Website launch checklist
The worst launch mistakes are usually small and easy to miss: a staging setting that hides the site from search engines, a contact form that sends to nobody, old URLs that now return errors.
This checklist works for a new site or a redesign. Go through the branches in any order before launch, then follow the launch day and post-launch phases in order. For a redesign, pay particular attention to redirects, since those protect the search traffic you already have.
79 tasks in 8 sections
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Content
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Design and accessibility
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SEO
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Performance
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Security and legal
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Analytics
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Launch day
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After launch
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Tick a task or fold a branch to try it. Ticks are not saved on this page.
Tips
Check for noindex first
Staging sites are often hidden from search engines. Checking that setting takes a minute, and missing it can keep the new site out of search results.
Launch early in the week
If something breaks, you want people available to fix it. Avoid launching just before a weekend or a holiday.
Test as a visitor
Open the live site in a private window, logged out. Admin sessions can hide problems that your visitors will see.