Website launch checklist – 20 things to do before you go live

There’s a particular feeling that comes over most new website owners about two-thirds of the way through building their site.

Everything is mostly done. The pages are there. The theme is set up. The posts are drafted. And the temptation to just hit publish and be done with it is overwhelming.

Resist it for about an hour longer.

Launching a website without running through a proper checklist is how you end up with broken contact forms, missing SSL certificates, pages that look terrible on mobile, or content that accidentally went live half-finished. None of these is catastrophic, but all are avoidable, and fixing them after launch is more stressful than preventing them before they happen.

This website launch checklist covers the 20 things to check before you take your site live. Work through it methodically, tick off each item, and launch with confidence rather than fingers crossed.

Before you start – how to use this checklist

Work through each section in order. Some items take thirty seconds to check. Some take longer to fix if they’re wrong. Allocating two to three hours to this checklist before launch is time well spent.

Not every item applies to every site. A simple portfolio site has different requirements from a WooCommerce store. Use your judgment about which items are relevant to what you’re building.

Section 1 – Technical foundations

✅ 1. SSL certificate is active

Your SSL certificate is what gives your site the padlock in the browser bar and the https:// prefix. Without it, modern browsers warn visitors that your site may not be secure, which puts people off and damages trust immediately.

How to check: Visit your site in a browser. Look for the padlock icon in the address bar next to your URL. If it’s there, SSL is active. If you see “Not Secure” instead, you need to activate SSL before launching.

How to fix: Go to your hosting dashboard and activate SSL for your domain. On Bluehost, this is under My Sites → Security. On SiteGround, it’s under Security → SSL Manager. On Hostinger, it’s under the SSL section in hPanel. After activation, go to your WordPress dashboard → Settings → General and update both URL fields to https://.

Read our guide: How to connect a domain to WordPress →

✅ 2. All URLs use HTTPS (no mixed content)

Even with SSL active, individual pages can have “mixed content” elements (images, scripts, stylesheets) loading over HTTP rather than HTTPS. This breaks the padlock and triggers browser security warnings on affected pages.

How to check: Visit several pages of your site and check that the padlock is consistent. In Chrome, click the padlock icon and look for any “not secure” warnings about the page’s content.

How to fix: Install the Really Simple SSL plugin (WordPress) – it automatically detects and fixes most mixed content issues. For persistent issues, use the Better Search Replace plugin to update HTTP URLs to HTTPS throughout your database.

✅ 3. Your site loads correctly on mobile

Over half of all web traffic is now on mobile devices. A site that looks great on desktop but breaks on mobile leaves a significant portion of your audience with a poor experience.

How to check: Visit your site on your smartphone, not just a desktop browser’s mobile preview mode, but an actual phone. Click through every main page. Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are tappable, images load correctly, and the layout doesn’t break.

How to fix: Most modern WordPress themes are responsive by default, but sometimes individual sections or custom elements need adjustment. In your theme’s customiser, look for mobile-specific settings. In WordPress’s block editor, most blocks have mobile-specific spacing and display controls.

✅ 4. Page load speed is acceptable

Slow websites lose visitors. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. And if you’re planning to monetise with display ads, slow pages directly affect your RPM because ads don’t render before visitors leave.

How to check: Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) or GTmetrix. Aim for a PageSpeed score above 70 on mobile and above 80 on desktop as a reasonable minimum for a new site. Note the main issues flagged and address the most impactful ones.

Common fixes:

• Install a caching plugin (WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache – check your host’s built-in caching first)
• Install an image optimisation plugin (Smush or ShortPixel) and optimise all uploaded images
• Remove unused plugins
• Use a lightweight theme (Kadence, GeneratePress, or Astra)

Read our guide: Best WordPress plugins for beginners →

✅ 5. Your XML sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console

A sitemap tells search engines about all the pages on your site so they can crawl and index them efficiently. Submitting it to Google Search Console means Google knows your site exists and has a map of everything on it from day one.

How to check: If you’re using Rank Math, your sitemap is automatically generated at yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml. Visit this URL to confirm it exists and lists your pages.

How to submit: Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console), select your property, go to Sitemaps, and enter sitemap_index.xml in the submission field. Click Submit.

If you haven’t yet connected your site to Google Search Console, do that first. Rank Math’s setup wizard makes it straightforward.

