Before a website goes live, check five areas: content (spelling, contact details, legal pages), function (forms, buttons, payments, links), mobile and speed (real phones, PageSpeed), SEO (titles, meta descriptions, sitemap, no “discourage search engines” setting) and safety (SSL, backups, updates, logins). Most launch-day problems come from a form that does not send, a site still hidden from Google, or a missing redirect from an old page.
- Test every form by actually submitting it and confirming the email arrives.
- Untick “Discourage search engines” in WordPress before launch.
- Redirect old URLs if you are replacing an existing site.
- Take a full backup on launch day and keep it off the server.
- Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console the same day.
Why does a launch checklist matter?
Imagine launching a new site on Friday afternoon. On Monday, the owner wonders why nobody has called. The contact form was still sending to the developer’s test inbox, the phone number in the header had one digit wrong, and the whole site was set to noindex from development. None of it is hard to fix, but every day it stays broken costs leads. A checklist turns launch day from hopeful to boring, which is what you want.
What content should you check before launch?
- Phone, email, address and opening hours are correct on every page, including header and footer.
- No placeholder text, lorem ipsum or demo images left anywhere.
- Spelling and grammar checked on every page.
- Privacy policy, terms and cookie notice in place where required.
- Copyright year and business name correct in the footer.
- Every image has a short descriptive alt text.
What functions must be tested?
| Item | How to test |
|---|---|
| Contact and quote forms | Submit each one and confirm the email arrives, including in spam. |
| Booking or payment | Make a real test booking or a small live payment and refund it. |
| Buttons and links | Click every menu item and button; run a broken link check. |
| Click-to-call and WhatsApp | Tap them on a phone. |
| 404 page | Visit a made-up URL and check it helps people find their way. |
| Email deliverability | Use SMTP so WordPress emails do not land in spam. |
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How do you check mobile and speed?
Open the site on at least one Android phone and one iPhone using mobile data. Read every page without zooming. Then test the homepage and one inner page in PageSpeed Insights. Google’s “good” targets are Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds and Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1. Compress images, turn on caching and remove unused plugins if the scores are poor; the full method is in how to speed up a WordPress website.
What SEO settings must be set on launch day?
- In WordPress, Settings, Reading: untick “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”.
- Every page has a unique title and meta description.
- Exactly one H1 per page.
- Pretty permalinks (post name) are on.
- 301 redirects from every old URL if this replaces an existing site.
- Google Search Console verified and sitemap submitted; Google Analytics installed.
- Google Business Profile links to the new site.
Run the free SEO audit tool on the live URL for a quick second check of titles, headings, images and indexing.
What security and backup steps come before launch?
- SSL certificate active and every page loads on https.
- Admin username is not “admin”; strong passwords and two-factor login.
- WordPress, theme and plugins updated; unused plugins deleted.
- Automatic daily or weekly backups stored off the server.
- Uptime monitoring so you hear about downtime first.
More on this in how to secure a WordPress website.
What should you do in the first week after launch?
Check Search Console for crawl errors, watch the form inbox daily, ask three customers to try booking or contacting you, and fix anything that confused them. After a month, look at which pages people visit and where they leave.
Want a launch handled for you?
Every website I build is launched against this checklist, with redirects, Search Console, backups and a walkthrough included. If your site is already live and something feels off, ask for a free check.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before launching a website?
Check content and contact details, test every form and payment, review the site on real phones, run a speed test, set SEO titles, untick discourage search engines, add redirects and take a full backup.
Why is my new website not showing on Google?
Common reasons are the discourage search engines setting left on, no sitemap submitted, or the site being too new. Submit the sitemap in Search Console and request indexing for key pages.
Do I need redirects when launching a new website?
Yes, if it replaces an old site. 301 redirects send visitors and search engines from old URLs to the matching new pages so you keep rankings.
How long after launch will my website appear on Google?
Often within a few days to a few weeks once the sitemap is submitted, but ranking well for competitive searches takes longer.
Sources
Get a fast, mobile-first WordPress or Elementor website built and configured properly from day one. Websites from $899, clients worldwide.
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Tanvir H is a Bangladesh-based WordPress and Elementor web designer with 7+ years of experience, 650+ projects and a 4.9 client rating. New websites, redesigns, fixes, speed, security and SEO, handled by one expert who explains everything in plain English and works with clients worldwide.
