Site Updates & Maintenance for UK Schools
Technical SEO for UK Schools: Triage, Fixes & Governance (Crawl, Indexing, CWV)
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
Technical SEO is about helping search engines discover, understand and serve your pages quickly and reliably. This school-first guide shows non-specialist editors, web managers and MAT teams how to diagnose the biggest issues—crawl blocks, indexation gaps, Core Web Vitals (CWV), JavaScript rendering, structured data, redirect hygiene—and how to fix them without derailing your CMS.
In short
- Fix crawl/index blockers first:
robots.txt,noindex, broken redirects, blocked JS/CSS. - Win easy performance gains: image formats/size, caching, critical CSS; monitor CWV in Search Console.
- Keep structure clean: one canonical URL per page, valid sitemap, helpful internal links, correct schema.
What to do now
- Open Google Search Console → Pages & Core Web Vitals. Export issues.
- Check
/robots.txt, homepage source fornoindex/canonical, and sitemap URL. - Run a small crawl (200–500 URLs) with your spider; fix the top three issues that affect the most pages.
Triage first: where sites fail
| Problem | Symptoms | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Robots blocked | “Blocked by robots.txt” in GSC; CSS/JS not fetched | Allow essential paths; don’t block /wp-includes/, CSS/JS |
| Noindex live pages | “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” | Remove <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> on live pages |
| Duplicate URLs | Parameters create many near-identical pages | Canonical to clean URL; limit faceted parameters |
| Slow LCP | “Poor URLs” in CWV; hero image heavy | Compress/resize images; serve AVIF/WebP; cache; critical CSS |
| JS-only content | Empty HTML; content appears after delay | Server-side render or hydrate critical content in HTML |
References: Google Search Central — Crawling & indexing • SEO Starter Guide.
Crawlability & robots
Make sure search engines can fetch HTML and the resources needed to render it (CSS/JS/images).
- robots.txt: Allow default crawling; avoid blanket blocks on
/wp-content/,/wp-includes/, CSS/JS directories. - Robots meta: Live pages should use
index,follow(implicit). Usenoindexfor staff-only or thin duplicates. - Blocked resources: If CSS/JS are disallowed, Google can’t render properly. Allow them.
User-agent: *Disallow:Sitemap: https://www.example.sch.uk/sitemap.xmlReference: Google — Robots.txt rules.
Indexation & canonicals
- One URL per page: Choose a canonical (e.g., with or without
www) and enforce it. - Canonical tag: Each indexable page points to itself with
<link rel="canonical" href="...">. - Parameters: Avoid creating new URLs for sort/order/display where possible; canonical back to the clean version.
- Noindex safely: Use
noindexfor utility pages (search results, archives) you don’t want indexed.
Reference: Google — Consolidate duplicate URLs.
JavaScript & rendering
- Critical content in HTML: Ensure headings, links and key text are present server-side or quickly rendered.
- Defer non-critical JS: Reduce render-blocking scripts; use
deferor load after interaction. - Pre-render/SSR for heavy pages: Especially prospectus, curriculum or events listings built with JS frameworks.
Reference: Google — JavaScript SEO basics.
Core Web Vitals (LCP/CLS/INP)
| Vital | Target (field) | Typical fix on school sites |
|---|---|---|
| LCP | ≤ 2.5s | Compress hero image; serve AVIF/WebP; cache; inline critical CSS; reduce server TTFB |
| CLS | ≤ 0.1 | Always set width/height on images; reserve space for embeds; avoid layout-shifting banners |
| INP | ≤ 200 ms | Trim heavy JS; avoid chained timers; keep interaction handlers light; limit third-party widgets |
References: Google — Core Web Vitals • Page experience.
Images, PDFs & assets
- Right-size & modern format: AVIF/WebP for photos; SVG for logos/icons. Width ≤ container; lazy-load below the fold.
- Alt text: Describe image purpose; don’t stuff keywords.
- PDFs: Prefer HTML pages for curriculum, policies and forms where possible; if you must use PDFs, compress and link with clear titles.
Reference: GOV. UK — Avoid PDFs (accessibility).
Structured data for schools
Use schema to clarify what a page is about and enhance eligibility for rich results.
- Organisation/School on the homepage: name, logo, address, sameAs.
- FAQPage on admissions, absence and safeguarding FAQs.
- Event for open evenings and performances.
- BreadcrumbList site-wide where design supports it.
Reference: Google — Structured data documentation.
Sitemaps & pagination
- XML sitemap: Include only canonical, indexable URLs; update automatically; list in
/robots.txtand GSC. - Large sites: Split into ≤50,000 URLs per file or ≤50MB; consider separate sitemaps per school in a MAT.