✅ 6. 404 error page works correctly

A 404 page is what visitors see when they follow a broken link or type a URL that doesn’t exist on your site. WordPress creates a default 404 page automatically, but many themes have a custom 404 template that’s more helpful and on-brand.

How to check: Type a non-existent URL on your domain, something like yourdomain.com/thispageisntreal. Check that you see a 404 error page rather than a blank page or a hosting error screen.

How to improve: Most themes include a basic 404 template. Customise it through your theme’s template editor or by installing a dedicated 404 page plugin. A good 404 page acknowledges the error, offers a search bar, and links to your homepage and main content areas.

Section 2 – Content and pages

✅ 7. All essential pages are published

Before you launch, check that these core pages exist and are published, not just drafted.

Homepage – your site’s entry point. About page – who you are and what your site is for. Contact page – a way for people to reach you. Privacy Policy – legally required for most sites, especially those using analytics, cookies, or email collection.

For WordPress: Go to Pages → All Pages and check the status column for each essential page. “Published” means it’s live. “Draft” means it isn’t.

For additional pages specific to your site type:

Ecommerce sites: Refund Policy, Shipping Policy, Terms of Service – all in Shopify under Settings → Policies, or on WordPress via your WooCommerce settings.

Sites with email sign-ups: A clear description of what subscribers will receive, how often, and how to unsubscribe.

✅ 8. No placeholder content is live

WordPress themes and page builders often include placeholder text – “Lorem ipsum” dummy text, example images, and sample page structures. It’s very easy to publish a page that still has placeholder content in a section you forgot about.

How to check: Go through every published page on your site – not just the ones you worked on most recently. Read every section. Check every image. Look for “Lorem ipsum”, “Your text here”, example names, and sample images that came with your theme.

How to fix: Update or remove any placeholder content before launch. If a section isn’t ready, remove it rather than leaving it with placeholder content.

✅ 9. All links work correctly

Broken internal links – links from one page on your site to another that no longer exist or have moved damage both user experience and SEO. External links to third-party sites should also be checked.

How to check: Install the Broken Link Checker plugin (free) – it scans your site and reports broken links. For a small site, you can also manually click through every link on every page.

How to fix: Update broken internal links to the correct URLs. For links that went to deleted pages, either restore the page, create a redirect to a relevant page, or remove the link. For broken external links, update them to the new URL or remove them.

✅ 10. Images have alt text

Alt text is the written description of an image that appears when the image doesn’t load and is read by screen readers for visually impaired users. It’s also used by search engines to understand what an image shows.

Missing alt text is an accessibility issue, an SEO issue, and an easy one to overlook because the images look fine visually.

How to check: In your WordPress media library, click on any image and check the Alt Text field. Go through your pages and check that alt text is set for key images, particularly your featured images and any images in important content areas.

How to fix: Add descriptive alt text to all images. “A person using a laptop” is better than nothing. “Blogger working on a content site using WordPress on a laptop” is better still, descriptive and contextually relevant without being keyword-stuffed.

✅ 11. Your favicon is set

The favicon is the small icon that appears in browser tabs and bookmarks. It’s a small detail that makes a noticeable difference to how professional your site looks.

How to check: Open your site in a browser and look at the tab. If you see the WordPress “W” logo or a generic icon rather than your brand’s icon, you haven’t set a custom favicon.

How to fix: In WordPress, go to Appearance → Customise → Site Identity and upload your Site Icon. It should be a square image at least 512×512 pixels – ideally your logo or brand mark. Most themes support this. Some require a dedicated plugin, such as Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator.

Section 3 – SEO and analytics

✅ 12. SEO titles and meta descriptions are set for key pages

Your SEO title and meta description are what appear in Google search results. If you haven’t set them, Google shows your page’s default title and the first paragraph of your content, which is rarely ideal.

How to check: Using Rank Math, go to each of your main pages and posts and check the SEO section at the bottom of the editor. Look for:

• SEO title: Descriptive, includes your target keyword, under 60 characters
• Meta description: Compelling, includes your keyword naturally, under 155 characters
• Focus keyword: Set for each post

For your homepage specifically, go to Rank Math → Titles & Meta → Homepage and set the homepage title and description.

How to fix: Work through your key pages and set the title and meta description for each. Prioritise your homepage, your most important posts, and any pages that appear in your navigation.

✅ 13. Google Analytics is installed

Google Analytics tells you how many people visit your site, where they come from, what they read, and how they behave. Installing it before launch means you have data from day one rather than starting from a blank slate weeks later.

