Talking about SEO in 2026 is no longer just about including a few keywords, building links and waiting for Google to do the rest.

The landscape has changed considerably.

Google remains hugely important, of course, but now we also have AI-powered search engines, generative answers, assistants that consult various sources, and users who expect to find exactly what they need almost immediately.

That’s why a modern SEO checklist should look well beyond traditional ranking.

We need to ensure that Google can crawl the website, understand it and trust it. But we also need to ensure that a visitor arrives, finds what they’re looking for and ends up taking action: calling, writing, requesting a quote, buying or booking.

Let’s look at this step by step.

Technical optimisation to improve indexability

You may have excellent content, but if Google struggles to crawl your website, you’re starting off at a significant disadvantage.

There’s no need to get hung up on every technical detail. It is, however, worth ensuring that the basics are working properly and that we aren’t creating any unnecessary obstacles.

Clean, easy-to-understand URLs

A URL should give some indication of what you’re going to find.

For example:

dominio.com/servicios/diseno-web/

is much clearer than:

dominio.com/page.php?id=4587&cat=12

Not because a ‘pretty’ URL will magically take you to the top of the rankings, but because it makes things easier for both the user and the search engine.

Generally speaking, I’d try to keep them short, descriptive and free of elements that add no value.

Some simple rules:

• Avoid parameters, numbers and unnecessary characters.
• Separate words with hyphens.
• Include the keyword where it fits naturally.
• Don’t turn the URL into a twenty-word sentence.

And there’s another important point: once a URL has been optimised and is receiving traffic, it’s not a good idea to change it simply because you’ve now come up with another one that looks nicer.

Keep the sitemap.xml up to date

The sitemap.xml serves to provide search engines with a list of the important URLs on our website.

In WordPress, for example, you won’t usually need to create it manually. The CMS itself or SEO plugins such as Rank Math can generate and update it for you.

That doesn’t mean we can forget about it, though.

It’s a good idea to check it from time to time to ensure you’re not including pages that shouldn’t appear: empty tags, old files, test content, duplicate pages or URLs marked as ‘noindex’.

We can then submit it to Google Search Console and check whether Google is processing it correctly.

Important: appearing in the sitemap does not guarantee that a page will be indexed. We’re simply making it easier for the search engine to find it.

Robots.txt: a small file, but big problems if used incorrectly

The robots.txt file seems trivial until someone accidentally blocks half the website.

This file is used to tell crawlers which areas they can access and which we’d prefer them not to visit.

The problem usually arises after a migration, when a website has been under development, or following a major technical change.

That’s why it’s worth checking that:

• We aren’t blocking pages we want to rank.
• Areas that really shouldn’t be crawled are correctly configured.
• There are no old rules left that no longer make sense.

It’s a quick check that can prevent some quite serious problems.

301 redirects and 404 errors

A 404 error does not automatically mean that something is wrong.

If you delete a page that no longer exists and there is no equivalent alternative, returning a 404 may well be correct.

It’s a different matter if you’ve changed a URL.

If you previously had:

/servicios-web/

and you now use:

/diseno-web/

the logical thing to do is to set up a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one.

This way, we avoid sending the user to a non-existent page and retain much of the ranking signal associated with the previous URL.

What I wouldn’t do is redirect any 404 errors to the home page.

It’s a widely used solution, but not a very useful one. If someone was searching for a specific service and suddenly ends up on the homepage without any explanation, we’ve probably not solved anything.

It’s best to check for errors regularly and decide what to do in each case.

Page load speed and mobile performance

There’s not much mystery here.

A slow website is frustrating.

Huge images, scripts loading everywhere, unnecessary plugins or a server with limited resources can turn a seemingly simple website into a frustrating experience.

Tools such as PageSpeed Insights help to identify problems, although I wouldn’t make the famous 100/100 score an obsessive goal either.

I’d rather have a website that loads quickly under real-world conditions and works properly than one designed solely to score highly on a tool.

And you have to test it on a mobile.

But really test it.

Open the menu, navigate, tap buttons, read text, fill in forms and check that everything can be used comfortably with one hand.

Just because a website is technically responsive doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a pleasure to use.

SSL certificate and security

These days, HTTPS should be practically a given.

An SSL certificate encrypts communication between the website and the browser and prevents certain data from being transmitted unprotected.

But installing the certificate is only part of the story.

