Kristina ;D
Website Launch Checklist: What to Check Before You Go Live
Before you launch a website, check seven areas: content, links and forms, mobile layout, speed, search settings, legal and contact details, and tracking and backups. A few hours of checking prevents the most common launch problems, such as a site that is hidden from search, a form that sends nowhere or a page full of placeholder text.
Why a checklist helps
By the end of a project, you have looked at the site so many times that you no longer see its mistakes. A checklist replaces memory with a routine. Work through it on a computer and then again on a phone, and ask one other person to try the site without any instructions from you.
1. Content
- Read every page aloud. Typos, repeated sentences and leftover template text show up quickly.
- Check that names, spellings, prices and contact details are correct and consistent.
- Make sure every page has a clear title and a short description that describes it honestly.
- Look at the images: do they load, do they have descriptive alternative text, and do you have the right to use them?
2. Links and forms
- Click every menu item and every button.
- Check that links to other sites open correctly and that no link leads to a page that does not exist.
- Send a test message through every form, and confirm where it arrives. More detail is in how to build a contact form that gets answered.
- Check the confirmation message and the page that follows.
3. Mobile layout
Open the site on at least one real phone. Check that text is readable without zooming, that buttons are easy to tap and that nothing runs off the screen. Turn the phone sideways. A longer list is in how to check if your website is mobile friendly.
4. Speed
Open the site over mobile data, not only on your fast home connection. Look for large images, slow sections and elements that jump while loading. If something feels slow to you, visitors on weaker connections may find it worse. See how to check and improve website speed.
5. Search settings
This is where many launches go wrong. During development, sites are often hidden from search engines on purpose. At launch, that setting must be switched off. Check the following:
- The site is allowed to be indexed. Look at your robots file and the page settings.
- A sitemap exists and, if you use the search tools, is submitted there.
- Only one version of your address works as the main one, with or without www, and the other redirects to it.
- The site works over a secure connection (https).
The first two points are explained in robots.txt and sitemap.xml explained.
6. Legal and contact details
- A clear way to contact you, such as an email address or a form.
- A privacy notice if you collect personal data, and a cookie notice if you use tools that need one. See privacy policy and cookie notice.
- Business details required in your country, if you sell products or services.
7. Tracking and backups
Install the analytics tool you plan to use, and check that it records a visit from your own phone. Make a full backup of the site and write down where the accounts are: domain, host, email, analytics. Keep this record safe.
After launch
- Visit the live site from a different device and network.
- Tell people: share the link with friends, add it to your profiles and email signature.
- Submit the site to the search tools you use and check that pages begin to appear in their reports.
- Fix small things in the first days, but avoid redesigning the site while you are still learning how visitors use it.
- Schedule a review a month later, with a list of changes based on what you have seen.
What to do if something is wrong after launch
Keep calm and change one thing at a time. Fix what stops visitors from reaching you first, such as a broken form, then what hides the site, then what only looks imperfect. Write down every change so you can undo it if needed.
Ask a stranger to try it
The most useful hour of your pre-launch week is the one in which a person who has never seen the site tries to use it. Give them a simple task, such as finding out how to contact you or what you offer, and watch without helping. If they hesitate, write down where. Many problems that could cost you visitors show up within the first few minutes. A fuller method is in how to check your website's usability.
A note about timing
Choose a day when you have time to react. Launching on a busy evening and then leaving for the weekend means a broken form could go unnoticed. Plan a few quiet hours after the launch to check everything again on the live site, because settings that worked in testing sometimes behave differently on the real domain.
FAQ
How long does a pre-launch check take?
For a small site, a few hours is often enough if you work through the list carefully, though it depends on the size of the site.
Should I launch before everything is perfect?
Launch when the important parts work: content, contact and mobile layout. Small improvements can follow.
Can I check the site before search engines see it?
Yes. Keep it hidden during testing and remember to switch the hiding off at launch.
Do I need to tell search engines about my new site?
You do not have to, but submitting a sitemap through their tools can help them find your pages.
What should I do first if the form does not work?
Check where messages are sent, then look in spam folders, then test with another email address.