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Startup Site Health Checklist: SSL, Meta, OG, Sitemap & AI Crawlers

By Vaibhav SinghalUpdated 3 min read

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Most launch SEO failures are boring: expired TLS, empty meta descriptions, OG images that 404, or a robots.txt that blocks /pricing. This checklist is for founders shipping a marketing site or app landing page - work top to bottom; each step links to a free tool on useneedle.net/tools.

Pair technical health with demand research: conversation demand vs SEO and free Trending Problems.

Pre-launch vs post-launch

Phase Focus
Pre-launch HTTPS, meta/OG on homepage + pricing, sitemap, robots sanity
Post-launch (week 1) GSC submission, OG on blog template, llms.txt if AI matters
Post-launch (month 1) Re-run checks after redesign; fix 404s from launch PR

1. HTTPS and certificate validity

Browsers and crawlers treat bad TLS as untrustworthy.

  • Certificate chain valid, not expired
  • HTTP → HTTPS redirect where expected
  • No mixed-content warnings on key pages

Tool: SSL Certificate Checker

2. Robots, sitemap, crawlability

Search engines and many AI crawlers read robots.txt and your sitemap first.

  • /sitemap.xml resolves and lists homepage, pricing, blog index, key docs
  • robots.txt does not disallow /, /pricing, or /blog
  • Sitemap URLs return 200 (not redirect chains to 404)
  • No accidental Disallow: / in staging copied to production

Tools: Sitemap.xml Validator · Google Indexing Checker

3. Title, description, canonical

Every money page needs:

  • Unique title (≤60 chars where possible; lead with category)
  • Unique meta description (benefit + wedge; not keyword soup)
  • Canonical URL on templates that could duplicate (filters, tags)

Check homepage, pricing, and your top guide pillars.

Tool: Meta Tags Checker

4. Open Graph and Twitter cards

When someone shares your link in Slack or LinkedIn:

  • og:title, og:description, og:url present
  • og:image loads over HTTPS
  • Image ≥ ~1200×630 recommended for sharp crops
  • Twitter card tags present or OG fallback works

Tool: OG Share Image Checker

5. Favicon and touch icons

  • /favicon.ico or linked icons resolve
  • Apple touch icon if you care about mobile bookmarks

Tool: Favicon Checker

6. Structured data (JSON-LD)

  • Organization or WebSite schema on homepage
  • Article schema on blog posts (if your template supports it)
  • FAQ schema only where FAQs are visible on page (no hidden spam)

Validate with Google Rich Results Test after template changes.

7. GEO, llms.txt, and AI crawlers (2026+)

Classic SEO gets you eligible to rank. AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) also need clear, quotable structure.

  • Publish llms.txt or /.well-known/llms.txt if you want explicit AI guidance
  • Review AI crawler user-agents in robots.txt (GPTBot, Google-Extended, etc.) - allow/disallow intentionally
  • Headings, FAQs, and comparison tables LLMs can cite
  • Entity consistency: same product name and URL everywhere

Tools: GEO & LLM Site Analyzer · llms.txt guide

8. Performance basics (quick wins)

You do not need perfect Core Web Vitals on day one, but avoid:

  • Hero images multi-MB uncompressed
  • Render-blocking third-party scripts on homepage
  • Client-only content for primary H1 (bad for crawlers)

Run Lighthouse once before launch; fix red flags on homepage only.

9. After technical health: conversation demand

Pages do not create pipeline alone. Run a weekly check:

Search docs describe multi-platform research when you outgrow manual tabs.

Quick reference table

Step Free tool
TLS SSL Checker
Sitemap Sitemap Validator
Crawl basics Google Indexing Checker
Meta Meta Tags Checker
OG OG Share Image Checker
Favicon Favicon Checker
GEO / llms.txt GEO & LLM Analyzer

Launch day smoke test (10 minutes)

  1. Open homepage in incognito - TLS padlock OK?
  2. Share pricing URL in Slack - preview looks correct?
  3. Fetch robots.txt and sitemap.xml - no surprises?
  4. Run GEO analyzer once - critical warnings addressed?

All free tools · GEO & llms.txt guide

Frequently asked questions

What should a startup verify before launch?

HTTPS with valid certificate, crawlable sitemap, unique title and meta description per key page, working OG/Twitter previews, favicon, and robots.txt that does not block marketing URLs. Add llms.txt if you care about AI citation.

Why does Open Graph matter for startups?

Slack, LinkedIn, and X use OG tags for link previews. Missing or tiny og:image hurts click-through when founders share launch links.

What is llms.txt?

A voluntary file summarizing which content AI systems may prioritize and how to attribute you. It complements robots.txt - see our llms.txt guide for details.

Where can I run these checks for free?

Needle free tools at useneedle.net/tools - SSL, meta, OG, favicon, sitemap, Google indexing, and GEO/llms.txt analyzer.

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