Web Development
A practical checklist before you launch a new website
Launch day goes well when the dull details were handled the week before. Use this checklist to catch the problems visitors would otherwise find for you.
A website is rarely finished on launch day, but it should be ready. The difference is a short list of checks that are easy to skip when a deadline is close.
Content
- Every page has a clear title and a description for search results
- No placeholder text or sample images are left
- Contact details, opening hours and prices are correct
- Each language version has been read by someone who speaks it
How it works
- Forms send to the right inbox, and someone is watching it
- Pages load quickly on a phone over mobile data
- The site looks right in Chrome, Safari and Firefox
- Links, buttons and downloads all go where they say
Behind the scenes
- HTTPS is on and the old addresses redirect to the new ones
- Analytics is installed and recording visits
- Backups run automatically and have been restored once as a test
- Someone owns the domain renewal and the hosting account
After launch
Check the site again the next morning, then a week later. Search engines take time to pick up changes, and real visitors always find something a test did not. Plan a small amount of time for those fixes rather than treating launch as the end of the project.
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