Website launch checklist with checkboxes and launch preparation steps

Website Launch Checklist 2026: 50 Essential Steps

Author profile Xavier Masse
Published on

Launching a website is a critical moment that can make or break your online success. A rushed launch with missing elements can damage your brand reputation and lose potential customers. This comprehensive checklist ensures your website is ready for success from day one. For a deeper understanding of the full process, read our web design and development guide.

Pre-Launch Planning (2-4 weeks before launch)

1. Project Timeline and Deadlines

  • Set launch date and stick to it
  • Create milestone deadlines for each phase
  • Assign responsibilities to team members
  • Plan buffer time for unexpected issues
  • Schedule launch during low-traffic hours

2. Content Preparation

  • All content written and proofread
  • Images optimized and properly sized
  • Videos compressed and embedded
  • Legal pages (Privacy Policy, Terms of Service)
  • Contact information accurate and complete

3. Design and Branding

  • Logo finalized and implemented
  • Color scheme consistent throughout
  • Typography choices finalized
  • Brand guidelines followed
  • Favicon created and uploaded

Technical Preparation (1-2 weeks before launch)

4. Domain and Hosting

  • Domain name registered and configured
  • Hosting account set up and tested
  • DNS settings properly configured
  • Email accounts set up (if needed)
  • Backup hosting plan in place

5. SSL Certificate and Security

  • SSL certificate installed and working
  • HTTPS redirect configured
  • Security headers implemented
  • Firewall configured (if applicable)
  • Regular backups scheduled

6. Performance Optimization

  • Images compressed and optimized
  • CSS and JavaScript minified
  • Caching implemented
  • CDN configured (if applicable)
  • Page speed tested and optimized

Content and SEO (1-2 weeks before launch)

7. On-Page SEO

  • Meta titles written for all pages
  • Meta descriptions written for all pages
  • Heading structure (H1, H2, H3) properly implemented
  • Alt text added to all images
  • Internal linking structure in place

8. Technical SEO

  • XML sitemap created and submitted
  • Robots.txt file configured
  • Canonical tags implemented
  • Schema markup added (if applicable)
  • URL structure clean and logical

9. Content Quality

  • All text proofread and error-free
  • Images high-quality and relevant
  • Links working and pointing to correct pages
  • Contact information accurate
  • Call-to-action buttons clear and prominent

Functionality Testing (1 week before launch)

10. Cross-Browser Testing

  • Chrome - all features working
  • Firefox - all features working
  • Safari - all features working
  • Edge - all features working
  • Mobile browsers tested

11. Mobile Responsiveness

  • iPhone (various sizes) tested
  • Android (various sizes) tested
  • Tablet (iPad, Android) tested
  • Touch interactions working properly
  • Text readable on all screen sizes

12. Form Functionality

  • Contact forms working and sending emails
  • Newsletter signup functioning
  • Search functionality working (if applicable)
  • User registration working (if applicable)
  • Error messages clear and helpful

13. E-commerce Testing (if applicable)

  • Product pages displaying correctly
  • Shopping cart functioning
  • Checkout process working
  • Payment processing tested
  • Order confirmation emails working

Analytics and Tracking (1 week before launch)

14. Analytics Setup

  • Google Analytics installed and configured
  • Google Search Console set up
  • Conversion tracking implemented
  • Goal tracking set up
  • E-commerce tracking configured (if applicable)

15. Monitoring Tools

  • Uptime monitoring set up
  • Error tracking configured
  • Performance monitoring in place
  • Security monitoring activated
  • Backup monitoring configured

Security and Compliance (1 week before launch)

16. Security Measures

  • Strong passwords set for all accounts
  • Two-factor authentication enabled
  • Security plugins installed (if WordPress)
  • File permissions properly set
  • Database secured
  • Privacy Policy published and accessible
  • Terms of Service published and accessible
  • Cookie policy implemented (if applicable)
  • GDPR compliance checked (if applicable)
  • Accessibility standards met (WCAG 2.1)

Final Testing (3-5 days before launch)

18. User Experience Testing

  • Navigation intuitive and working
  • Page loading fast on all devices
  • Content easy to read and understand
  • Call-to-action buttons prominent
  • Error pages (404, 500) customized

19. Performance Testing

  • Page speed under 3 seconds
  • Core Web Vitals scores good
  • Mobile performance optimized
  • Image loading optimized
  • JavaScript loading properly

20. Content Review

  • All pages reviewed for accuracy
  • Contact information verified
  • Social media links working
  • External links working
  • Copyright information accurate

Launch Day Preparation

21. Pre-Launch Checklist

  • Final backup created
  • Launch plan communicated to team
  • Support team ready for issues
  • Monitoring tools active
  • Rollback plan prepared

22. Launch Execution

  • DNS changes made
  • Website goes live
  • SSL certificate verified
  • All pages accessible
  • Forms tested and working

Post-Launch Monitoring (First 48 hours)

23. Immediate Checks

  • Website loading properly
  • All pages accessible
  • Forms sending emails
  • Analytics tracking data
  • Error logs checked

24. Performance Monitoring

  • Page speed maintained
  • Uptime monitoring active
  • Error rates within normal range
  • User feedback collected
  • Issues addressed quickly

Marketing and Promotion (Launch week)

25. Social Media

  • Launch announcement posted
  • Social media profiles updated
  • Hashtags used appropriately
  • Engagement monitored
  • Feedback responded to

