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A beautiful corporate site that can't be found in search never reaches most potential customers. The checklist below brings together what a corporate site needs for a solid search foundation. Use it to compare quotes when commissioning a new site, or for a quick audit of your current one.
#Technical basics
- A unique title (about 60 characters) and description (about 155 characters) on every page
- One H1 per page and a meaningful H2/H3 hierarchy
- A canonical URL and a consistent URL structure (e.g. with or without a trailing slash)
- HTTPS plus http → https and www → domain redirects
- sitemap.xml and robots.txt, with the sitemap submitted to Search Console
- A helpful 404 page and no broken links
#Structured data (schema.org)
Structured data tells search engines, in a machine-readable way, what a page is about. A corporate site should have at least the following:
| Type | Where? |
|---|---|
| Organization / LocalBusiness | All pages: brand, logo, contact details, social profiles |
| Service | Service pages |
| FAQPage | Pages with frequently asked questions |
| BreadcrumbList | Sub-pages: the page path |
| BlogPosting | Blog posts: author, date, image |
#Speed and mobile
Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are page experience signals. Serving images in modern formats at the right size, removing unnecessary JavaScript and optimising fonts usually bring the biggest gains. See our website speed and Core Web Vitals guide for details.
#Content and page structure
- A separate page for each service, rather than listing everything on one page
- FAQs on service pages: the questions customers actually ask
- References and case studies: for trust and long-tail searches
- Industry pages: for searches such as “clinic website” or “logistics website”
- Internal links between pages: service → case study → blog → contact
#Local visibility
- Open and verify a Google Business Profile.
- Write your name, address and phone number exactly the same way on the site and the profile.
- State the areas you serve clearly on your pages.
- Ask happy customers for reviews.
#After launch
- Track which searches you appear in with Google Search Console.
- Measure visitors and conversions with cookie-free analytics.
- Update content a few times a year and correct outdated information.
- Publish regular blog posts to appear in new searches.
To measure where your site stands against this list and get a prioritised improvement plan, see our SEO and performance optimisation service.
Frequently asked questions
When does SEO work show results?
Technical fixes can be crawled and reflected within a few weeks; ranking gains that depend on content and authority usually take a few months.
Does structured data directly improve rankings?
It isn't a direct ranking factor, but it helps search engines understand the page and increases the chance of appearing in rich results.
Is a separate page for each service really necessary?
Yes. When each page focuses on one topic, it answers searches on that topic better and ranks more easily.