Website Launch Checklist: 40 Things to Check Before Going Live

On this page 9 sections

1. 01Content
2. 02Design and mobile
3. 03Functionality
4. 04Speed
5. 05SEO
6. 06Tracking
7. 07Security and legal
8. 08After launch
9. 09Frequently asked questions

Short answer: Before launching a website, check content (spelling, links, images), design on phones and browsers, forms and buttons, speed, SEO basics (titles, descriptions, sitemap, robots.txt, redirects), analytics and Search Console, security (HTTPS, backups, strong logins) and legal pages. Then submit the sitemap and watch for errors in the first week.

This is the list I go through before every client site goes live. Copy it.

Content

1. All placeholder text removed
2. Spelling and grammar checked
3. Contact details, phone and address correct everywhere
4. Every link works (no 404s)
5. Images have descriptive alt text
6. Logo and favicon in place
7. Copyright year and business name correct

Design and mobile

1. Tested on a real Android phone and iPhone
2. Tested in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox
3. Text readable without zooming
4. Buttons big enough to tap
5. No horizontal scrolling on mobile
6. Dark mode or theme toggle works if present

Functionality

1. Contact forms send to the right inbox
2. Form confirmation message or page appears
3. WhatsApp, call and email links open correctly
4. Booking, checkout and payments tested end to end
5. Search and filters work
6. 404 page exists and helps people find their way

Speed

1. Images compressed and resized
2. PageSpeed Insights checked on mobile (Core Web Vitals)
3. Caching enabled
4. Unused plugins and scripts removed

SEO

1. Unique title and meta description on every page
2. One H1 per page
3. Clean, readable URLs
4. XML sitemap generated
5. robots.txt allows search engines (and isn’t still blocking the staging site)
6. “Discourage search engines” setting turned off in WordPress
7. Canonical tags set
8. 301 redirects from any old URLs (why it matters)
9. Schema markup added (Organization or LocalBusiness, Breadcrumbs, Articles)
10. Open Graph images so links look good on WhatsApp and social media

Tracking

1. Google Search Console verified and sitemap submitted (setup guide)
2. Bing Webmaster Tools added
3. Analytics installed and tested
4. Conversion goals set (form submissions, WhatsApp clicks, purchases)

Security and legal

1. HTTPS working on every page, HTTP redirects to HTTPS
2. Backups scheduled and tested (security steps)
3. Privacy policy, and terms or refund policy for stores

After launch

• Check Search Console in the first week for indexing errors
• Create or update your Google Business Profile with the new URL
• Update links on social profiles and directories
• Ask a few people to use the site and report anything confusing
• Plan regular content updates

Frequently asked questions

What should I do right after launching a website?

Submit the sitemap to Google and Bing, test forms again on the live domain, update your social profiles and watch Search Console for errors.

How long until a new website appears on Google?

Usually a few days to a few weeks. Brand-name searches often appear first.

Should I launch with a blog?

It helps. Even two or three helpful articles give Google more to understand and rank.

Do you check all this for client sites?

Yes, every item. It’s part of every website I deliver.