Website launch checklist
Go through this before launch, not after. Most items take minutes and each one catches a problem that is expensive to find later.
Before you switch over
- Every form actually sends, and the email arrives somewhere someone reads.
- The site works on a real phone, not just a resized browser window.
- Every page has a title and description, and they are all different.
- Images are compressed. A 4MB photo is the most common cause of a slow page.
- SSL is active and the padlock shows on every page.
- Analytics is installed and recording.
- Spelling and phone numbers checked by someone who did not write them.
If you are replacing an existing site
- Every old URL is mapped to a new one with a 301 redirect.
- Anything with no equivalent points somewhere relevant, not the home page.
- The old site is backed up before you switch.
Legal pages
- Privacy policy, and a cookie banner if you use anything beyond essential cookies.
- Terms, if you sell anything.
- Your business name, address and company number where required.
The week after launch
Launch day is not the end. In the first week:
- Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and check for crawl errors.
- Watch for 404s. If you replaced a site, this is where missed redirects surface.
- Test a form again from a different device. Delivery problems often appear only in the wild.
- Check analytics is recording sessions. A surprising number of sites launch with tracking that never fired.
Agree before launch who is responsible for fixing defects in the first weeks, and for how long that is free. Finding out afterwards is an expensive conversation.
Common questions
01Should I launch on a Friday?
Better not to. If something breaks you want people available. Tuesday or Wednesday morning gives you the rest of the week to fix things.
02How do I know if redirects worked?
Visit a handful of your most important old URLs and check they land on sensible new pages. Then watch Search Console over the following weeks for crawl errors.
03What if I find a problem after launch?
Report it immediately and in writing. Most agreements include a defect period during which fixes are free, and that period starts at launch.
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