Website Builders

Website Launch Checklist: 30 Things Before Going Live

By ReadyWebs Published

Website Launch Checklist: 30 Things Before Going Live

Launching a website without a systematic check produces broken links, missing pages, security vulnerabilities, and missed SEO opportunities that can take weeks to fix after visitors start arriving. A structured pre-launch review catches these issues when they are cheap to fix rather than embarrassing to discover.

This checklist covers 30 essential items organized by category. Complete them in order.

Content (Items 1-8)

  • 1. Proofread every page. Read through every page at least once. Check for typos, grammatical errors, and placeholder text (Lorem Ipsum, “Your text here”). Have a second person review if possible.

  • 2. Verify all links work. Click every internal and external link on every page. Use a link-checking tool (Screaming Frog free version or Broken Link Checker plugin for WordPress) to catch links you miss manually.

  • 3. Check all images. Verify that no images are missing, broken, or displaying placeholder graphics. Confirm all images are properly sized and compressed. See our Image Optimization for Web Design guide.

  • 4. Add alt text to every image. Alt text is required for accessibility and contributes to SEO. Describe what the image shows in plain language. Leave decorative images with empty alt attributes.

  • 5. Remove demo/default content. Delete sample posts, pages, comments, and widgets that came with your theme or platform. A stray “Hello World” post on a professional site undermines credibility.

  • 6. Create a 404 error page. Customize your 404 page with helpful navigation links rather than leaving the default error message. Visitors who hit a dead end should be guided back to useful content.

  • 7. Verify contact information. Phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and business hours should be accurate on every page where they appear. Submit a test message through your contact form.

  • 8. Add legal pages. Privacy policy (legally required if you collect any data), terms of service, and cookie notice (required in many jurisdictions). WordPress generates a privacy policy template under Settings > Privacy.

Design and User Experience (Items 9-16)

  • 9. Test on mobile devices. View every page on an actual phone and tablet, not just a desktop browser’s responsive mode. Check that text is readable, buttons are tappable, and no content requires horizontal scrolling. See our Mobile Responsive Design Guide.

  • 10. Test across browsers. Check your site in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Layout differences between browsers are less common in 2026 but still occur, especially with custom CSS.

  • 11. Verify navigation works. Click through every menu item and ensure it leads to the correct page. Test dropdown menus on both desktop and mobile. Verify the navigation is consistent across all pages.

  • 12. Check page loading speed. Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix. Address any critical performance issues before launch. Target LCP under 2.5 seconds. See our Website Speed Calculator guide.

  • 13. Verify favicon appears. The small icon that appears in browser tabs should display your logo or brand mark. A missing favicon makes a site look unfinished.

  • 14. Test forms and interactions. Submit every form on the site. Verify that confirmation messages display, that you receive the submissions, and that form validation works (rejecting invalid email addresses, requiring filled fields).

  • 15. Check typography. Ensure fonts are loading correctly, text is readable at all sizes, line spacing is comfortable, and paragraphs are not unreasonably wide (aim for 50-75 characters per line for body text).

  • 16. Verify visual consistency. Button styles, heading sizes, colors, and spacing should be consistent across all pages. Inconsistency suggests an unfinished site.

SEO (Items 17-22)

  • 17. Set unique title tags for every page. Each page should have a descriptive, keyword-included title tag under 60 characters. No two pages should share the same title.

  • 18. Write meta descriptions for every page. Each page gets a unique meta description (150-160 characters) that summarizes the content and encourages clicks from search results.

  • 19. Set up Google Search Console. Verify your site, submit your sitemap, and check for crawl errors. This should happen before launch so Google can begin indexing. See our Google Search Console Guide.

  • 20. Install Google Analytics. Set up tracking before launch so you capture data from your first visitors. See our Google Analytics for Beginners guide.

  • 21. Generate and submit an XML sitemap. Use your SEO plugin (Rank Math, Yoast) to generate a sitemap and submit it through Search Console. See our Sitemap XML Guide.

  • 22. Set permalink structure. For WordPress: Settings > Permalinks > Post name. Clean URLs improve both SEO and user experience. For guidance on the full SEO setup, see our SEO for Beginners Guide.

Security (Items 23-26)

  • 23. Verify SSL is active. Your site should load via https:// with a padlock icon in the browser. Test by visiting both http:// and https:// versions; the http version should redirect to https.

  • 24. Set up automated backups. Configure daily automated backups before launch. If something breaks on day one, you need a restore point. See our Website Backup Guide.

  • 25. Update all software. WordPress core, themes, and plugins should all be at their latest versions. Outdated software is the primary entry point for website attacks.

  • 26. Secure login credentials. Admin accounts should use strong, unique passwords (16+ characters). Enable two-factor authentication. Disable default “admin” usernames.

Technical (Items 27-30)

  • 27. Set up email. Verify that contact form notifications, order confirmations, and any automated emails send correctly and do not land in spam folders.

  • 28. Configure caching. Enable browser caching and server-side caching through your host or a caching plugin. This dramatically improves repeat visitor load times.

  • 29. Test print styles (if applicable). If visitors are likely to print your pages (recipes, checklists, guides), verify that printed versions are clean and readable.

  • 30. Remove the “coming soon” page. If you used a coming soon or maintenance mode plugin during development, deactivate it. Verify that Google can access and crawl your pages.

Post-Launch Actions (First 48 Hours)

After going live, complete these follow-up tasks:

  • Visit your live site from a device not used during development (different computer or phone on cellular data) to see what a real first-time visitor experiences
  • Ask 2-3 people to browse the site and report any issues they find
  • Check Search Console for any new crawl errors
  • Monitor your analytics for unexpected patterns (high bounce on specific pages, broken referral links)
  • Test your site on Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool with your live URL

For the complete guide to building the site that this checklist prepares for launch, see our How to Build a Website in 2026 pillar article.

Key Takeaways

  • Content review (proofreading, link checking, form testing) catches the most embarrassing launch-day issues
  • Mobile testing on real devices is essential since over half of traffic comes from phones
  • SEO setup (Search Console, Analytics, sitemap) should happen before launch to capture data from day one
  • Security basics (SSL, backups, strong passwords) are non-negotiable at launch
  • Have at least 2-3 people test the live site within the first 48 hours

Sources

  1. Wix — Website Launch Checklist: 50 Essential Things — accessed March 27, 2026
  2. Elementor — Complete Website Launch Checklist 2026 — accessed March 27, 2026
  3. Hostinger — Website Launch Checklist 2026 — accessed March 27, 2026

Security Note: This article discusses website launch preparation for educational purposes. Test changes in a staging environment before applying to production.