Website Launch Checklist: 31 Checks Before and After Go-Live | How-to Guide

A website launch checklist for new sites and redesigns: content and ownership, forms, mobile, accessibility, links, domain, HTTPS, canonicals, robots, sitemap, analytics with consent, and owner sign-off. Filled example included.

Most launch problems are boring: a form that emails nobody, a redesign that forgot old URLs, a site left set to "noindex". This checklist runs in five passes, in the order you should do them. Each item is a pass/fail check you can hand to someone else. It works for a brand-new site and for a redesign; redesign-only items are marked.

1. Content and ownership

  • No placeholder text, sample prices, template testimonials or stock "team" photos left anywhere.
  • Phone, email, address and opening hours are correct and identical on every page.
  • You hold the rights to every image, font and piece of text.
  • You know which account owns the domain, the hosting or builder, and analytics, and the business owner (not only the designer) can log in to each.
  • Legal pages exist where needed: privacy policy, and terms or refund policy if you sell.
  • Redesign: every old page is listed, and each has a new home or a planned redirect.

2. Forms, mobile, accessibility and links

  • Submit every form with a recognisable test name; confirm it arrives in the right inbox (and check spam).
  • The form shows a clear success message and an error message when a required field is empty.
  • On a real phone on mobile data: no sideways scrolling, menu opens, phone number is tappable, buttons are big enough to tap.
  • Every image has alt text that describes it (decorative images can be empty).
  • Text contrast passes; check with the color contrast checker.
  • You can reach every link and button with the Tab key and see where focus is.
  • No broken links or links to the staging address. Headings go in order (one H1 per page).

3. Domain, HTTPS, canonicals, robots and sitemap

  • The domain resolves with and without "www", and one redirects to the other.
  • HTTPS works everywhere with no "Not secure" warning; http redirects to https.
  • Email DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM) were left intact when you changed DNS.
  • No page you want found is set to noindex, and the site is no longer password-protected.
  • robots.txt does not block the whole site (a leftover "Disallow: /" is a classic launch mistake). The robots.txt generator shows a safe default.
  • Each page's canonical tag points to its own final https address, not the staging domain.
  • A sitemap exists and lists only live, indexable pages.
  • Each page has its own title and description, and the share preview looks right (check with the Open Graph preview).
  • Redesign: old URLs return a 301 redirect to the closest new page, not a 404 or a blanket redirect to the homepage.

4. Analytics with consent and a known test event

  • Analytics is installed on every page once (not twice).
  • If you serve visitors where consent is required (for example the EU and UK), a consent banner loads first and analytics respects the choice. Check the rules that apply to you.
  • Do one known action yourself, such as submitting the contact form, and confirm that exact event shows up in the real-time report.
  • Exclude your own visits or note the test time so it does not skew launch numbers.

5. Owner sign-off and post-launch checks

  • The owner has clicked through every page on their own phone and signed off in writing.
  • Site added to Google Search Console, sitemap submitted, homepage indexing requested.
  • Business Profile and other listings updated with the new website address.
  • Day 1: forms and analytics still work. Week 1: Search Console shows no crawl errors. Week 4 (redesign): compare search clicks with the month before and fix any lost pages.
  • Run the website grader on the live site.

Filled example (a labelled demonstration)

A fictional redesign for "Kestrel Bookkeeping", shown to demonstrate how to record results. It is not a real client.

Site: kestrel-example.com (redesign)   Launch date: 12 Oct
Owner logins confirmed: domain yes | builder yes | analytics yes
Placeholder sweep: PASS (removed 2 template testimonials)
Old pages listed: 14 | redirects set: 14 | spot-checked: 5 PASS
Contact form test: sent 09:12, received 09:12 owner inbox, PASS
Mobile on data: PASS (fixed tap target on footer phone number)
Alt text: 3 missing, fixed
www -> root redirect: PASS | HTTPS: PASS | MX records intact: PASS
noindex anywhere: none | robots.txt: allows all | sitemap: 11 URLs
Canonicals: all point to https://kestrel-example.com/...
Consent banner: loads first, analytics waits: PASS
Test event "form_submit": seen in real-time at 09:14, PASS
Search Console: sitemap submitted, homepage indexing requested
Owner sign-off: received by email 11 Oct

Blank worksheet

Site:            Launch date:          New / redesign:
Owner logins (domain | builder | analytics):
Placeholder sweep:
Old pages listed / redirects set / spot-checked:
Form test (time sent, time received, inbox):
Mobile on data:
Alt text + contrast + keyboard:
www redirect | HTTPS | email records intact:
noindex | robots.txt | sitemap URL count:
Canonicals:
Consent + test event seen:
Search Console done:
Owner sign-off (date, how):
Day 1 / Week 1 / Week 4 checks:

Launching with We.Inc

In the We.Inc website builder, hosting and HTTPS are included and publishing is a button; see how to publish a website. The Free plan publishes up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI credits and no custom domain. Custom domains and AI building start on Starter at $20/month (pricing). Agencies launching sites for clients can look at We.Inc white-label. Start from a business template, or estimate a budget with the website cost calculator.

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Frequently asked questions

What should I check before launching a website?

Content is final, forms deliver, the site works on a phone, links and alt text are in place, the domain and HTTPS work, nothing is set to noindex, a sitemap exists, and analytics records a known test event.

What is different about a website redesign checklist?

A redesign adds URL mapping: every old page needs a 301 redirect to its closest new page, and you should compare search traffic before and after to catch lost pages.

How long after launch should I keep checking?

Check forms and analytics on day one, Search Console after a week, and for a redesign compare search clicks with the previous month after about four weeks.

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