So you’ve planned your content, designed your pages, and added the finishing touches, but before you hit that publish button, it’s time to go through this handy Website Launch Checklist.
Building a website can take weeks, even months. By the time you’re ready to publish, it’s easy to overlook small but vital details. A website launch checklist helps you catch those last-minute issues before they cause problems for your visitors.
Without a checklist, you might miss:
Broken links that frustrate users
A contact form that doesn’t work
SEO settings that are blank or poorly written
Accessibility problems that block some people from using your site
Missing legal information that could get you into trouble
Think of it like a final walkthrough before opening a shop. Everything should be clean, working, and welcoming. A bit of extra care now saves time, embarrassment, and lost opportunities later.
This checklist is especially useful if you’ve built your site yourself or used a DIY builder. It gives you peace of mind that your website is ready for the world — and shows your visitors that you’ve taken your online presence seriously.
1. Is Your Content Clear and Complete?
🟢 Check spelling and grammar
Even small mistakes can make your site look rushed. Run everything through a spellchecker, and ideally get someone else to read it.
🟢 Make sure every page has a purpose
Refer back to your content plan (see Creating a Simple Content Plan). Each page should be focused and helpful to your visitor.
🟢 Have you included contact details?
Make sure people can reach you easily, either with a contact form, email address, or clear call to action.
2. Are All the Links Working?
🟢 Test every link
Go through the site and click every internal and external link. Nothing says “unfinished” like a broken link.
🟢 Check buttons and menus
Navigation should work smoothly on all devices. Make sure your visitors can easily find what they need (see Creating Navigation That Makes Sense).
3. Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?
🟢 Test on phones and tablets
Over half of internet users browse on their phones. Your site should look good and work well on smaller screens. This links back to Designing for Mobile Devices.
🟢 Try it in different browsers
Check how your site looks in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Layout and fonts can behave differently across browsers.
4. Have You Optimised for SEO?
🟢 Do your pages have keywords and meta descriptions?
Every page should focus on one topic. Add a short, clear meta description using your focus keyword (see SEO Essentials).
🟢 Are your images labelled with alt text?
This helps both with search engines and accessibility (see Website Accessibility).
🟢 Do your headings make sense?
Use heading tags in the right order (H1, H2, H3, etc.), and keep them relevant to the page content (see Understanding Heading Tags).
5. Have You Covered Accessibility?
🟢 Can people navigate using a keyboard?
Test your site by using just the Tab key to move through the page. This helps users who rely on keyboard navigation.
🟢 Do your colours have enough contrast?
Poor contrast can make text hard to read. Use a tool like Waves web accessibility tool to check.
🟢 Have you added alt text and labels?
Make sure all images, buttons, and input fields have proper descriptions (see Accessibility Basics for Inclusive Design).
6. Is Your Domain, Hosting and SSL Ready?
🟢 Domain linked properly?
Make sure your domain name is connected to your live site (see What Is a Domain Name?).
🟢 Hosting is up and running?
Your website should load quickly and reliably (see What Is Hosting, and Do You Need It?).
🟢 SSL certificate in place?
Check that your site loads with “https”, this means it’s secure. Most browsers show a padlock icon in the address bar (see What Is SSL and Why It Matters).
7. Is Everything Legal and Safe?
🟢 Have a privacy policy and cookie notice
These are required in many countries, including the UK. If you collect any data (like contact forms), you’ll need them.
🟢 Don’t forget your terms of service
This can be especially important for online shops or service providers.
🟢 Add security plugins or features
If you’re using WordPress, install a trusted security plugin. Even basic protection helps.
8. Are You Ready to Launch?
🟢 Add your site to Google Search Console
It’s free, and it helps Google index your site properly. You can also track how well your site is doing.
🟢 Connect analytics
Google Analytics (or a simpler tool) lets you see how people find and use your website.
🟢 Create a backup
If something goes wrong, a backup means you won’t lose all your work.
9. Bonus: First Impressions Count
🟢 Look at your homepage as a new visitor
Is it clear what your site is about? Do you know what to do next?
🟢 Ask someone else to test it
Fresh eyes will catch things you’ve missed. Ask a friend, family member, or someone in your target audience to try it out.
🧠 Final Thought
Launching your website is a huge step, well done for getting this far! By taking the time to go through this website launch checklist, you’ll avoid common mistakes and start strong.
Remember, your website isn’t something you finish once and never touch again. It’s a living part of your business or project. You can tweak it, update it, and keep improving as you go. Even if it isn’t 100% think of it as work in progress and gradually polished over time.
Now you’re ready to press “publish” and share your site with the world.
