Why this matters
Most “cheap” websites in 2026 ship without SEO optimization. That means after launch, the site doesn’t get indexed by Google or Yandex — which means no organic traffic without paid ads. This checklist is the bare minimum any modern site MUST cover.
1. Content rendered server-side
Open view-source: of your site. If you only see <div id="root"></div> — it’s a CSR-only React/Vue site. Search bots see the same: an empty page.
Solutions in 2026:
- Astro for content sites and landings
- Next.js for dynamic apps
- Nuxt (Vue) for Vue-based stacks
The worst option is Create React App or Vite + React without an SSR wrapper. SEO barely works on those.
2. Single correct H1
Exactly one <h1> per page with the target keyword. Not two, not zero.
3. Per-page title and description
<title>Specific page title — Brand</title>
<meta name="description" content="..." />Title 50–60 chars. Description 120–160. Unique on every page.
4. Canonical URL
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page" />Mandatory on every page.
5. Open Graph + Twitter Card
For social sharing. Image 1200×630.
6. Structured data (JSON-LD)
Critical for rich results in 2026. Minimum:
- Organization on the homepage
- Service on service pages
- FAQPage wherever there’s a FAQ
- BreadcrumbList on inner pages
- Article on blog posts
Validate via Schema.org Validator and Google Rich Results Test.
7. Core Web Vitals
Target Lighthouse 95+. Key metrics:
- LCP < 2.5s — Largest Contentful Paint
- CLS < 0.1 — no layout shift
- INP < 200ms — interaction responsiveness
What usually breaks speed:
- Huge unoptimized images (use WebP/AVIF)
- Fonts without
font-display: swap - Synchronous analytics (load async)
- Heavy 3D in initial bundle (use lazy/idle loading)
8. Sitemap and robots.txt
Auto-generated sitemap including all indexable pages. Robots.txt with Disallow for admin/api routes and a Sitemap: reference.
9. Verification
Verify the site in Google Search Console and Yandex Webmaster via meta tag or HTML file. Without verification, you can’t see indexing stats and errors.
10. Hreflang for multilingual
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="ru" href="https://example.com/ru/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />Final check before launch
Run the site through:
- PageSpeed Insights (mobile + desktop) → 90+
- Search Console → URL Inspection
- Schema Validator
- Screaming Frog for full crawl
If any score below 90 or shows errors — that’s tech debt that will throttle your search rankings.
If your developer hasn’t covered these post-launch — consider requesting an audit. I do free audits within 24 hours: drop a request here.