Who this checklist is for
You run a business and a new website is about to go live: your first site, or a fresh build that replaces an old one. This list covers what only the owner can decide or confirm, from the first button visitors see to the checks worth repeating once real customers start using the site.
If you are taking over a site that already exists, or someone is handing one to you, the handover checklist is the better fit. It covers access and records rather than launch decisions.
Website launch checklist
Work through it from the top. Ticks are stored only in this browser, so you can pick up where you left off on the same device.
How to use the launch checklist
Start about two weeks before the date you want to go live. The first group holds decisions only you can make. The second is the final review, the third is the day itself, and the fourth covers the first month, when small problems are cheapest to fix.
Use "Copy what is left" to paste your open items into a note or a message to whoever is building the site. If an item does not apply to you, such as old pages when this is your first website, tick it and move on.
What "done" looks like for the hardest items
These are the items people tick too early. Here is the standard to hold yourself to.
- The one action. You can finish the sentence "Someone lands on the site and the first thing they should do is..." with a single answer, and that action is the top button on the home page and on every service page.
- Old pages people still visit. You have a list of the old addresses that customers bookmark or that other sites link to, and each one now sends visitors to the matching new page instead of an error.
- The live form test. The message came from the live site rather than the preview, it landed in an inbox you check daily, it did not end up in spam, and your reply reached the sender.
- Matching your listings. Your business name, hours and area on the website read exactly like your Google Business Profile, down to the suite number and the abbreviation of the street.
Common launch mistakes
- Going live late on a Friday or the day before a holiday, when nobody is around if a button misbehaves.
- Approving every page on a laptop only, even though many visitors will open the site on a phone.
- Leaving sample text or stock photos in a corner of a page that nobody opened during review.
- Changing the website but not the link on listings and social profiles, so people keep landing on the old address.
- Treating launch day as the finish line. The first month is when customers show you what is unclear.
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep going
Website in 48 hours · Website brief generator · Redesign without losing traffic · Website handover checklist
