Website launch checklist

Test each thing a visitor can click or fill in:

• Every form sends to the right inbox
• Forms show a clear message when something is missing
• The thank-you page or email shows up
• Every link on the site opens a real page
• Search and filters return the right results
• Sign-up, log-in and a lost password all work
• Payments go through in test mode
• Each download opens the right file
• Video and sound play on phones and computers
• It all works on a phone

Google needs these to find and show your pages:

• Each page has its own title and short description
• Every page has one main heading
• Every image has alt text that says what it shows
• Page addresses are short and easy to read
• You sent your sitemap to Google Search Console
• The robots.txt file lets search engines in
• Old links send people to the new pages (301 redirects)
• Each page names its main address (a canonical tag)
• Structured data passes Google's Rich Results Test
• Links shared on social media show the right title and picture
• A full crawl finds no broken links

A visitor on a phone should not have to wait. Check these:

• Run each main page through Google PageSpeed Insights
• Fix what it marks as poor
• Images are compressed and sized for the screen
• Images lower on the page load when the visitor scrolls to them
• Code files are as small as they can be
• Pages and files are cached
• Text shows while the fonts load
• The server answers in a fraction of a second

Protect your site and your visitors:

• Every page uses HTTPS
• Forms check what visitors type
• Uploads take only safe file types and sizes
• Admin logins use a strong password and a second step
• Each page sends the right security headers
• Passwords and keys stay out of the code
• Backups run at set times
• Someone gets an alert when the site goes down
• Forms limit how often one person can send

Make sure you can measure it:

• You added Google Analytics 4
• Key actions are tracked, like form sends and button clicks
• Goals are set for calls, forms and bookings
• Google Search Console shows the site as yours
• Campaign links use UTM tags
• The cookie banner works, if you use one
• Your own visits are left out of the reports