It’s also worth checking:

• CMS and plugin updates.
• Backups.
• Users with unnecessary permissions.
• Weak passwords.
• Abandoned plugins or components.
• Security alerts.

And, of course, check that the entire website actually loads via HTTPS and that there are no outdated resources causing mixed content.

Content design and structure for users and search engines

Google needs to understand how our content is organised.

Interestingly, so do users.

So many of the best practices that make the search engine’s job easier also tend to improve the readability of the page.

Use meaningful, semantic HTML

Not everything should be a <div> nested inside another <div>.

Using HTML structure correctly helps to indicate the function of each part of a page.

The most obvious example is headings.

We have a main title <h1> and, from there, we can organise the sections using <h2>, <h3> and other levels where necessary.

It’s not about using headings simply because ‘Google wants H2’.

It’s about ensuring the document has a clear hierarchy.

If someone were to see only our headings, they should get a fairly clear idea of what the page is about.

The same applies to lists, tables, <article>, <section>, navigation or any other semantic element.

The more organised the content below is, the easier it is to interpret.

Structured data with schema.org

Structured data allows us to provide additional information about specific elements on a page.

We can specify, for example, that something is:

• A product.
• An article.
• A company.
• A person.
• An event.
• A recipe.
• An offer.
• A review.

All of this helps search engines to better understand what they’re looking at.

In some cases, it can also make our page eligible to appear in rich results.

But be careful not to add Schema simply because your plugin allows you to mark up twenty options.

You need to use the correct type and ensure that the structured data matches what actually appears on the page.

Write answers that Google can easily extract

Featured snippets have been demonstrating something quite simple for years: Google appreciates it when we answer questions clearly.

And this way of structuring content makes even more sense with the advent of generative searches.

If someone asks:

‘How long does it take for a website to rank on Google?

There’s no need to write four paragraphs before answering.

We can start by saying something like:

There’s no set timeframe. Depending on the competition, domain authority and the work carried out, the first results may appear within a few weeks or take several months.

We’ll then go on to explain in more detail.

Lists, tables, short definitions and direct answers help both the user and the systems trying to interpret the content.

Internal links that really help

Internal linking is one of those fairly straightforward SEO tasks that many websites get wrong.

It isn’t about placing links at random every time a related word appears.

The aim is to connect content that makes sense in relation to one another.

If we’re talking about local SEO and we have a comprehensive guide to Google Business Profile, it seems quite logical to link to it.

As well as helping the user, these links allow search engines to discover pages and better understand the relationship between them.

It’s also a good idea to use descriptive anchor text.

‘See more’ doesn’t say much.

“How to optimise Google Business Profile” makes it much clearer where we’re heading.

Responsive design and user experience

By now, it shouldn’t be necessary to explain that a website has to work on mobile devices.

Yet we still come across pages where the text requires zooming, the buttons are too close together, or a banner takes up practically the entire screen.

A good responsive design should ensure the experience feels natural on any device.

This involves checking:

• Text sizes.
• Spacing between elements.
• Menus.
• Forms.
• Buttons.
• Images.
• Tables.
• Interactive elements.

It’s not enough simply to scale down the desktop version until it fits on a small screen.

Create content with search intent in mind

The keyword matters.

But it matters even more to know what someone expects to find when they search for it.

Every page should have a purpose

Before creating a page, it’s worth answering one question:

What is its purpose?

It may be designed to attract customers, explain a service, answer a query, compare alternatives or help the user before they make a decision.

But there should be a clear purpose.

That also makes SEO work a lot easier.

Because once we know what we want to achieve, we can decide:

• Which keyword to target.
• What information to include.
• How to organise it.
• Which CTA to use.
• Which other pages to link to.
• How will we measure whether it works?

Creating content simply ‘because we have to publish something’ often results in pages that aren’t particularly clear about what they’re trying to rank for.

A blog needs content that adds value

Publishing two articles a month isn’t much use if those two articles are interchangeable with another five hundred that already exist.

A blog can be a fantastic tool for SEO, but it needs useful content.

Real-life experiences.

Specific cases.

Examples.

Mistakes you’ve made.

Your own data.

Reasoned opinions.

Comparisons.

Answers that come up when talking to customers.

That’s usually where the most interesting content lies.

It’s also a good idea to maintain a certain regularity, but I wouldn’t sacrifice quality simply to stick to an editorial calendar.

It’s better to publish something really good than four articles that nobody needs to read.

