Technical SEO Checklist for 2025: Complete Guide

Why Technical SEO Matters in 2025

Google's algorithm is smarter than ever, prioritizing user experience alongside content quality. Technical SEO ensures your site is crawlable, fast, and provides exceptional UX-crucial for ranking in competitive markets like Pakistan, US, UK, and UAE.

1. Core Web Vitals Optimization

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) - Target: ≤2.5 seconds

• Optimize images: Use WebP format, lazy loading, and proper dimensions
• Minimize render-blocking resources: Defer non-critical CSS/JS
• Use CDN: Cloudflare or similar for global audiences
• Server response time: Upgrade hosting if TTFB >600ms

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) - Target: ≤0.1

• Image dimensions: Always specify width/height attributes
• Font loading: Use font-display: swap or optional
• Ad slots: Reserve space for dynamic content

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) - Target: ≤200ms

• Minimize JavaScript: Break up long tasks, use Web Workers
• Optimize event handlers: Debounce scroll/resize events
• Third-party scripts: Load asynchronously or defer

2. Structured Data & Schema Markup

Essential schemas for 2025:

• Organization Schema: Company name, logo, contact info
• Service Schema: Each service page (SEO, PPC, Social)
• FAQPage Schema: Boost rich snippet opportunities
• Breadcrumb Schema: Improve site architecture visibility
• LocalBusiness: For Pakistan-based operations

3. Crawl Budget Optimization

robots.txt Configuration

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /backup/
Disallow: /admin/
Sitemap: https://imjd.asia/sitemap.xml

XML Sitemap Best Practices

• Update lastmod dates: Signal freshness to search engines
• Priority tags: 1.0 for homepage, 0.8 for key pages, 0.7 for service pages
• Limit to 50,000 URLs: Use sitemap index for large sites
• Submit to Google Search Console: Monitor indexing status

4. Mobile-First Optimization

• Responsive design: Test on real devices (not just DevTools)
• Touch targets: Minimum 44x44px for buttons
• Viewport meta tag: width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0
• Mobile page speed: Aim for <3s load time on 3G

5. Security & HTTPS

• SSL Certificate: Valid and not expired
• HSTS headers: Force HTTPS across entire site
• Mixed content: Ensure all resources load via HTTPS
• Security headers: X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, CSP

6. International SEO (Pakistan + Global)

• Hreflang tags: If targeting multiple languages
• Country-specific hosting: Or use CDN for global delivery
• Local content: Adapt for Pakistani vs international audiences
• Currency & contact info: Display PKR for PK, USD for US, etc.

7. Technical SEO Audit Tools

• Google Search Console: Monitor crawl errors, index coverage
• PageSpeed Insights: Test Core Web Vitals
• Screaming Frog: Comprehensive crawl analysis
• Schema Markup Validator: Test structured data

Checklist Summary

✅ Core Web Vitals: LCP ≤2.5s, CLS ≤0.1, INP ≤200ms
✅ Structured Data: Organization, Service, FAQ, Breadcrumb schemas
✅ Crawl Optimization: robots.txt, sitemap.xml, canonical tags
✅ Mobile-First: Responsive design, touch-friendly UI
✅ Security: HTTPS, HSTS, security headers
✅ International SEO: Hreflang, localized content

Published: December 20, 2025 | Category: SEO | Author: IMJD Team

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