Website launch checklist
Everything to check before and after a website goes live, as a checklist.
FreeRuns in your browserNo signupUpdated 2026-11-05
Your project
Content
0/7- Blocker
- Blocker
- Blocker
Forms and email
0/4- Blocker
Search engines
0/8- Blocker
- Blocker
Analytics and consent
0/4- Blocker
Speed and devices
0/5Security and hosting
0/5- Blocker
- Blocker
Launch day
0/4- Blocker
First two weeks
0/5Ticks stay on this page only; download the checklist to keep your progress.
Done
0%
0 of 42 checks
Launch blockers left
10
Fix these before you go live.
# Website launch checklist ## Content - [ ] Proofread every page, including buttons, menus and error messages (launch blocker) - [ ] Replace all placeholder text, dummy images and test products (launch blocker) - [ ] Check every image is compressed and has useful alt text - [ ] Contact details, opening hours and address match your Google Business Profile - [ ] A helpful 404 page links back to the main sections - [ ] Privacy policy and cookie notice are published and linked in the footer (launch blocker) - [ ] Terms, refund or shipping policies are published if you sell online ## Forms and email - [ ] Submit every form and confirm each message reaches the right inbox (launch blocker) - [ ] Check auto-replies, and check they do not land in spam - [ ] SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are set for the domain that sends email - [ ] WhatsApp, phone and email links open the right app on a phone ## Search engines - [ ] Remove any noindex tag and staging password from the live site (launch blocker) - [ ] robots.txt allows crawling of the pages you want found - [ ] Every page has a unique title and meta description - [ ] Canonical tags point to the live domain, not the staging address - [ ] An XML sitemap is live and listed in robots.txt - [ ] Open Graph title and image are set for social sharing - [ ] Organisation or local business structured data passes Google's Rich Results Test - [ ] Every old URL redirects (301) to the closest new page (launch blocker) ## Analytics and consent - [ ] Analytics records visits on the live domain (launch blocker) - [ ] Key actions are tracked as conversions: form sends, calls, WhatsApp clicks, purchases - [ ] The cookie banner blocks non-essential tracking until the visitor agrees, where the law requires it - [ ] Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are verified ## Speed and devices - [ ] Test the main pages on mobile in PageSpeed Insights and fix the largest problems - [ ] Images are served in modern formats at the size they are shown - [ ] Test on a real iPhone and Android phone, and in Chrome, Safari and Firefox - [ ] The site can be used with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus outline - [ ] Text colours meet WCAG AA contrast ## Security and hosting - [ ] HTTPS works on every page, and http and www variants redirect to one version (launch blocker) - [ ] Domain and certificate renewals are set to auto-renew, with dates noted - [ ] Automatic backups run, and one restore has been tested (launch blocker) - [ ] Admin accounts use strong passwords and two-factor sign-in; test accounts are removed - [ ] CMS, plugins and packages are on current versions ## Launch day - [ ] Lower the DNS TTL a day before, then point the domain to the new host - [ ] Load the live site from a different network and a phone on mobile data (launch blocker) - [ ] Crawl the live site for broken links and redirect chains - [ ] Tell your team, and update email signatures and social profiles ## First two weeks - [ ] Check Search Console for crawl errors and pages that are not indexed - [ ] Watch analytics for drops in visits or conversions - [ ] Re-test every form on the live site - [ ] Ask staff and a few customers what they found hard to use - [ ] Book the first monthly check of updates, backups and uptime
The Markdown uses task-list boxes, so it works as a checklist in GitHub, Notion, Trello and most project tools.
About this tool
How it works and how to read the result.
Need this done for you?
Website design & development
Company websites designed and built to win trust and enquiries.
See the serviceWhat it does
This website launch checklist lists everything to check before and after a website goes live, grouped into content, forms and email, search engines, analytics and consent, speed and devices, security and hosting, launch day and the first two weeks. Tell it whether you are replacing an old site, running an online shop or publishing in more than one language, and the matching checks appear. Tick items as you go: the panel shows your progress and how many launch blockers are left, and you can download the list as a Markdown checklist.
How to use it
- Tick the options that describe your project.
- Work through each group and tick items once they are done and tested.
- Fix every item marked "Blocker" before you switch the domain over.
- Download the Markdown to share it with your team or keep your progress, because ticks are not saved on this page.
How to read the result
With the default setting, replacing an old website, the list has 42 checks and 10 launch blockers. Blockers are the items that can lose you visits, enquiries or data on day one: a forgotten noindex tag, broken forms, missing redirects, no HTTPS, no backups or analytics that do not record.
Tick "Online shop" and the list grows to 46 checks and 11 blockers. The new blocker is placing a real order with each payment method and refunding it, because test mode on staging does not prove the live payment settings work.
The percentage tells you how far through you are; the blocker count tells you whether you can launch. A site at 80% with no blockers left can go live and finish the rest in the first week. A site at 95% with one blocker should wait.
The downloaded Markdown uses task-list boxes, "- [ ]" and "- [x]", so it shows as a working checklist in GitHub, Notion and most project tools.
We run this kind of check on every site we build and launch as part of website design and development. For the redirect step, the 301 redirect generator turns a list of old and new URLs into server rules.
Questions
Frequently asked.
What is most often forgotten at launch?
Settings carried over from the staging site: a noindex tag or password that hides the live site from Google, canonical tags pointing at the staging address, and test payment keys in a shop. Forms are the other common gap; they work on staging but send to the wrong inbox, or land in spam, on the live domain.
Should I launch on a Friday?
Avoid it if you can. Launch early in your working week and early in the day, so the people who built the site are around to fix anything that breaks. Lower the DNS time-to-live a day before, so the switch to the new host takes effect quickly and can be reversed quickly too.
What should I check after launch?
In the first two weeks, check Search Console for crawl errors and pages that are not indexed, watch analytics for drops in visits or conversions, and test every form again on the live site. Ask a few customers and colleagues to use the site and tell you what was hard to find.
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