Forms: ask only for what’s necessary

Some contact forms look like a mortgage application.

First name.

Surname.

Company.

Telephone number.

Email.

County.

Number of employees.

Budget.

Job title.

How did you hear about us?

And then we wonder why nobody ever completes them.

Generally speaking, the less information we need to start the conversation, the easier it will be to get the user to take the next step.

That doesn’t mean we should always use just two fields.

It depends on the service.

But every field should justify its existence.

It’s also a good idea to explain what will happen after the form is submitted.

For example:

“Tell us briefly what you need and we’ll get back to you within one working day.”

Much clearer than a simple ‘Submit’ button.

Keywords: they still matter, but don’t chase after them

Yes, keywords are still important.

They help us understand how people search and allow us to tailor each piece of content.

But that doesn’t mean repeating exactly the same phrase fifteen times.

The main keyword should appear where it makes sense: in the title, headings, body text, URL or metadata.

Then we write as normal.

If we explain a topic properly, related terms, variants and expressions that enrich the context will inevitably appear.

There’s no need to sit there with a calculator counting keyword densities.

Lead magnets that are genuinely worth an email

A lead magnet works when the reader thinks:

“Right, this really does interest me.”

It could be:

• A guide.
• A template.
• A checklist.
• A study.
• A calculator.
• A webinar.
• An initial audit.
• A tool.
• A free trial.

The problem is that, for years, thousands of ebooks have been created simply to collect email addresses.

And users are well aware of this.

If we’re going to ask for data in exchange for something, that content should be valuable enough to justify it.

EEAT: demonstrating who is behind the content

EEAT stands for expertise, knowledge, authority and trust.

But beyond the acronym, the idea is quite logical.

If you’re going to talk about something important, it’s a good idea to make it clear why someone should trust you.

Show who is writing

Publishing articles signed by ‘Administrator’ doesn’t exactly inspire much trust.

If a person writes the content, we can show:

• Their name.
• Photograph.
• Area of expertise.
• Experience.
• A brief biography.
• Professional profile.
• Other published content.

And, above all, demonstrate your experience within the text itself.

Someone who works with Google Ads campaigns on a daily basis will probably be able to share insights that aren’t covered in a generic definition of Google Ads.

That sort of experience is much harder to fake.

Team page

In many businesses, we want to appear huge when, in fact, showing who’s behind the scenes can work much better.

A good ‘About Us’ page provides context and builds trust.

There’s no need to write an autobiography for each person.

Name, role, experience, specialism and some relevant information are usually enough.

We can also link to professional profiles or showcase projects they’ve been involved in.

The aim is simple: to show that there are real people behind the website who know what they’re doing.

Use external sources when they add value

We shouldn’t be afraid to link to other websites.

If we’re referring to a study, legislation, a statistic or technical documentation, linking to the original source enhances the content.

The important thing is to choose these references carefully.

It’s better to use a primary source or a recognised organisation than an article that has itself copied the information from another site.

There’s no need to include external links simply to ‘improve SEO’.

We should use them when they serve to support, expand on or verify what we are explaining.

Optimising the website for search engines and artificial intelligence

This is probably one of the areas that has changed the most in recent years.

Nowadays, we no longer just want to appear as a blue result on Google.

We also want our brand, our content and our data to be correctly understood by artificial intelligence-based systems.

Factual and up-to-date information

If our website contains incorrect, outdated or contradictory data, we’re making things rather difficult for ourselves.

Let’s consider something as simple as a company’s opening hours.

If one set appears on the website, another on Google Business and a different one on Facebook, which one should a search engine consider correct?

The same applies to services, prices, contact persons, addresses or corporate information.

It’s a good idea to review your content regularly and update anything that has changed.

Furthermore, whenever possible, it’s worth backing up important claims with data or sources.

A recognisable brand identity

A brand is not just a logo.

It is also a consistent name, clear corporate information, a way of communicating and a recognisable presence across different platforms.

It is important to avoid contradictions.

If we use different names for the same company, varying descriptions or information that changes depending on the platform, we make it difficult for systems to correctly link all these references.

Consistency matters.

Name.

Services.

Location.

Related people.

Social media profiles.

Website.

External mentions.

All of this should help to build a single entity.

Mentions on other websites

Getting other sources to talk about our company is still extremely valuable.

Not just for the sake of backlinks.