How to install: Create a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property at analytics.google.com. Get your Measurement ID (starts with G-). In WordPress, install your email tool’s integration or use WPCode to add the GA4 tracking script to your site’s header. Rank Math also supports GA4 integration in its settings.

How to verify: Install the Google Tag Assistant browser extension and visit your site – it will confirm whether Google Analytics is firing correctly.

✅ 14. Google Search Console is connected and verified

Google Search Console is distinct from Google Analytics – it shows you how your site performs in Google search results specifically. Connecting it before launch means you’re collecting search performance data from day one.

How to check: If you’ve already connected Search Console as part of Rank Math’s setup wizard, go to your Search Console account and verify that your property is showing data (or is recently connected and waiting for data to accumulate).

How to connect: Go to search.google.com/search-console, add your site as a property, and verify ownership – the easiest method is through Rank Math’s webmaster tools settings.

✅ 15. Permalink structure is set correctly

Your permalink structure controls how your page and post URLs are formatted. The wrong setting produces ugly, SEO-unfriendly URLs like yourdomain.com/?p=123. The right setting produces clean URLs like yourdomain.com/your-post-title/.

How to check: Go to Settings → Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. Check that “Post name” is selected.

How to fix: Select “Post name” and click Save Changes. Do this before you publish any content – changing it afterwards breaks all existing URLs and requires redirects.

This is the most important setting to check before your first post goes live. If it’s wrong and you’ve already published content, you’ll need to set up 301 redirects from the old URL format to the new one.

Section 4 – User experience

✅ 16. Contact form works and sends to the right address

Your contact form is useless – and potentially damaging to trust – if it doesn’t actually send emails. This is one of the most commonly broken elements on new sites, and it’s easy to fix before launch.

How to check: Fill in your contact form and submit it. Wait 2 minutes, then check the email address you specified as the recipient. Also, check your spam folder. If no email arrives, the form isn’t working.

Common fixes:

Most contact form delivery problems are caused by email deliverability issues – your hosting server’s emails being flagged as spam. Install the WP Mail SMTP plugin (free) and configure it to send emails through your Gmail account or another reliable SMTP service. This fixes the delivery problem for almost all WordPress sites.

✅ 17. Navigation is clear and logical

Your site’s navigation menu is how visitors find their way around. A confusing or incomplete navigation sends people away rather than guiding them deeper into your site.

How to check: Visit your site as a first-time visitor – in an incognito window so you see it without admin context. Ask yourself: is it immediately clear what this site is about? Can I find the main sections? Do the navigation labels make sense to someone who doesn’t know the site?

How to fix: Go to Appearance → Menus in WordPress. Check that your main navigation includes your key sections. Keep the menu concise – five to seven items in your main navigation is usually enough. Add a clear call to action in the header (your “Take the quiz” or “Start here” button).

✅ 18. Your email sign-up form works

If you’re collecting email subscribers – which you should be from day one – test that your sign-up form actually adds subscribers to your email marketing list.

How to check: Go to your site as a visitor and sign up using a secondary email address you have access to. Check that:

• You receive a confirmation email (if you’re using double opt-in)
• The subscriber appears in your email marketing tool’s subscriber list
• Any automated welcome email is triggered and arrives correctly

How to fix: The most common issue is an incorrect API connection between your WordPress sign-up form and your email marketing tool. Go to your email marketing plugin’s settings and reconnect it to your account. Re-enter your API key if necessary.

Read our guide: Best email marketing tools for new websites →

Section 5 – Pre-launch final checks

✅ 19. Your site is not in “Coming Soon” or maintenance mode

Many hosting providers put new WordPress sites in a “Coming Soon” or maintenance mode by default. If you don’t turn this off before launch, visitors see a coming soon page instead of your site – and you won’t know why no one is engaging with your content.

How to check: Open your site in an incognito browser window – one where you’re not logged in to WordPress. If you see a “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction” page, the mode is still active.

How to fix: For Bluehost, find the Launch button in your Bluehost dashboard or look for the Coming Soon setting in your WordPress theme settings and disable it. For SiteGround: check under Website → Maintenance Mode in your SiteGround dashboard. For WordPress plugins: if you installed a maintenance mode plugin, go to its settings and disable it.

