G12 — Chapter 7 - Technical SEO

Criterion G12: Browser Cache — guide + checklist

PART 1 - Fundamentals Chapter 7 - Technical SEO Keyword : cache navigateur

This criterion seems “simple”, but it creates many discrepancies in production.

Criterion G12 — Browser Cache is part of our SEO checklist (335 criteria). Here, you have a practical method to check and fix it — with a concrete example.

What exactly this criterion covers

This criterion seems “simple”, but it creates many discrepancies in production.

G12 — Browser Cache (Chapter 7 - Technical SEO): Cache-Control and Expires headers configured, TTL adapted by file type

Why it matters (SEO + UX)

Why it matters: it is a UX point that eventually translates into SEO. When poorly applied, we often observe: ambiguity (wrong associated request), duplication between pages, or performance loss on indexing rate.

On volume-generated sites, this criterion also acts as a safeguard: a stable rule prevents 1,000 errors at once.

How to check (step by step)

Approach: validation via Search Console (real data). Recommended tool: PageSpeed Insights.

  1. Open the page in Chrome → DevTools → Performance/Network tab.
  2. Run Lighthouse and note the main weak point.
  3. Check if the problem repeats on mass-generated pages.

Tip: first isolate 10 representative URLs (top pages + generated pages) before scaling the fix.

How to fix properly

Strategy: fix + add a safeguard for mass import.

  • Fix the biggest cost source (images, JS, fonts, cache).
  • Retest, then apply to the template (not page by page).
  • Add a safeguard: weight budget (KB) and CI check if possible.

Then: recrawl 50–200 URLs, then monitor Search Console for 7–14 days (impressions/CTR/indexing).

Concrete example (illustrative)

Example (illustrative):

  • Context: FAQ page for B2B SaaS in Marseille
  • Before: Lighthouse: 48/100 (heavy JS, unoptimized images).
  • After: Lighthouse: 87/100 (lazy-load, compression, cache).
  • Note: Goal: stabilize INP.

Checklist to tick

  • [ ] Measure before/after
  • [ ] Respect: expires configured
  • [ ] Improvement on template
  • [ ] No CWV regression
  • [ ] Cache and compression OK
FAQ

Frequently asked questions — G12

What is the most common mistake on “Browser Cache”?

Fixing an isolated page without fixing the template/import: the error returns on the next generation.

Which tool is the fastest to check at scale?

For this type of criterion, a crawl (e.g. Screaming Frog) plus a targeted check in PageSpeed Insights is generally the fastest combo.

How to prevent this from happening on 10K generated pages?

Freeze an auto-generation rule (title/structure/schema/URLs) plus add an automatic control (crawl or test) before production import.

Ready to go from theory to action?

Validate this criterion with an audit, then deepen the method in the Academy.

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