Website launch checklist: what to check before go-live
Launching a website is the riskiest moment in the whole project — the point where small oversights become live, public problems. A checklist turns launch from a leap of faith into a controlled step. Here is what to verify before you go live, grouped so nothing important slips through.
By the Media On Tap editorial team · Published 10 September 2026 · Updated 10 September 2026
Most launch disasters are not exotic — they are small things nobody checked: a form that does not send, a page set to “no index”, a broken link on the homepage, analytics that were never installed. A checklist exists because human memory does not, and because the cost of catching these before launch is a minute and the cost of catching them after is a lost customer. Run through this before any site goes live.
Why a checklist
Launch is when everything comes together and everything can go wrong at once. A checklist makes it systematic: instead of hoping you remembered, you verify. It is especially critical for a redesign, where a missed redirect can lose rankings you spent years earning. Treat the list below as a gate the site must pass through, not a nice-to-have.
Content and design
- Proofread every page — typos and placeholder text (“Lorem ipsum”, “insert copy here”) are gone.
- All images load, are the right ones, and have descriptive alt text.
- Contact details, address and business information are correct and consistent everywhere.
- The design displays correctly across browsers and on mobile, tablet and desktop.
- Every call to action and button goes where it should.
SEO and technical
- The site is set to be indexed — the “discourage search engines” setting is OFF.
- Every page has a unique title tag and meta description.
- An XML sitemap exists and is ready to submit to Search Console.
- For a redesign: every old URL is redirected to its new equivalent.
- No broken links, and no links still pointing to the staging or development site.
- Structured data is in place where appropriate.
Performance and accessibility
- Pages load fast — images optimised, caching on, Core Web Vitals passing on mobile.
- The site works by keyboard, has good colour contrast, and meets accessibility basics.
- Favicon, social share images and metadata display correctly.
- SSL is active — the whole site loads over HTTPS with no mixed-content warnings.
Analytics, legal and testing
- Analytics (e.g. GA4) is installed and tracking, with key conversions set up.
- Every form submits correctly and the notification/thank-you flow works.
- Privacy policy, terms and any required cookie notice are in place.
- A backup exists, and you know how to restore it.
- A final click-through of the whole site on a real phone, as a real visitor would.
Work through each group, fix anything that fails, and only then launch. Ten minutes of checking prevents the kind of live problem that costs far more than ten minutes to recover from.
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Frequently asked questions
Group it: content and design (proofreading, images and alt text, correct business details, cross-device display, working CTAs); SEO and technical (indexing on, unique titles and meta, sitemap, redirects for a redesign, no broken or staging links); performance and accessibility (fast load, Core Web Vitals, keyboard and contrast, SSL); and analytics, legal and testing (analytics and conversions installed, forms working, policies in place, a backup, and a final real-device click-through).
That the content is finished and proofread, the design works on every device and browser, the site is set to be indexed with unique titles and meta and a sitemap, all links and forms work, redirects are in place for a redesign, the site is fast and secure over HTTPS, accessibility basics are met, analytics is tracking conversions, legal pages are present, and you have a backup. Then do a final click-through on a real phone.
It is a structured list of everything to verify before (and around) launching a website, so nothing important is missed — covering content, design, SEO, technical setup, performance, accessibility, analytics and legal requirements. It turns launch from a hopeful leap into a controlled, systematic step. Because launch is the riskiest moment in a project, a checklist is how professionals make sure small oversights do not become live problems.
Check it across browsers and on real phones, tablets and desktops; click every link and submit every form to confirm they work; verify pages load fast and pass Core Web Vitals on mobile; test keyboard navigation and contrast for accessibility; confirm SSL and no mixed content; and make sure analytics is tracking. Finish with a full click-through of the whole site as a real visitor would experience it, on a real device.
Confirm the site is set to be indexed (the “discourage search engines” option is off), every page has a unique title and meta description, an XML sitemap exists to submit to Search Console, and structured data is in place where useful. For a redesign, verify that every old URL redirects to its new equivalent and no links point to the staging site. These prevent the most common and costly launch-day SEO mistakes.
Go deeper on the decision
The platform guides and the framework behind this comparison.
The website design process
Where the launch checklist fits in a project.
Read the guide LearnWebsite speed
The performance checks on the list, explained.
Read the guide LearnWebsite accessibility
The accessibility checks on the list, explained.
Read the guide WebsiteRedesign without losing your SEO
The redirect and SEO checks for a relaunch.
Read the guide