Website Launch Checklist: 20 Things to Check Before Going Live

Launch Day Mistakes Are Expensive

A broken contact form on launch day means lost leads. Missing analytics means you can’t measure results. A slow site means visitors leave before they see your brand. Use this checklist to catch problems before your customers do.

Content & Copy

1. Proofread everything. Typos on your homepage kill credibility. Read every page out loud — you’ll catch errors your eyes skip over.

2. Replace all placeholder content. “Lorem ipsum” on a live site is embarrassing. Search for it.

3. Verify all contact information. Phone numbers, email addresses, physical address. Call and email yourself to confirm they work.

4. Test every link. Click every navigation link, every button, every inline link. Broken links are instant credibility killers.

SEO

5. Unique title tags on every page (under 60 characters, includes primary keyword).

6. Unique meta descriptions on every page (under 160 characters, compelling).

7. Schema markup implemented (LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage at minimum).

8. Sitemap.xml created and submitted to Google Search Console.

9. Robots.txt verified — make sure it’s not accidentally blocking search engines.

10. Canonical URLs set on every page to prevent duplicate content issues.

Performance

11. PageSpeed score above 90 on mobile (test here).

12. Images optimized — WebP format, compressed, lazy loaded below the fold.

13. Mobile responsive on actual devices — test on real phones, not just browser resize.

Functionality

14. Contact forms work. Submit every form and verify you receive the submission.

15. SSL/HTTPS active on every page. No mixed content warnings.

16. 404 page exists and guides visitors back to useful content.

Analytics & Legal

17. Google Analytics installed and tracking.

18. Google Search Console verified.

19. Privacy policy page (required by law if you collect any data, including contact forms).

20. Cookie consent banner if you use analytics or any third-party scripts.

This is the minimum. For a more detailed technical checklist covering redirects, backlinks, and SEO preservation during a redesign, see our website redesign checklist.