Website Launch Checklist 2026 | Free Resource

Launching a website without proper checks can lead to embarrassing errors, security vulnerabilities, and lost revenue. This comprehensive checklist ensures nothing slips through the cracks.

PRE-LAUNCH TECHNICAL CHECKS

12 items

SSL Certificate Installed Verify HTTPS works on all pages. Check for mixed content warnings.
Domain DNS Configured Both www and non-www versions resolve correctly. Set up proper redirects.
404 Error Page Created Custom 404 page with navigation back to main site.
Favicon Implemented Multiple sizes for different devices. Include Apple touch icon.
robots.txt Configured Allow important pages, block admin/private routes.
XML Sitemap Generated Include all public pages. Submit to Google Search Console.
All Forms Tested Contact forms, sign-ups, checkouts all working. Check email delivery.
Broken Links Checked Run a crawler to find any 404s or broken internal/external links.
Images Optimized WebP/AVIF format. Proper sizing. Alt text on all images.
Mobile Responsiveness Test on actual devices. Check all breakpoints. No horizontal scroll.
Cross-Browser Testing Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. Check on different OS versions.
Performance Audit Run Lighthouse. Target: LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1

SEO ESSENTIALS

10 items

Unique Title Tags Under 60 characters. Include primary keyword. Each page unique.
Meta Descriptions Under 155 characters. Include keyword and CTA. Unique per page.
Canonical Tags Self-referencing canonical on every page. Prevent duplicate content.
Open Graph Tags og:title, og:description, og:image for social sharing.
Heading Hierarchy Only ONE H1 per page. Logical H2 → H3 → H4 structure.
Schema Markup Organization, LocalBusiness, Article, FAQ, BreadcrumbList as needed.
Clean URL Structure Lowercase, hyphens, descriptive. No query parameters for main pages.
Internal Linking Every page reachable in 3 clicks max. Contextual anchor text.
Image Alt Text Descriptive alt text on all images. Include keywords naturally.
Google Search Console Site verified. Sitemap submitted. Check for crawl errors.

CONTENT & COPY

8 items

Spelling & Grammar Run through Grammarly or similar. Have someone proofread.
Contact Information Phone, email, address verified and up to date.
Legal Pages Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Cookie Policy as required.
Copyright Year Footer copyright shows current year. Consider dynamic year.
Placeholder Content Removed No "Lorem ipsum" or "[YOUR TEXT HERE]" remaining.
Social Links Working All social media links go to correct profiles. Open in new tab.
Call-to-Actions Clear Every page has a clear next step for visitors.
Testimonials Approved Client permission obtained for any quotes or logos used.

SECURITY & COMPLIANCE

8 items

HTTPS Everywhere All resources load over HTTPS. No mixed content.
Security Headers X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, CSP configured.
Form Validation Server-side validation. Input sanitization. CSRF protection.
Admin Access Secured Strong passwords. 2FA enabled. Admin routes not publicly accessible.
Cookie Consent GDPR-compliant cookie banner if using tracking/analytics.
Data Backup Automated backups configured. Tested restore process.
Dependencies Updated No known vulnerabilities in packages. Run npm audit or similar.
Environment Variables No secrets in code. All sensitive data in env vars.

ANALYTICS & TRACKING

6 items

Google Analytics GA4 installed and tracking. Verify in real-time reports.
Conversion Tracking Form submissions, purchases, key actions tracked as events.
Search Console Property verified. Sitemap submitted. Index coverage checked.
Facebook Pixel If using Facebook ads, pixel installed and events configured.
Heatmap Tool Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, or similar for user behavior insights.
Uptime Monitoring Set up alerts for downtime. UptimeRobot, Pingdom, or similar.

FINAL CHECKS