A mention by a professional association, a specialist media outlet, a university, a partner company or a recognised publication helps to build context around our brand.

Nor is the best strategy for securing them usually to send a hundred emails saying:

“Hello, I’ve seen your fantastic blog and I think our content would be very useful for your readers.”

There are far better methods:

• Conducting our own research.
• Take part in events.
• Collaborate with other companies.
• Share interesting data.
• Publish truly quotable content.
• Contribute as an expert in other media.

In short, do things that are worth mentioning.

Integrations and tools

Google Search Console and Analytics should form part of the basic toolkit for virtually any SEO project.

They allow us to see what’s happening on the web.

But an integration on its own does not improve search rankings.

Installing Google Analytics doesn’t make Google like us any better.

Nor does having an SEO plugin.

They are tools.

Their value lies in how we use them.

The same applies to social media, CRM, automation tools or any other platform we connect to the website.

Every integration should serve a clear purpose.

Conversions and user experience

Driving traffic is all well and good.

Driving traffic that ultimately converts is much better.

And this is where SEO, web design and CRO start to overlap.

Simple navigation

Good navigation should be almost unnoticeable.

The user arrives and knows where to go.

They shouldn’t have to decipher creative menu names or click through five levels just to find a phone number.

Services.

About us.

Projects.

Blog.

Contact.

We don’t always need to reinvent these names.

Creativity can lie in the design, the brand or the way the content is presented.

Navigation usually benefits from us being a fair bit more predictable.

Measuring what users do

We cannot improve what we are not observing.

Google Analytics can help us analyse:

• Where visitors come from.
• Which pages they view.
• Which devices they use.
• What actions they take.
• Which channels generate conversions.

Search Console shows us another important aspect: what happens before they arrive on the website.

And there are additional tools for analysing heatmaps, session recordings or behaviour on specific pages.

The aim isn’t to accumulate reports.

It’s to identify useful questions.

Why does this page receive traffic but not generate leads?

Why is this form being abandoned?

Why does hardly anyone click this button?

That’s where the data really starts to be useful.

Clear CTAs, without chasing the user

There’s no need to include “REQUEST A QUOTE” every other paragraph.

A call to action works best when it appears at a logical moment.

If we’ve just explained a service, it makes sense to offer the option to request further information.

If the user has just read a 3,000-word guide, perhaps we could suggest they download a related template.

The call to action should stand out, but there’s no need to turn the website into a button-filled mess.

And it’s better to use specific wording.

“I’d like to request a quote” explains what will happen much better than “Click here”.

Interactive elements

Not every page needs animations, quizzes and calculators.

But when they’re appropriate, they can greatly enhance the user experience.

A price calculator.

A comparison tool.

A configurator.

A map.

A quiz.

An interactive video.

A simple tool.

The key is that it adds value.

An interactive feature included simply because it looks trendy ends up being yet another distraction.

Local SEO for businesses on the Costa Blanca

For a business operating in Calpe, Benissa, Altea, Dénia or any other town on the Costa Blanca, local SEO can have a far greater commercial impact than ranking for a generic keyword at a national level.

Because we usually look for customers who are relatively nearby and need our service.

Making the most of Google Business Profile

The Google listing is one of the most important assets for any local business.

And yet we still come across businesses that have barely filled in the basic information.

It’s worth checking:

• Name.
• Main category.
• Secondary categories.
• Address.
• Service area.
• Telephone.
• Website.
• Opening hours.
• Services.
• Photographs.

It’s also a good idea to keep it up to date.

Upload new images, reply to reviews, update important changes and check that Google hasn’t automatically altered any details.

Use local references naturally

If we provide services in Calpe, it makes sense to mention this.

What doesn’t make sense is writing:

“Web design company in Calpe specialising in web design in Calpe for businesses that need web design in Calpe.”

That doesn’t help anyone.

We can incorporate the local context in a much more natural way.

Explain where we operate.

Showcase projects we’ve completed in the area.

Create specific pages when there is enough content to justify them.

Discuss issues or needs specific to the local market.

Geolocation should be an integral part of the content, not appear as though it has been added later for Google’s sake.

Reviews

Reviews have a huge influence on the user’s decision.

Before contacting an unfamiliar company, it’s quite normal to check what other customers think.

That’s why it’s worth setting up a system to request them.

Don’t just wait for them to appear.

Then, you need to respond to them.

Both the good ones and the bad ones.

