Website Launch Checklist: 25 Things to Check Before Going Live

Launching a new website is exciting, and it is also when small mistakes slip through. A contact form that sends enquiries to an old email address, a page still blocked from Google, or a missing privacy policy can quietly cost you leads for months before anyone notices.

This 25-point website launch checklist is grouped into eight areas. Work through it with your developer a few days before launch, and again on launch day for the items marked as live checks.

Content checks (1–4)

1. Proofread every page. Check spelling, grammar, prices, phone numbers, addresses and business hours. Ask someone who has not written the content to read it too.
2. Remove placeholder content. Search for "lorem ipsum", "sample", "test" and demo images left over from a theme.
3. Test every link. Internal links, menu items, footer links and buttons should all go to the right place. Use a link checker to find broken ones.
4. Check images. Make sure you have the rights to use every photo, that images are not stretched or blurry, and that each meaningful image has descriptive alt text.

SEO checks (5–9)

5. Unique title and meta description on each page. Lead with what the page is about, keep titles around 50–60 characters and descriptions around 150.
6. One clear H1 per page and a logical heading structure underneath.
7. Remove "noindex" and check robots.txt. Staging sites are often blocked from search engines; make sure the live site is not.
8. Create and submit an XML sitemap in Google Search Console and verify your domain there.
9. Set up 301 redirects if you are replacing an old website, so old URLs point to their new equivalents and you keep existing rankings.

If you serve a local area, also add your business name, address and phone number consistently and connect the site to your Google Business Profile.

Performance checks (10–12)

10. Optimise images. Convert large JPG and PNG files with a WebP converter and shrink file sizes with an image compressor before uploading.
11. Enable caching and compression on the server, and use a CDN if your visitors are spread across regions.
12. Test speed on mobile. Run key pages through PageSpeed Insights and aim for good Core Web Vitals: LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP within 200 ms and CLS under 0.1. Our guide to Core Web Vitals explains each metric.

Security checks (13–16)

13. Install SSL and force HTTPS across the entire site, including images and scripts, so browsers do not show "not secure" warnings.
14. Use strong, unique admin passwords and two-factor authentication where available. Remove test user accounts.
15. Update everything: CMS, themes, plugins, framework and server software. Remove any plugins you are not using.
16. Set up automatic backups stored away from the main server, and test that a backup can actually be restored.

Legal and compliance checks (17–19)

17. Publish a privacy policy explaining what personal data you collect (form entries, cookies, analytics), why, and how people can contact you about it. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 makes clear, honest data practices increasingly important.
18. Add terms and conditions, plus refund, cancellation and shipping policies if you sell online. Payment gateways usually require these before approving your account.
19. Show business details clearly: legal name, address, contact details and GSTIN where relevant. Add a cookie notice if you use non-essential cookies or serve visitors from regions that require consent.

Analytics, mobile and forms checks (20–25)

Analytics

20. Install Google Analytics 4 and Search Console and confirm data is arriving using real-time reports.
21. Set up conversion tracking for the actions that matter: form submissions, phone clicks, WhatsApp clicks and purchases. Add Meta Pixel or other ad tags if you plan to run campaigns.

Mobile

22. Test on real phones, not just a resized desktop browser. Try at least one Android device and one iPhone, and check the menu, buttons, tables and pop-ups.
23. Check tap targets and text size. Buttons should be easy to tap with a thumb, phone numbers should be click-to-call, and text should be readable without zooming.

Forms

24. Submit every form yourself and confirm the enquiry reaches the right inbox, does not land in spam, and the visitor sees a clear thank-you message.
25. Protect forms from spam with a CAPTCHA or honeypot field, and validate inputs such as phone numbers and email addresses.

After launch: the first two weeks

Going live is not the finish line. In the first couple of weeks:

• Watch Search Console for crawl errors, indexing issues and manual actions.
• Check analytics daily to confirm conversions are being recorded.
• Ask a few customers to use the site and tell you what confused them.
• Keep a short list of fixes and improvements, and schedule them rather than leaving them to chance.

Frequently asked questions

How long before launch should I start this checklist?

Start about a week before your planned launch date. That leaves time to fix content and technical issues without rushing. Repeat the live checks, such as forms, HTTPS and analytics, on launch day itself.

Do small business websites really need a privacy policy?

Yes, if you collect any personal information, including names and phone numbers through a contact form or data through analytics. A clear privacy policy builds trust and is required by most payment gateways, ad platforms and app stores.

When will my new website appear on Google?

After you submit your sitemap, Google typically starts crawling within days, but ranking for competitive searches takes longer and depends on content quality, competition and links. Requesting indexing for key pages in Search Console can help them get discovered sooner.

Need help launching your website?

If you would like a second pair of eyes before going live, or a team to handle the build and launch end to end, we can help. Our team is based in Patna and works with businesses across India and abroad, with a free consultation and fixed, itemised quotes.

Learn more about our web development service or get in touch.