Making a website live is not just the work of preparing all the pages and uploading them to the server. There are many technical, design, security, SEO, performance and usability-related things to check before the website is launched.

If a significant problem comes up after launch, it can have an impact on user experience, business inquiries, search visibility, and brand image.

Many times during website development, developers pay so much attention to functionality and design that small but important parts are missed. The contact form does not work, the layout on the mobile is broken, the images are too large, the old URLs are not redirected, the favicon is not installed, the analytics tracking does not work, or the necessary settings for search engines are wrong.

That's why it's useful to use a systematic checklist before launching a website. This helps the team ensure that the website is not only ready to be viewed, but also ready for actual use.

Let's know what are the important things to check before launching a website.

Website Launch Checklist at a Glance

1. Finally Review All the Pages of the Website

Make sure that all the necessary pages are present.

Check the following:

• There is no blank page.

• All headings are correct.

• Content is complete.

• The images appear correctly.

• The buttons are in the right place.

• Footer and header are displayed correctly on all pages.

• No placeholder text exists.

• Demo images or temporary content have been removed.

• Re-review pages that have been changed several times during development.

Page Review Checklist

2. Test Website Navigation

Navigation is one of the most important parts of the website. The user should reach from one page to another without confusion.

Click on all the navigation links.

Check:

• Whether the logo is linked to the homepage.

• Whether all the links in the main menu are working.

• Whether the dropdown menus are opening correctly.

• Whether the footer links are working.

• Whether breadcrumbs are correct.

• Whether the mobile menu is opening and closing correctly.

• Whether there are unnecessary steps to access a page.

If a 404 error is occurring on a link, it should be fixed before launch.

3. Test the Website on Different Devices

Mobile testing must be done before launching the website.

Just by looking at the website in the desktop browser, it is not right to assume that the website will work fine on all devices.

Screen Sizes to Test

Especially check whether:

• The text is not cut.

• The images are not going off the screen.

• The buttons can be easily pressed.

• The menu is opening correctly.

• Forms are usable on mobile.

• Tables are responsive when needed.

• Horizontal scrolling is not happening unnecessarily.

It is better to test the entire user journey of the website on mobile, not just the homepage.

4. Check Website Performance

It is very important to check the performance of the website before launching.

Large images, unnecessary scripts, heavy animations, and poorly optimized code can make a website slow.

Performance Review Checklist

Where possible, optimize images and remove files that are not needed by the website.

One important thing is that performance should not be checked only on the homepage. Key pages such as blog, product, service, and contact should also be tested.

5. Test All the Forms

Test the contact form, enquiry form, registration form, newsletter form and all other forms in a real way.

Check whether:

• Required fields are working correctly.

• The correct error is shown for an invalid email.

• Validation is happening on empty fields.

• The form is successfully submitted.

• The email is reaching the correct address.

• The data is being saved correctly in the database.

• The success message is visible.

• The user is getting clear information in case of an error.

Also confirm that the notification is actually reaching the person concerned by sending a test enquiry.

Form Testing Checklist

6. Check Buttons and Call-to-Action

All the important buttons on the website should be clicked.

For example, if a button appears but its link does not work, then the user journey may be affected.

The call-to-action should also be clear so that the visitor understands what they have to do next.

CTA Testing

7. Check for Broken Links

The website can have both internal and external links. Check all the important links before the launch.

In particular, test:

• Internal page links

• Blog links

• Product links

• Service links

• Download links

• Social media links

• Email links

• Phone links

If an old URL has been deleted, it can be redirected to the relevant new URL as per the requirement.

Link Testing Checklist

8. Create a 404 Page

Sometimes the user may open the wrong URL or an old page may not be available.

In this case, a proper 404 page can help the user understand that the requested page is unavailable and guide them toward other relevant parts of the website.

The 404 page should be checked before launch to ensure that it displays correctly and provides useful navigation options.

9. Test the Complete User Journey

Testing individual pages is important, but testing the complete user journey can reveal problems that are not visible when testing different pages separately.

For example, if the website is an e-commerce website, the complete journey can be:

Homepage → Product → Product Detail → Cart → Checkout → Payment → Confirmation

Similarly, a contact process can be:

Contact → Form Submit → Confirmation

Testing the entire journey from beginning to end can reveal problems between different parts of the website.

User Journey Testing

10. Check SEO Settings Before Launch

Search engine-related settings should be checked before the website goes live.

The following areas should be reviewed:

The website should also be reviewed to ensure that temporary or development settings do not prevent search engines from accessing the required pages.

11. Check Security and Access

Security should also be reviewed before the website launch.

Check:

• HTTPS is working.

• Admin access has been tested.

• Database access is working correctly.

• APIs are working as expected.

• Required security settings are enabled.

• Backup has been completed.

Security Checklist

12. Check Analytics and Tracking

Analytics tracking should be tested before launch so that user activity can be monitored after the website goes live.

Check whether:

• Analytics is installed.

• Tracking is working.

• Important events are being recorded where required.

• Forms and conversions can be monitored where required.

This makes it easier to monitor website performance and user activity after launch.

13. Check Favicon, Social Sharing and Legal Pages

Small elements can easily be missed during development, but they should also be reviewed before launch.

Check that:

• Favicon is added.

• Social sharing preview is working.

• Legal pages have been added.

• Content is proofread.

• Dummy content has been removed.

14. Check Domain, Hosting and Production Environment

Before launching the website, make sure the domain and hosting configuration are ready.

Check:

• Domain is correctly configured.

• Hosting is working.

• Production environment is tested.

• Database is connected correctly.

• APIs are connected correctly.

• SSL/HTTPS is working.

• The final website is running correctly in the production environment.

15. Prepare for Monitoring After Launch

Testing does not end even after the website is live.

Specifically monitor in the first few days:

If an unexpected problem arises, it can be quickly identified and fixed.

Complete Website Launch Checklist

This checklist can be easily copied and used before launching a website:

Final Website Launch Review

Before making the website live, the development team can use the following final review:

Conclusion

Using a checklist before launching a website gives the development team the opportunity to review not only the design and functionality, but also important areas such as SEO, security, performance, accessibility, and user experience.

A website can be considered truly launch-ready when all its important pages and features are working, its experience on mobile and desktop is correct, forms and integrations have been tested, security and backup arrangements are ready, and the necessary settings related to search engines are configured correctly.

The most important thing is that the website launch should not be seen as the last technical step. The launch is the beginning of a new phase. After the website is live, it may be necessary to constantly monitor and update the performance, security, analytics, user feedback and content.

If everything is checked according to a systematic checklist before launch, it becomes quite easy to identify and fix small problems before they reach the users. This allows the website to be live in a more professional, reliable and useful way.