26. Email Marketing

  • Launch email sent to subscribers
  • Newsletter updated with new site
  • Email signatures updated
  • Follow-up emails planned
  • Open rates monitored
  • Google Search Console submitted
  • Bing Webmaster Tools submitted
  • Sitemap submitted to search engines
  • Local listings updated
  • Directory submissions made

Ongoing Maintenance (Post-launch)

28. Regular Monitoring

  • Daily uptime checks
  • Weekly performance reviews
  • Monthly security scans
  • Quarterly content updates
  • Annual design reviews

29. Content Updates

  • Blog posts published regularly
  • Product information updated
  • Contact information maintained
  • Legal pages reviewed annually
  • Images refreshed as needed

30. Technical Maintenance

  • Software updates applied regularly
  • Security patches installed
  • Backups verified monthly
  • Performance optimized continuously
  • Analytics reviewed monthly

Emergency Preparedness

31. Backup and Recovery

  • Full site backup before launch
  • Database backup created
  • File backup created
  • Recovery procedure documented
  • Backup testing performed

32. Issue Response Plan

  • Contact information for support team
  • Escalation procedure defined
  • Communication plan for issues
  • Rollback procedure tested
  • Post-incident review process

Quality Assurance

33. Final Quality Checks

  • Spelling and grammar checked
  • Links tested and working
  • Images displaying correctly
  • Videos playing properly
  • Downloads working (if applicable)

34. User Acceptance Testing

  • Beta users tested the site
  • Feedback collected and addressed
  • Issues documented and fixed
  • Approval received from stakeholders
  • Launch approved by all parties

Launch Day Checklist

35. Launch Day Tasks

  • Wake up early and check everything
  • Final backup created
  • Team ready and available
  • Monitoring tools active
  • Launch executed according to plan

36. Post-Launch Tasks

  • Website verified as live
  • All functionality tested
  • Analytics confirmed working
  • Team notified of successful launch
  • Celebration planned (optional but recommended!)

Common Launch Day Issues

37. DNS Issues

  • DNS propagation can take 24-48 hours
  • Clear browser cache and test
  • Use different DNS servers to test
  • Contact hosting provider if issues persist
  • Have patience during propagation

38. SSL Certificate Issues

  • Certificate properly installed
  • Mixed content issues resolved
  • HTTPS redirect working
  • Certificate not expired
  • Browser warnings addressed

39. Performance Issues

  • CDN properly configured
  • Caching enabled and working
  • Images optimized
  • Database queries optimized
  • Server resources adequate

Success Metrics

40. Key Performance Indicators

  • Page load time under 3 seconds
  • Uptime above 99.9%
  • Conversion rate meeting goals
  • Bounce rate within acceptable range
  • User engagement positive

41. Monitoring and Reporting

  • Daily reports for first week
  • Weekly reports for first month
  • Monthly reports ongoing
  • Quarterly reviews planned
  • Annual assessments scheduled

Post-Launch Optimization

42. Continuous Improvement

  • User feedback collected regularly
  • Analytics data analyzed monthly
  • A/B testing planned
  • Performance optimized continuously
  • Content updated regularly

43. Growth Planning

  • Traffic goals set and monitored
  • Conversion goals defined
  • Expansion plans considered
  • New features planned
  • Budget allocated for improvements

Final Verification

44. Last-Minute Checks

  • All checkboxes completed
  • Team ready and confident
  • Backup plan in place
  • Monitoring active
  • Launch approved

45. Launch Day Success

  • Website live and accessible
  • All features working
  • Performance meeting expectations
  • Team celebrating success
  • Next steps planned

Conclusion

This comprehensive checklist ensures your website launch is successful and sets you up for long-term success. Remember:

  • Start early and give yourself plenty of time
  • Test thoroughly on multiple devices and browsers
  • Have a backup plan for any issues
  • Monitor closely after launch
  • Celebrate your success!

Ready to launch your website? Contact us for a free consultation and launch support. Also check out our SEO services to launch with strong visibility.

A successful website launch is just the beginning. Ongoing monitoring, optimization, and updates are essential for long-term success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about this topic.

  • Before launching, check technical functionality, mobile responsiveness, page speed, SEO optimization, security measures, content accuracy, contact forms, analytics setup, and backup systems. This checklist covers all essential pre-launch steps.

  • Start the checklist 2-4 weeks before your planned launch date. This gives you time to fix issues, test thoroughly, and ensure everything is working perfectly before going live.

  • The most critical items are: mobile responsiveness, page speed optimization, SSL certificate, contact forms working, analytics setup, backup system, and content accuracy. These directly impact user experience and business success.

  • Yes, absolutely. Test on multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, desktops) and browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) to ensure consistent functionality and appearance across all platforms.

  • Implement HTTPS/SSL certificate, strong passwords, regular backups, security plugins (if using WordPress), input validation, and consider a web application firewall (WAF) for additional protection.

  • Optimize meta titles and descriptions, implement proper heading structure, add alt text to images, create XML sitemap, submit to Google Search Console, and ensure fast loading times for better search rankings.

  • Document all issues, prioritize by severity (critical, high, medium, low), fix critical issues immediately, and consider delaying launch if major problems are found. It's better to launch late than to launch with significant issues.

  • Set up Google Analytics, Google Search Console, uptime monitoring, error tracking, and performance monitoring tools. Regular monitoring helps identify and fix issues quickly after launch.