- Pagination: Keep clean URLs; link pages in series; ensure page 1 is canonical.
Reference: Google — Sitemaps.
Redirects, 404s & site moves
- 301s only: Use permanent redirects; avoid chains (more than one hop) and loops.
- Sanity check: Homepage, key hubs (Admissions, Term Dates) and any high-traffic legacy URLs must resolve to a single canonical URL.
- Site moves: If changing domains or structure, update sitemaps/canonicals and notify in GSC.
Reference: Google — Site moves.
Internal linking & hub pages
- Parent-first navigation: Link to task pages prominently: Term Dates, Absence, Admissions, Safeguarding.
- Hub-spoke model: News/events link back to evergreen hubs; hubs link to key subpages; avoid orphan pages.
- Anchor text: Use descriptive anchors (“Report a pupil absence”) not “click here”.
In a MAT, cross-link relevant schools for sixth form or shared policies where useful and appropriate.
Governance for MATs
| Area | Policy | Owner | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robots/sitemaps | Standard template; sitemap per site; GSC verified per domain | Central IT/SEO | Quarterly |
| CWV performance | Shared dashboard; thresholds for action | SEO/Web | Monthly |
| Redirect hygiene | One-hop limit; pre-launch checks for new builds | Web | Per release |
| Schema baseline | Organisation + Breadcrumbs + FAQ where appropriate | SEO | Per template |
| Change log | Track redirects, robots, canonical, template changes | SEO/Web | Continuous |
Measure & monitor
- Search Console: Pages (indexing), Core Web Vitals, Enhancements (Breadcrumbs, FAQ).
- PageSpeed Insights: Spot test key templates (mobile first).
- Log issues with date, URL scope and owner. Re-check after fixes and compare trends.
References: Google — GSC Performance report • PageSpeed Insights.
Print-screen checklists
Technical SEO Triage (15 mins)
Screenshot or print this card- GSC → Pages: export top reasons for non-indexing.
- Check
/robots.txtand homepage fornoindex/canonical. - Load key pages with DevTools: are CSS/JS blocked?
- Run PageSpeed on homepage & Admissions (mobile).
- Open sitemap: only canonical, 200-OK URLs included.
Core Web Vitals Quick Wins
Screenshot or print this card- Compress hero to ≤ 200KB; AVIF/WebP.
- Inline critical CSS for above-the-fold.
- Set width/height on all images.
- Defer non-critical JS; limit third-party widgets.
- Cache static assets ≥ 1 week (immutable).
Governance & Release Checks
Screenshot or print this card- No accidental
noindexon live templates. - One canonical URL per page; chains removed.
- Sitemap regenerated;
/robots.txtupdated. - Redirects mapped (one hop), 404s handled.
- Schema valid (Rich Results Test).
Key terms
- Crawl
- Search engine fetching of pages and resources (HTML, CSS, JS, images).
- Index
- Whether a page is stored and eligible to appear in results.
- Canonical
- Signal of the preferred URL when near-duplicates exist.
- LCP/CLS/INP
- Core Web Vitals: loading, visual stability and responsiveness metrics.
- SSR
- Server-Side Rendering; HTML is built on the server before sending to the browser.
FAQs
Our site is “Discovered – currently not indexed”. What now?
Improve discovery: add internal links to the page from hubs, include in the sitemap, and make sure it returns 200 and isn’t blocked by robots or noindex. Then wait for recrawl.
Should we block PDFs?
No—use when necessary, but prefer HTML for key content (better UX and accessibility). If PDFs are kept, ensure they’re linked from relevant pages and compressed.
Is there value in EV/OV SSL for SEO?
Not for ranking. HTTPS is table stakes. Choose certificate type based on governance and procurement, not SEO.
Do we need hreflang?
Only if you publish the same content in multiple languages or for multiple regions. Most UK school sites don’t need it.
Need practical SEO support?
Speak With Paul Delaney
Paul Delaney helps schools turn complex SEO into simple, effective actions. As a guest writer for SEO for Schools, Paul shares step-by-step playbooks and evidence-based guidance that busy teams can apply immediately. With three decades’ experience working with UK and international institutions, he understands the challenges school teams face and is well positioned to offer support and guidance.
For our readers, Paul offers free 30-minute sessions for institutions exploring how to raise visibility, strengthen brand trust and streamline admissions. Sessions are practical, jargon-free and free from sales pressure. You can contact him using the buttons below—please mention SEOforSchools.co.uk.
