Website Launch Checklist: 40+ Things to Check Before You Go Live

Launching a website is exciting, and it is also when small oversights become public. A broken form, a missing redirect or a site accidentally hidden from search engines can cost weeks of results. Work through this website launch checklist before you go live and again on launch day.

Content

• Proofread every page for spelling, facts and tone.
• Replace all placeholder text and images.
• Compress images and add descriptive alt text.
• Check phone numbers, addresses, emails and opening hours.
• Add thank-you messages for every form.
• Publish the legal pages: privacy policy, terms and cookie information.

Design and usability

• Check every page on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
• Test in current Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.
• Add a favicon and a social sharing image.
• Make sure the 404 page is helpful and links home.
• Check colour contrast, keyboard navigation and visible focus states.
• Click every button and link, including those in the footer.

Technical setup

• Send a test through every form and confirm it arrives in the right inbox.
• Install the SSL certificate and redirect http to https.
• Test page speed on mobile and desktop and fix the biggest issues.
• Set up automatic backups, and test restoring one.
• Use strong admin passwords, turn on two-factor authentication and remove unused accounts.
• Remove unused plugins, themes and test pages.
• Turn on caching and image optimisation.
• Remove staging passwords and any "coming soon" pages.

Search engine basics

• Write a unique page title and description for every page.
• Use one main heading per page, with headings in order.
• Set up 301 redirects from every old address that matters.
• Generate an XML sitemap and check your robots settings.
• Confirm the site is not blocked from search engines. Many sites launch with the "discourage search engines" setting still on.
• Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit the sitemap.
• Update your Google Business Profile with the new address.

Analytics and tracking

• Install analytics and confirm it is receiving data.
• Set up events for key actions such as form submissions and purchases.
• Check that cookie consent works and respects visitors' choices.
• Verify advertising pixels and tags, if you use them.

Legal and compliance

• Make sure the privacy policy covers forms, cookies and analytics.
• Configure the cookie banner for your region.
• Publish terms, refund and shipping policies if you sell anything.
• Record licences for fonts and images.

Requirements differ between countries, so check the rules that apply where you and your visitors are.

Launch day

1. Take a final backup of the old site.
2. Point the domain at the new site and wait for it to update.
3. Click through every page on the live site.
4. Send a test enquiry and, if relevant, a test purchase.
5. Request indexing of your key pages in Search Console.
6. Announce the launch by email and on social media.

After launch

• Watch errors and analytics daily for the first week.
• Fix broken links and small issues quickly.
• Run the training session for the client's team, and send a handover document.
• Book a review call at around 30 days.

Use a checklist you can tick off

Keeping this in your head is risky. Our Launch pack turns it into a 46-task Excel checklist with owners, due dates that count back from your launch date, status drop-downs and a progress sheet, plus a client handover document, a first 30 days guide and a feedback and testimonial request. If you are earlier in a project, start with the client onboarding checklist.