What is the single most important pre-launch check?

Walking the contact path end to end, on a real phone: tap the WhatsApp button, dial from the number on the site, submit the form and verify the inquiry actually reaches you. New sites have gone live with forms sending to the designer's email - discovered only after a month of "strange quiet".

I am replacing an existing site with a new one. What must not be missed?

The 301 redirects: every old URL that ranks on Google or is printed anywhere must redirect to its new counterpart. Without it, visitors from old links hit error pages, and Google loses the accumulated rankings. This is the check separating a smooth replacement from an SEO catastrophe.

How long after launch does the site appear on Google?

Pages of a properly submitted site (sitemap in Search Console) start getting crawled within days, but real rankings on competitive terms build over months. A brand-new site starts from zero trust; a site replacing a veteran one with correct redirects inherits most of its ranking within weeks.

What should be checked the day after launch?

Three things: Search Console reports no crawl errors, inquiries sent from the live site actually arrive (test the form again in production), and measurement works - visit from your phone and confirm the visit registers in analytics. After a week, run another PageSpeed test in the real environment.

Launch Checklist: 20 Checks Before a Site Goes Live

Launching a new website is like opening a restaurant: everyone stares at the design and the menu, and nobody checks whether the gas is connected. Then the first customer arrives.

After hundreds of launches, this is the list I run before every go-live. Twenty checks, five groups, about two hours. Save it - it prevents the embarrassing “wait, the form doesn’t work” email.

Group 1: content (the face of the business)

1. All texts proofread. A typo in the main headline is the worst possible first impression.

2. No placeholder text. Search the whole site for “Lorem”. One always hides somewhere.

3. Contact details correct everywhere. Phone, email, address, hours - including the footer nobody remembers to update.

4. The images are right and sharp. No leftover template stock photos, no blurry logo.

Group 2: technical (the gas and electricity)

5. The contact path works end to end. The most critical check of all: submit a real form and confirm it reached you (not the designer). Tap the WhatsApp. Dial from the link.

6. Flawless on mobile. Not “looks fine” - walk every page on a real phone.

7. Every link lives. No broken links, no buttons leading nowhere.

8. HTTPS valid. A padlock on every page, and all address variants (with and without www) funneling into one.

9. PageSpeed score checked. On mobile. Before launch, while fixing is still easy.

10. A designed 404 page exists. Typos happen, and an error page with navigation home keeps the visitor with you.

Group 3: SEO (so Google finds you)

11. Every page has a unique title and description. These are the lines shown in search results. “Home” is not a title.

12. 301 redirects from the old site. If you replaced a site, this is the item that saves your rankings: every old URL points to its new counterpart.

13. Sitemap submitted to Search Console. That is how Google discovers the site fast - and how you will see crawl errors.

14. The development block removed. Sites are built hidden from Google. Forgetting to unhide = a site that doesn’t exist. (Happens more than you’d imagine.)

15. Basic Schema in place. At least the local business details, ideally FAQs too.

Group 4: accessibility (the law and the customers)

16. Basic accessibility passes. Contrast, alt texts, keyboard navigation. The full checklist here.

17. An accessibility statement is published. The duty that doubles as your defense.

18. Terms and privacy policy too. If you collect details in a form, these are not optional.

Group 5: measurement (so you know what happens)

19. Measurement tools installed and working. Analytics registers visits, and the conversion events (WhatsApp, phone, form) are defined. The four numbers are waiting.

20. Backup and access documentation. Who holds the domain, hosting and analytics? All written down and stored with you. We learned why the hard way.

Bottom line

Launch day is not the time to discover the gas is disconnected. These twenty checks take two hours and cover the five areas where months of work get undone in minutes: content, technical, SEO, accessibility and measurement. And if you work with a professional web developer, this list is also an excellent test of them: ask to walk through it together before going live.

Want a launch that passes all twenty without you having to remember any? That’s what our process looks like ↗

Launch Checklist: 20 Things to Verify Before Your New Website Goes Live

Group 1: content (the face of the business)

Group 2: technical (the gas and electricity)

Group 3: SEO (so Google finds you)

Group 4: accessibility (the law and the customers)

Group 5: measurement (so you know what happens)

Bottom line

Questions & Answers

Group 1: content (the face of the business)

Group 2: technical (the gas and electricity)

Group 3: SEO (so Google finds you)

Group 4: accessibility (the law and the customers)

Group 5: measurement (so you know what happens)

Bottom line

Questions & Answers

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