Checklist
Website
launch checklist
The most expensive website bug is the contact form nobody tested. These are the 28 checks we run before any site goes live, each with a clear pass or fail, so you launch knowing every inquiry lands where it should.
Our standard
Our rule
A launch isn't done until a test lead has travelled the whole path: form, alert, CRM, reply.
A site can look finished and still lose every inquiry it gets. Most launch checklists stop at "the form submits." Ours follows the lead all the way through. Run it on staging before launch, then again on the live site on day one.
Speed and stability
3 checks
Largest Contentful Paint is 2.5 seconds or less. The main content appears quickly.
Interaction to Next Paint is under 200 milliseconds. Taps and clicks respond right away.
Cumulative Layout Shift is under 0.1. Nothing jumps around as the page loads.
These are Google's "good" thresholds for Core Web Vitals, measured at the 75th percentile of real visits. Run your key pages through PageSpeed Insights, and try the site yourself on a real phone on mobile data.
Google Search Central · Core Web VitalsLeads
5 checks, the ones that matter most
Every form submits without errors, on desktop and mobile.
The alert reaches a named person within a minute, not a shared inbox or a spam folder.
The lead lands in your CRM with its source recorded.
The customer gets an acknowledgement right away, signed by a real person.
Click-to-call works on mobile, and the number is right.
Tracking and SEO basics
Tracking, 3 checks
Google Analytics 4 is installed, with form submissions and calls marked as key events.
Search Console is verified and your sitemap is submitted.
Call tracking and tagged links are ready: tracked numbers ring through, and launch posts and emails use tagged links.
SEO basics, 5 checks
Every page has a unique title and meta description.
One H1 per page that says what the page is about.
LocalBusiness structured data is in place, if you serve a local area.
Old URLs redirect to their new pages, so links and rankings carry over.
Search engines are allowed in: no leftover noindex or "discourage search engines" setting from development.
The classic
We build every site, our own included, with search engines blocked until launch, then switch it on at go-live and confirm it in Search Console. Forgetting that one switch can hide a new site from Google for weeks.
Accessibility, proof and legal
Accessibility basics, 4 checks
Text contrast is at least 4.5:1 against its background (WCAG 2.2, SC 1.4.3).
Every meaningful image has descriptive alt text.
Everything works with a keyboard: menus, buttons and forms.
Focus is visible. You can always see where you are when tabbing.
Proof and people, 3 checks
No placeholder or stock photos left where your real work and team should be.
Reviews and testimonials are live and current.
Team names, photos and contact details are accurate.
People buy from people they trust. 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and authenticity and relatability are the traits they value most from brands. A site that launches with placeholder photos launches without its best argument.
BrightLocal · Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026 · Sprout Social Index, 2025Security and legal, 2 checks
HTTPS on every page, with no "not secure" warnings.
Your privacy policy and consent handling match your forms, tracking and follow-up, with cookie consent where required.
After launch
Day 1 and day 7, 3 checks
Backups are scheduled and you've confirmed a restore works.
Uptime monitoring will alert you if the site goes down.
Forms re-tested on the live site, and Search Console checked for issues a week in.
That's 28 checks: 25 before launch and 3 after.
On our own new site, a pre-launch review at phone width caught the mobile menu icon sitting off-centre in its button. It's a small thing, but it makes a new site feel unfinished, and it was fixed before launch.
Our site is also being built with search engines blocked, and KJ & Son Woodworks' new site sits in coming-soon mode until its launch. Both get switched on deliberately at go-live.
Launching soon?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. We'll talk through your launch and make sure every inquiry the new site earns actually reaches you.
Get the printable checklist
Print it, tick it off and sign it off. Two pages with every check, the pass standard for each, and a sign-off line for launch day.
Related resources
Nate designs custom websites and the CRM, automation and reporting behind them as one system, for builders, makers and established teams that have outgrown their setup.
Sources
Google Search Central. Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results.
W3C. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Success Criterion 1.4.3.
BrightLocal. Local Consumer Review Survey 2026.
Sprout Social. The 2025 Sprout Social Index (released January 7, 2025).
Website Launch Checklist
Two pages, every check, and a sign-off line.
Get the checklist