Before launch, test the website as a customer rather than only checking whether the pages look finished. A good launch checklist covers content, important journeys, access and what will happen to the old site’s addresses.
Check the content and links
Proofread contact details, service areas, prices and key claims. Remove sample content and unfinished links. Check navigation, buttons, downloadable files and links inside the body text. Confirm that any photographs or testimonials are approved for use.
Complete the important journeys
Send a real test enquiry and confirm it arrives where expected. Check the confirmation and error messages. For a shop or booking site, test the agreed payment and booking scenarios, including failures and cancellations where relevant.
Review mobile use and accessibility
Check a real phone, long headings and narrow screens. Navigate with a keyboard, look for visible focus, and make sure forms have labels. Avoid layouts that depend on hovering or colour alone to communicate important information.
Prepare for search and existing visitors
Keep useful existing URLs where possible. Map changed pages to their corresponding replacements and check the redirects. Confirm production pages are not accidentally blocked from indexing, that canonical URLs use the production address and that the sitemap reflects the live site.
Confirm ownership and recovery
Check HTTPS, account access, domain renewal and backups. Record who will monitor forms, apply updates and respond if something breaks. A backup should have a known restore process.
Measure after launch
Check representative pages for speed and review search and enquiry data once available. A successful launch is the beginning of maintaining the website, not a guarantee that it will automatically rank highly or generate business.
