Website Launch Checklist

Launching a new website is an important milestone, but before you make it live, it is worth taking the time to check that everything is working properly.

A website launch checklist helps you review the important details before visitors and search engines begin finding your new site. From checking your content and contact details to testing forms, links and mobile usability, a final review can help you identify problems before they affect your customers.

Use this website launch checklist to make sure your new business website is ready to go live.

1. Check Your Website Content

Start by reviewing every important page on your website.

Check that:

All pages are complete
There is no placeholder text
Spelling and grammar have been checked
Business information is accurate
Services and products are described correctly
Prices are current, where applicable
Contact details are correct
Business hours are correct
Calls to action are clear
Important information is easy to find

It is also worth reading the website from the perspective of a potential customer. Can someone quickly understand what your business does and what they should do next?

2. Check Your Website Pages

Make sure every page you planned to include has been created and published.

Review your main pages, which may include:

Home
About
Services
Individual service pages
Products
Contact
FAQs
Testimonials
Portfolio or projects
Blog or resources

Remove unfinished pages from your navigation and make sure visitors cannot access pages that are not ready to be published.

3. Test Your Website Navigation

Visitors should be able to move easily between your pages.

Check:

Your main navigation
Dropdown menus
Footer links
Internal links
Buttons
Calls to action
Links to external websites

Click through the links on your website to make sure they lead to the correct pages.

A broken link or confusing navigation can quickly create a poor first impression.

4. Test Your Contact Forms

If your website includes contact forms, quote forms or booking forms, test every one of them.

Submit a test enquiry and make sure:

The form can be completed
Required fields work correctly
The confirmation message appears
The enquiry is delivered to the correct email address
You receive the notification

This is one of the most important checks before launching. A website that generates enquiries is of little use if the enquiries never reach you.

5. Check Your Contact Details

Review your contact information carefully.

Check your:

Phone number
Email address
Physical address
Postal address, where relevant
Business hours
Service areas
Social media links

Make sure this information is consistent across your website.

If your business has a physical location, check that any map or directions are accurate.

6. Check Your Website on Mobile

A large proportion of website visitors will use a phone, so don't only review your website on a desktop computer.

Check your website on different screen sizes where possible.

Look for:

Text that is difficult to read
Images that don't display correctly
Buttons that are difficult to tap
Navigation problems
Forms that are difficult to complete
Content that is cut off
Excessive spacing
Page elements that overlap

Your website should be easy to use regardless of the device someone is using.

7. Check Your Images

Review every image on your website before launch.

Make sure:

Images display correctly
The right images are being used
Image quality is suitable
Images are not unnecessarily large
Images support the content
Important images include appropriate descriptions where relevant

Also check that you have permission to use all images published on your website.

8. Check Your Calls to Action

Every important page should give visitors a clear next step.

Depending on your business, this might be:

Contact Us
Request a Quote
Call Now
Book Now
Make an Enquiry
Shop Online
Get Started

Review your website to make sure calls to action are easy to find and lead to the correct place.

9. Check Your Page Titles and Descriptions

Before launch, review the basic information used to describe your pages to search engines.

Each important page should have:

A clear page title
A relevant meta description
A clear main heading
Content that matches the topic of the page

Avoid using the same page title or description across multiple important pages.

10. Review Your Website URLs

Your website addresses should be easy to understand and logically organised.

For example:

yourwebsite.co.nz/services/

is generally easier to understand than a long URL containing unnecessary numbers or unrelated words.

Before launch, check that:

URLs are relevant to the page
The website structure is logical
Important pages use consistent URL formatting
Old or incorrect URLs are not being used

Try to avoid changing URLs unnecessarily once your website is established.

11. Check Your Website for Search Engines

Before launching, make sure search engines will be able to find and understand your website.

Review whether:

Important pages can be indexed
Page titles and descriptions are in place
Pages contain useful content
Internal links connect relevant pages
Important pages are not accidentally hidden from search engines

If your website was previously under development, make sure any settings that prevented search engines from accessing it are removed when the site goes live.

12. Check Website Security

Before launching, make sure your website is using a secure connection.

Your website should load using HTTPS.

You should also review:

Website login security
User access
Passwords
Software and plugin updates, where applicable
Backup options
Security features provided by your website platform

The exact requirements will depend on how your website has been built.

13. Check Website Performance

A slow website can create a frustrating experience for visitors.

Before launching, review:

Large images
Unnecessary website features
Pages with excessive content or elements
Mobile performance
Overall loading speed

Not every website needs to be stripped back to the bare minimum, but unnecessary elements that slow down the experience should be reconsidered.

14. Check Your Domain Name

Make sure your domain name is correctly connected to your website before launch.

Check that:

Your domain points to the correct website
The website loads correctly
Both the preferred version of your domain and alternative versions redirect appropriately
Email services continue working if they use the same domain

If you're moving an existing website, take additional care to avoid unnecessary downtime.

15. Set Up Website Analytics

Website analytics can help you understand how people use your website after launch.

Depending on the tools you use, you may be able to track:

Website visitors
Popular pages
Traffic sources
Visitor behaviour
Enquiries or conversions

Setting up analytics before or at launch gives you a starting point for measuring how your website performs over time.

16. Prepare for Launch Day

Once your final checks are complete, you're ready to publish your website.

After the site goes live:

Visit the live website
Test your main pages again
Test forms and contact details
Check important links
Review the website on mobile
Make sure the domain is working correctly

It's also a good idea to have someone else review the website. A fresh set of eyes may identify something you have missed.