Website Launch Checklist:Five Areas to Fix Before You Go Live

Before a website goes live, check five areas: content, functionality, mobile and speed, search and tracking, and security, backups and legal pages. Most launch-day embarrassments (forms that send nowhere, placeholder text, a site hidden from Google) are caught by spending an hour on this list.

Work through it on the finished site, ideally on a staging copy and again right after launch.

1. Content

• No placeholder text ("Lorem ipsum") or sample pages left.
• Spelling, grammar and names checked by someone other than the author.
• Prices, phone numbers, addresses and opening hours are correct.
• Every page has a clear purpose and a next step (call, enquire, buy).
• Images are your own or properly licensed, with useful alt text.
• Copyright year and business details in the footer are correct.
• Links to social profiles point to the right accounts.

See essential pages every business website needs.

2. Functionality

• Every form submits successfully and the notification email arrives at a monitored inbox (check spam folders too).
• Auto-reply messages, if any, read correctly.
• Every link works; no 404s from menus or buttons.
• Phone numbers are clickable on mobile.
• For stores: test orders with each payment method, order emails, delivery charges, a refund.
• Search, filters and logins work if the site has them.
• A custom 404 page helps visitors find their way.

3. Mobile and speed

• Every page checked on a real phone, in portrait and landscape.
• Text readable without zooming; buttons easy to tap.
• No horizontal scrolling.
• Images compressed and sized correctly.
• PageSpeed Insights run on the home page and a key page.

PageSpeed Insights reports the Core Web Vitals for a page and lists what slows it down.

4. Search and tracking

• Search engines are allowed to index the site. Remove any "noindex" or "discourage search engines" setting used during development; this is one of the most common launch mistakes.
• Every page has a unique title and meta description.
• An XML sitemap exists and robots.txt does not block the site.
• Analytics is installed and records visits.
• Google Search Console is verified and the sitemap submitted.
• If this replaces an old site, 301 redirects are in place for old URLs, each pointing to the closest new page.

5. Security, backups and legal

• HTTPS works on every page with no warnings; HTTP redirects to HTTPS.
• Admin accounts use strong passwords and 2FA; default or test accounts removed.
• Software, themes and plugins are up to date.
• A full backup is taken at launch, and automatic backups are scheduled.
• Privacy policy, terms and (for stores) refund and delivery policies are published.
• Cookie consent is in place if your analytics or ads require it.
• The domain and hosting are registered to the business, with auto-renew on.

See website security basics.

A launch-day runbook

On the day itself, follow a short, fixed order so nothing is forgotten in the excitement:

1. Freeze changes on the staging copy.
2. Take a final backup of the staging site.
3. Move or publish the site to the live domain (or switch DNS), following your developer's plan.
4. Remove indexing blocks and password protection.
5. Check HTTPS on the home page and a few deep pages.
6. Submit a test form and place a test order, then cancel or refund it.
7. Check analytics in the real-time report.
8. Submit the sitemap in Search Console.
9. Announce the launch only after the checks pass.

Keep the list printed or open next to you, and tick each step.

Who should test

The person who built the site is the worst tester of it, because they know where everything is. Ask two or three people who have not seen it to:

• find a specific service and its price;
• send an enquiry;
• (for stores) buy a product;
• do all of it on their own phones.

Watch where they hesitate; those moments are worth fixing before launch.

After launch: the first week

• Check analytics and form submissions daily.
• Check Search Console for crawl errors after a few days.
• Ask a few customers or friends to use the site and report anything confusing.
• Fix small issues quickly; first impressions matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I launch quietly first?

A "soft launch" (live but not yet promoted) gives you a few days to catch problems with real traffic before a bigger announcement.

What is the most common launch mistake?

Leaving the development "noindex" setting on, which keeps the site out of search results. Forms that send to an unmonitored address come a close second.

How long does this checklist take?

For a small business site, roughly one to three hours, longer for stores with many payment and delivery options.

Related reading

Make sure the site has the pages customers expect with essential pages every business website needs. For a site built and launched by professionals, see ServerNeed business website development.

Sources

• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• Google Search Central: Block search indexing with noindex
• Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changes
• web.dev: Web Vitals