Website launch review checklist
Run this list against your site before it goes live. Work through each section, check the box, and capture anything that fails so it gets fixed before — not after — launch.
A website launch is a discrete, high-stakes moment: once it's live, mistakes are public. This is the complete list to run against your own site before — and just after — it goes live. Work top to bottom, check each box, and capture anything that fails so it gets fixed instead of forgotten.
Content and copy
- Every page has its final copy — no lorem ipsum or placeholder text
- All headings, button labels, and links read correctly
- Spelling and grammar checked across every page
- Contact details, hours, and pricing are current and consistent everywhere
- Images have meaningful alt text For accessibility, and because search engines read it.
Design and responsive
- Layout holds on phone, tablet, and desktop widths
- No overlapping elements, cut-off text, or broken spacing at any breakpoint The most common launch bug is a layout that only got checked on one screen size.
- Fonts, colors, and spacing match the design
- Favicon and social-share (Open Graph) preview render correctly Paste a link into Slack or iMessage and confirm the preview looks right.
Functionality
- Every form submits, and both the success and error states work
- Form submissions actually arrive where they should (email, CRM, inbox) A form that looks fine but silently drops messages is a classic launch miss.
- All internal and external links resolve — no 404s
- Search, filters, and interactive components work
- The 404 page is styled and links back into the site
Technical and SEO
- Every page has a unique title tag and meta description
- Canonical URLs are set and point to the right place
- robots.txt allows indexing, and sitemap.xml is present and submitted A stray 'Disallow: /' carried over from staging is how sites launch invisible to Google.
- HTTPS is enforced with no mixed-content warnings
- Redirects from old URLs are in place if this replaces an existing site
Analytics and tracking
- Analytics is installed and recording on every page
- Conversion events (signup, purchase, contact) fire correctly
- Staging or test tracking IDs have been swapped for production ones
Performance and trust
- Pages load fast on a normal connection — images compressed, no oversized assets
- Privacy policy, terms, and a cookie notice are present where required
- Tested in more than one browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
Final visual sweep
- Click through every page one last time as a real visitor would Capture each issue with a screenshot and a note so nothing gets lost between finding it and fixing it.
Frequently asked questions
When should I run a website launch checklist?
Run it on staging in the day or two before launch, then again on production right after you go live. The pre-launch pass catches the expensive mistakes; the post-launch pass confirms nothing broke in the move to production.
What happens if I skip a step?
The most expensive launch misses are silent: a staging 'Disallow' that keeps you out of Google, a contact form that looks fine but never delivers, or a layout that breaks on mobile. The checklist exists to catch exactly the steps that are easy to assume are already done.
Capture your first review.
About a minute from open tab to a shareable URL your agent can ingest.
Start capturing