47. Social profiles linked (sameAs)

48. At least one high-quality inbound link before launch

49. Bing Webmaster Tools configured

50. Launch announcement content ready

Post-Launch: The First 30 Days

Keep Reading

How to Choose a Web Design Agency in Montreal: 8 Questions to Ask Before Signing

Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS for Growing Quebec Businesses: Which One Actually Scales?

Why Pre-Launch SEO Matters

Part 1: Technical Foundation (Items 1–15)

1. HTTPS is active and forced

2. www vs. non-www canonical is set

3. XML sitemap exists and is valid

4. robots.txt is correctly configured

5. Google Search Console is set up and sitemap submitted

6. Core Web Vitals pass in PageSpeed Insights

7. Mobile responsiveness passes Google's test

8. No broken links (404s)

9. Redirect chains are cleaned up

10. Canonical tags on all pages

11. Pagination handled correctly

12. 404 page exists and returns 404 status

13. No thin or duplicate content pages indexed

14. Page speed is consistent across the site

15. Hreflang implemented (for multilingual sites)

Part 2: On-Page SEO (Items 16–30)

16. Unique title tag on every page

17. Unique meta description on every page

18. One H1 per page, keyword-rich