The checklist

18-Point SEO Readiness Checklist

Work through each group in order. Tick what is already true for your website - anything left unticked is a candidate for your SEO brief.

0 of 18 checked

Confirm Google can actually reach, read and trust the site before spending on anything else.

Key pages are indexable (no robots.txt or meta robots blocks) Why it matters: A page Google cannot crawl or index cannot rank, no matter how good the content is.
One canonical version of every URL (https, www or non-www, trailing slash) Why it matters: Duplicate URL variants split ranking signals across copies of the same page.
XML sitemap submitted in Google Search Console Why it matters: It tells Google which pages matter and surfaces indexing errors you would otherwise miss.
Site passes Core Web Vitals on mobile Why it matters: Slow or visually unstable pages lose visitors and can hold back rankings on competitive queries.
Whole site served over HTTPS with no mixed-content warnings Why it matters: Browsers flag insecure pages and many users abandon them before reading a word.

Check that every commercial search you want to win has a page genuinely built to win it.

Every service you sell has its own dedicated page Why it matters: One page per service matches one search intent, instead of one page competing for everything.
Unique title tag and meta description on every page, written for the target query Why it matters: The title is a strong relevance signal and your ad in the results page - duplicates waste both.
One clear H1 per page that says what the page is about Why it matters: A clear heading structure helps Google and visitors confirm they are in the right place.
Content answers real buyer questions (price, process, timing, proof) Why it matters: Pages that resolve objections convert enquiries; keyword-stuffed filler does not.
Related services, locations and FAQs are internally linked Why it matters: Internal links pass authority between pages and help Google discover deeper content.

For Brisbane businesses, local signals often decide who appears in the map pack.

Google Business Profile claimed, correctly categorised and kept current Why it matters: The profile, not the website, drives most map-pack visibility for near-me searches.
Business name, address and phone consistent across major directories Why it matters: Conflicting details erode Google's confidence in who and where the business is.
Suburb pages exist only where you genuinely serve and have something local to say Why it matters: Thin doorway pages can hurt local credibility more than they help coverage.
Reviews are being requested, and every review gets a response Why it matters: Review recency and responses influence both local rankings and whether people enquire.

If you cannot measure the baseline, you cannot tell whether SEO spend worked.

GA4 (or an equivalent analytics tool) installed and recording Why it matters: Without analytics there is no way to connect search visibility to actual business outcomes.
Conversions tracked: forms, calls and quote requests Why it matters: Traffic that never becomes an enquiry is a cost, not a result - conversion tracking shows the difference.
Google Search Console verified with baseline clicks and impressions recorded Why it matters: A dated baseline is the only honest way to judge progress after work starts.
You know which pages and queries currently drive enquiries Why it matters: Protecting what already works matters as much as chasing new rankings.

SEO Readiness Checklist For Brisbane