✅ 20. Do a final read-through of all key pages

The last item on the checklist is the one that catches what everything else misses – a human read-through of your site’s main pages.

Read every word on your homepage, about page, and your most important posts. Read them as your target reader would – someone who’s arrived for the first time and is deciding whether to stay.

Look for:

• Typos and grammatical errors
• Sentences that are confusing or unclear
• Anything that sounds generic or placeholder-like
• Missing information that a reader would need
• CTAs (calls to action) that are unclear or missing
• Anything you’d be embarrassed to show a potential reader or client

This is also the right time to read your content out loud. If it sounds stilted or unnatural when spoken, it’ll feel stilted to a reader, too. Anything that makes you stumble when reading it aloud needs to be rewritten.

Once you’ve done this final pass and you’re genuinely happy with what you see, launch.

After launch – your first week priorities

The checklist gets you to a clean, confident launch. Here’s what to focus on in the first week after going live.

Share your site. Tell people in your existing network – email, social media, relevant communities. Your first visitors are likely to come from people who already know you. That’s fine – everyone starts somewhere.

Monitor for errors. Check Google Search Console after a few days for any crawl errors or indexing issues. Check your analytics to confirm visitors are arriving, and pages are loading correctly.

Set up Rank Math’s content AI (optional). If you’re using Rank Math Pro, the content AI feature helps you optimise posts for target keywords. Worth setting up in the first week if you’re focused on SEO from the start.

Keep publishing. The most important thing after launch is momentum. One solid post per week compounds meaningfully over six months. The site you launch is a starting point – what matters is what you build on top of it.

The complete website launch checklist

Here’s the complete checklist in a simple format you can save and work through.

Technical foundations: ☐ SSL certificate active – padlock showing in browser ☐ All URLs using HTTPS — no mixed content warnings ☐ Site looks correct on mobile ☐ Page speed acceptable — PageSpeed score 70+ on mobile ☐ XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console ☐ 404 error page working

Content and pages: ☐ All essential pages published – Home, About, Contact, Privacy Policy ☐ No placeholder content on any published page ☐ All links checked – no broken internal or external links ☐ Alt text added to all key images ☐ Favicon set – brand icon showing in browser tab

SEO and analytics: ☐ SEO titles and meta descriptions set for all key pages ☐ Google Analytics installed and verified ☐ Google Search Console connected and verified ☐ Permalink structure set to Post name

User experience: ☐ Contact form tested – emails arriving correctly ☐ Navigation clear and logical ☐ Email sign-up form tested – subscribers added to list correctly

Pre-launch final checks: ☐ Coming Soon or maintenance mode disabled ☐ Final read-through of all key pages complete

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a website launch checklist? A thorough website launch checklist covers technical foundations (SSL, mobile, page speed, sitemap), content checks (all pages published, no placeholder text, working links), SEO and analytics setup (meta descriptions, Google Analytics, Search Console), user experience (contact forms, navigation, email sign-ups), and a final read-through before you disable maintenance mode. See the full 20-point checklist above.

How long does this checklist take to work through? For a straightforward site with everything roughly in order, two to three hours. For a site where several items need fixing, half a day is realistic. It’s time well spent – the alternative is fixing problems after launch when real visitors are seeing them.

Do I need all 20 items before I launch? The technical foundations – SSL, HTTPS, mobile, sitemap – are non-negotiable. The SEO and analytics items won’t stop your site from working, but you’ll regret not having data from day one. The content items prevent embarrassing errors. The user experience items prevent unnecessary visitor loss. Treat all 20 as the standard – if you have to deprioritise anything, analytics configuration is the most forgiving to add post-launch.

What if I find a problem I don’t know how to fix? Your hosting provider’s support team can help with most technical issues – particularly those related to SSL, domain configuration, and email delivery. For WordPress-specific issues, the WordPress support forums and documentation are extensive. For anything else, an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude is surprisingly good at walking you through specific fixes.

Should I launch before I have lots of content? Yes – a site with five good posts and a clean setup is better than waiting six months to launch with fifty posts. You need to be live to get indexed by Google, build domain authority, and start collecting email subscribers. Launch with what you have and keep building.

What should I do if something breaks after I launch? Don’t panic. Check whether it’s a plugin conflict first – deactivate recently installed or updated plugins one by one until the problem resolves. If a significant change broke something, restore your most recent UpdraftPlus backup. If you can’t diagnose it, contact your host’s support team.