First Website Launch Checklist: Build, Test and Publish
A website is ready to launch when people can use its important features and you can recover it if something goes wrong. A finished-looking homepage is only part of that decision.
Use this checklist for a small publication or business site. An online store, membership service or application may need additional tests for payments, accounts and data handling.
Before building: establish ownership and scope
- Write one sentence describing whom the website serves and what visitors should be able to do.
- Keep domain, hosting and website administration under accounts the owner can recover.
- Record renewal dates, full costs and who is responsible for maintenance.
- Choose a platform that supports the necessary features and an acceptable export path.
If you are buying the services now, the domain and hosting checklist covers account access and renewal. A bundled purchase can simplify setup, but the services still have separate responsibilities.
Connect the domain without breaking other services
Follow the hosting and DNS providers’ instructions. Changing nameservers is one method, not the only way to connect a website. Preserve records needed for email and other services if the domain is already in use.
Verify the intended hostname and HTTPS certificate, then test the public address. Allow for caching and validation instead of assuming all changes become visible at once. Keep a record of the prior DNS arrangement when changing an existing domain.
Publish the content visitors need
Make the homepage’s purpose clear and give visitors a useful next step. Provide accurate information about the organisation or author, a working contact route and the core content or services promised by the navigation.
Remove placeholders, copied template claims and unsupported testimonials. Use original or properly licensed images. Check that legal and privacy information reflects the site’s actual activities, with suitable advice where needed. A generated template should not silently describe tools or practices you do not use.
Test on small screens and with a keyboard
- Open the menu and follow the main visitor paths on a phone-sized screen.
- Check readable text, usable controls and layouts that do not require unnecessary sideways scrolling.
- Tab through links and forms, and confirm the focus is visible.
- Check labels, error messages, meaningful headings and appropriate image alternatives.
The W3C’s accessibility first-review checks provide a useful starting point. A quick review does not establish complete accessibility conformance, but it can reveal barriers worth fixing before launch.
Follow every form through to its destination
Submit a contact enquiry with test details and check that the intended person receives it. Check success and error messages, spam controls and any automated reply. Do not collect information you do not need.
For commerce, use the payment provider’s supported test process. Confirm basket changes, delivery and tax handling, payment results, order records and emails. Make sure the launch configuration is deliberate; neither a screenshot of checkout nor a successful homepage test proves payments work.
Arrange security and recovery
Use unique credentials and available multi-factor authentication. Restrict administrator access to people who need it. Maintain software from trusted sources and remove unused components when appropriate.
Set a backup schedule suitable for how often important data changes. Keep a recovery copy outside the live hosting account and test restoration. Record who can perform it and where the required access information is kept.
WordPress’s security guidance describes an ongoing operating responsibility. Installing a security plugin or enabling HTTPS does not finish that work.
Check performance and public URLs
Test representative pages, including an image-heavy page and any uncached workflow. Check links, missing media, redirects and error pages. Review the mobile experience as well as lab diagnostics; our website speed guide explains a repeatable baseline.
Choose stable URLs early. If replacing an existing site, map genuinely moved pages to relevant destinations and use the migration checklist to protect data during cutover.
Review search readiness when you are ready to be public
Check which pages should be discoverable and whether preview passwords or indexing restrictions remain. Review titles, page descriptions, canonical URLs and a sitemap that lists the intended pages.
Google’s SEO Starter Guide explains discovery and search presentation. A sitemap submission can help discovery, but does not guarantee indexing or rankings. Keep private or unfinished sections restricted deliberately.
Make the launch decision and schedule maintenance
Record unresolved issues and the person responsible. Fix anything blocking an important workflow, safe operation or recovery before announcing the site. Then monitor forms, errors and availability after launch.
Keep a routine for updates, content review, renewal and recovery tests. The hosting FAQ can help with questions that arise once the website is in use.