A polite and reasonable response to a criticism can build even more trust than twenty perfect reviews that go unanswered.

Local links and relationships

There’s something interesting about local link building: it can often be done away from the computer.

Business associations.

Events.

Sponsorships.

Collaborations.

Local media.

Suppliers.

Local councils.

Organisations.

Truly relevant directories.

A business that is integrated into its local community has plenty of opportunities to gain organic mentions and links.

And as well as SEO, these relationships can bring in customers directly.

Reviewing local performance

We can’t just set up local SEO once and forget about it.

We need to monitor what’s happening.

Which searches generate impressions.

Which pages are receiving traffic.

What actions do users take on Google Business?

Which locations generate opportunities.

Which competitors are growing.

With this information, we can decide where it’s worth focusing our efforts.

Tools for maintaining the SEO checklist

An SEO audit shouldn’t be something we do once and then save as a PDF.

Websites are constantly changing.

Pages are published.

Others are removed.

Broken links appear.

Plugins are updated.

Content is modified.

And Google changes too.

So part of the job is simply to keep an eye on things.

Google Search Console

If I had to choose just one free SEO tool, I’d probably start with Search Console.

It lets us know how Google sees our website.

We can check:

• Search queries.
• Clicks.
• Impressions.
• CTR.
• Rankings.
• Indexed pages.
• Crawling issues.
• Sitemaps.
• Links.

We can also inspect specific URLs and check what information Google has about them.

You don’t need to check Search Console every day.

But ignoring it for six months doesn’t seem like a great idea either.

Checking for technical errors

There are issues that crop up without anyone having done anything that appears to be significant.

A deleted page.

An outdated link.

A chained redirect.

An incorrect canonical tag.

A page accidentally marked as ‘noindex’.

That’s why it’s worth carrying out regular audits.

Depending on the size of the website, we can use tools such as Screaming Frog, Semrush, Ahrefs or other crawling platforms.

The important thing isn’t to receive a list of 3,000 errors.

What matters is knowing which ones actually affect the site.

Website architecture

A website should have a logical structure.

Home.

Main categories or services.

Specific pages.

Related content.

If it takes six clicks from the home page to reach an important page, perhaps we should review how it is organised.

It’s also worth identifying orphaned pages: URLs that exist but are linked to by virtually no other page.

If we ourselves do not consider that content important enough to link to it, Google may come to a similar conclusion.

Monitor rankings, but keep things in perspective

Checking rankings can be useful.

Obsessing over them, however, is far less so.

Rankings change.

By device.

By location.

By user.

By type of result.

Depending on Google’s own design.

So I would use keyword tracking as just another reference point.

I’d combine it with:

• Impressions.
• Clicks.
• Organic traffic.
• Leads.
• Sales.
• Global visibility.
• Number of relevant keywords ranked.

Because moving up from 7th to 5th place is all very well.

But if none of those searches generate business, perhaps we have something more important to look at.

Adapt to Google, but don’t chase every update

Every time Google announces a major update, hundreds of headlines appear explaining what we need to change immediately.

It isn’t always necessary.

If our strategy is to create useful content, maintain a technically sound website and demonstrate genuine expertise, we’ll probably have far less to worry about.

That doesn’t mean ignoring the updates.

It’s worth looking into what’s changing and checking whether any trends directly affect your project.

But constantly chasing the algorithm usually ends up being quite an exhausting race.

The best SEO checklist for 2026 isn’t the one with 150 points.

It’s the one we manage to review on a regular basis.

A technically accessible website.

Content written to answer real search queries.

A company with a proven track record.

A recognisable brand.

A good browsing experience.

And a strategy that doesn’t end when we attract a visitor, but when that visit turns into a business opportunity.

Ultimately, Google can change a lot of things.

What doesn’t change much is that it needs to deliver good results for people searching for answers, products and services.

If our website manages to be one of them, we’re on the right track.

Do you want to improve your website’s SEO?

At Veirax Web, we can help you identify what’s holding back your search rankings and, above all, which opportunities are worth pursuing.

We don’t just stop at ‘getting your SEO in the green’. We review the technical aspects, the website’s structure, the content, local SEO and conversion rates to attract traffic that’s actually likely to turn into customers.

Because getting more visitors is all well and good.

Getting better visitors is much better.

If you’d like to know where your website stands and what you could improve, we can review it with you and propose a strategy tailored to your business.