1. SEO Fundamentals
Search engine optimization is the foundation of discoverability. These are the first things to check:
- Title tag - Unique, under 60 characters, includes primary keyword
- Meta description - Compelling, under 160 characters, includes call-to-action
- H1 tag - One per page, clearly describes the page content
- Heading hierarchy - Proper H2-H6 nesting without skipping levels
- Canonical URL - Set correctly to avoid duplicate content
- Open Graph tags - Title, description, and image for social sharing
- Structured data - JSON-LD schema markup for rich search results
2. Performance
Speed directly impacts user experience and search rankings:
- Core Web Vitals - LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1
- Image optimization - WebP/AVIF format, lazy loading, proper sizing
- JavaScript - Minimized, deferred, no render-blocking scripts
- CSS - Critical CSS inlined, unused CSS removed
- Server response - TTFB under 200ms, compression enabled
- Caching - Browser caching headers set for static assets
3. Accessibility
Making your site usable for everyone is both ethical and good for business:
- Color contrast - Meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for large text)
- Alt text - Descriptive alt attributes on all meaningful images
- Keyboard navigation - All interactive elements reachable via keyboard
- Focus indicators - Visible focus styles on interactive elements
- Form labels - Every input has an associated label
- ARIA landmarks - Main, nav, header, footer regions defined
- Skip link - "Skip to content" link for keyboard users
4. Design & UX
How your site looks and feels determines whether visitors stay or leave:
- Visual hierarchy - Clear importance order for content elements
- Whitespace - Adequate spacing between sections and elements
- Typography - Readable font sizes (16px+ body), consistent scale
- Navigation - Intuitive menu structure, breadcrumbs where needed
- Consistency - Uniform button styles, colors, and spacing throughout
- Loading states - Feedback for async actions and page transitions