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.
<p class="lead text-xl text-[#3a3a3a] mb-8"> 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. </p>
<h2>1. Content and ownership</h2> <ul> <li>No placeholder text, sample prices, template testimonials or stock "team" photos left anywhere.</li> <li>Phone, email, address and opening hours are correct and identical on every page.</li> <li>You hold the rights to every image, font and piece of text.</li> <li>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.</li> <li>Legal pages exist where needed: privacy policy, and terms or refund policy if you sell.</li> <li><strong>Redesign:</strong> every old page is listed, and each has a new home or a planned redirect.</li> </ul>
<h2>2. Forms, mobile, accessibility and links</h2> <ul> <li>Submit every form with a recognisable test name; confirm it arrives in the right inbox (and check spam).</li> <li>The form shows a clear success message and an error message when a required field is empty.</li> <li>On a real phone on mobile data: no sideways scrolling, menu opens, phone number is tappable, buttons are big enough to tap.</li> <li>Every image has alt text that describes it (decorative images can be empty).</li> <li>Text contrast passes; check with the <a href="/tools/color-contrast-checker">color contrast checker</a>.</li> <li>You can reach every link and button with the Tab key and see where focus is.</li> <li>No broken links or links to the staging address. Headings go in order (one H1 per page).</li> </ul>
<h2>3. Domain, HTTPS, canonicals, robots and sitemap</h2> <ul> <li>The domain resolves with and without "www", and one redirects to the other.</li> <li>HTTPS works everywhere with no "Not secure" warning; http redirects to https.</li> <li>Email DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM) were left intact when you changed DNS.</li> <li>No page you want found is set to noindex, and the site is no longer password-protected.</li> <li>robots.txt does not block the whole site (a leftover "Disallow: /" is a classic launch mistake). The <a href="/tools/robots-txt-generator">robots.txt generator</a> shows a safe default.</li> <li>Each page's canonical tag points to its own final https address, not the staging domain.</li> <li>A sitemap exists and lists only live, indexable pages.</li> <li>Each page has its own title and description, and the share preview looks right (check with the <a href="/tools/open-graph-preview">Open Graph preview</a>).</li> <li><strong>Redesign:</strong> old URLs return a 301 redirect to the closest new page, not a 404 or a blanket redirect to the homepage.</li> </ul>
<h2>4. Analytics with consent and a known test event</h2> <ul> <li>Analytics is installed on every page once (not twice).</li> <li>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.</li> <li>Do one known action yourself, such as submitting the contact form, and confirm that exact event shows up in the real-time report.</li> <li>Exclude your own visits or note the test time so it does not skew launch numbers.</li> </ul>
<h2>5. Owner sign-off and post-launch checks</h2> <ul> <li>The owner has clicked through every page on their own phone and signed off in writing.</li> <li>Site added to Google Search Console, sitemap submitted, homepage indexing requested.</li> <li>Business Profile and other listings updated with the new website address.</li> <li>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.</li> <li>Run the <a href="/tools/website-grader">website grader</a> on the live site.</li> </ul>
<h2>Filled example (a labelled demonstration)</h2> <p>A fictional redesign for "Kestrel Bookkeeping", shown to demonstrate how to record results. It is not a real client.</p> <pre><code>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</code></pre>
<h2>Blank worksheet</h2> <pre><code>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:</code></pre>
<h2>Launching with We.Inc</h2> <p>In the <a href="/website-builder">We.Inc website builder</a>, hosting and HTTPS are included and publishing is a button; see <a href="/guides/how-to-publish-a-website">how to publish a website</a>. 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 (<a href="/pricing">pricing</a>). Agencies launching sites for clients can look at <a href="/white-label">We.Inc white-label</a>. Start from a <a href="/website-templates/business">business template</a>, or estimate a budget with the <a href="/tools/website-cost-calculator">website cost calculator</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://my.we.inc/signup">Start building your business website</a></p>
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.
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.
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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