Launching a new website is exciting, but rushing to go live without proper preparation can hurt your business. Before you launch, work through this comprehensive checklist to ensure your website is ready for success.
Content Checklist
All Pages Written and Proofread:
– Homepage with clear value proposition
– About page telling your story
– Service/product pages with detailed descriptions
– Contact page with all relevant information
– Privacy policy and terms of service
– 404 error page
Content Quality:
– All text proofread for spelling and grammar
– Contact details are current and correct
– Prices and offerings are accurate
– No placeholder or “Lorem ipsum” text remains
Images and Media:
– Professional, high-quality images throughout
– All images properly optimised for web
– Alt text added to all images for accessibility and SEO
– Videos working and loading correctly
– No broken image links
Technical Checklist
Performance:
– Page load time under 3 seconds
– Images compressed without quality loss
– Caching properly configured – CSS and JavaScript minified
– Hosting is reliable and fast
Security:
– SSL certificate installed (HTTPS)
– WordPress and plugins updated
– Strong admin passwords set
– Backup system configured
– Security plugin installed
Functionality:
– All links working (no 404 errors)
– Contact forms sending correctly
– Payment systems tested (if applicable)
– Search function working
– Newsletter signup functioning
Mobile and Browser Testing:
– Tested on iPhone (Safari)
– Tested on Android (Chrome)
– Tested on desktop Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
– All elements display correctly at all screen sizes
SEO Checklist
On-Page SEO:
– Unique title tags for each page (under 60 characters) – Meta descriptions written (under 155 characters) – H1 tags used correctly (one per page) – Heading hierarchy logical (H1 > H2 > H3) – URLs are clean and descriptive – Images have descriptive alt text – Internal links between relevant pages
Technical SEO:
– XML sitemap created and submitted – Robots.txt file configured correctly – Canonical URLs set – Schema markup implemented – Google Search Console connected – 301 redirects for any changed URLs
Local SEO (for local businesses):
– Google Business Profile created/updated – NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent everywhere – Local schema markup added – Location mentioned naturally in content
Legal Checklist
- •Privacy policy covers data collection practices
- •Terms and conditions appropriate for your business
- •Cookie consent banner implemented (if required)
- •ABN/ACN displayed (Australian businesses)
- •Copyright notice in footer with current year
Launch Day Checklist
- •Remove “coming soon” or maintenance mode
- •Test contact forms one final time
- •Clear all caches
- •Announce launch on social media
- •Send email to existing customers/contacts
- •Set up Google Analytics goals
- •Schedule first content update
Post-Launch Checklist (First Week)
- •Monitor for errors in Google Search Console
- •Check form submissions are being received
- •Review analytics for any issues
- •Test user journey personally
- •Gather initial feedback
- •Fix any reported issues immediately
Common Launch Mistakes to Avoid
- • Not testing forms – always send a test submission
- • Forgetting mobile testing – check on actual devices, not just browser tools
- • Ignoring page speed – slow sites lose customers
- • Missing redirects – if URLs changed, redirect old ones
- • No backup plan – ensure you can restore if something goes wrong
- • Skipping soft launch – share with a small group first
Need Professional Help?
Launching a website correctly requires attention to dozens of details. At Zenneo Design, our launch process ensures nothing is missed. Every website we deliver goes through rigorous quality assurance before going live.
Contact us if you’d like professional assistance with your website launch.
