Website launch checklist: the complete guide

The key takeaway - Professionals who follow a structured checklist before putting their new website live avoid classic launch mistakes: broken links, non-indexed pages, malfunctioning forms, and missing legal notices, all problems that hurt credibility and search rankings from the very first days.

Your new website is ready. The design looks great, the content is in place, you can't wait to show it to the world. But before pressing the button, take 30 minutes to check the essentials. A botched launch leaves a bad first impression, and on the web, first impressions matter enormously.

This checklist covers everything to verify before, during, and just after going live. Keep it handy.

Before launch: content

Check every text

Reread all your texts. Not skimming: line by line. Look for spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences, forgotten "Lorem ipsum". Verify that information is current: address, phone, hours, rates.

Ask someone outside the project to proofread. After weeks of working on the site, you no longer see the obvious errors.

Check all images

Every image should:

Display correctly on all screens
Be optimized (WebP or compressed JPEG format, no 5 MB files)
Have a descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO

Missing or broken images immediately give an amateurish impression.

Check internal and external links

Click every link on your site. Every button, every text link, every menu item. A broken link leading to a 404 error page is a negative signal for your visitors and for Google.

Also check external links: if you're linking to a partner, social network, or third-party tool, make sure the URL is correct and the page still exists.

Before launch: functionality

Test the contact form

Fill out your contact form and submit it. Verify:

The form sends without errors
You receive the notification email
The email arrives in your main inbox, not spam
The confirmation message displays correctly
Required fields are properly validated

Do this test from a mobile device too. A form that works on desktop but not on phone means half your potential contacts lost.

Test mobile navigation

Take your phone and navigate every page. Does the menu work? Is text readable without zooming? Are buttons large enough to tap? Do images stay within the screen?

More than 60% of your visitors will arrive on mobile. The mobile experience isn't optional, it's the priority.

Test loading speed

Run your site through Google's PageSpeed Insights. Aim for a mobile score above 70. If you're below 50, there are performance optimizations to make before launch.

The most common causes of launch-day slowness: uncompressed images, heavy web fonts, unnecessary third-party scripts.

Before launch: SEO

Configure title tags and meta descriptions

Every page should have:

A unique title tag of 55 to 60 characters including your business and location
A meta description of maximum 155 characters that makes people want to click

These elements are what Google displays in its results. Generic titles like "Home" or missing descriptions are lost opportunities.

Verify URL structure

Your URLs should be short, readable, and descriptive. /services/plumbing-lyon is good. /page?id=347&cat=2 is not. Check there are no duplicates and each page has a single canonical URL.

Submit the sitemap to Google

Create a sitemap.xml file listing all your pages and submit it via Google Search Console. It's the fastest way to tell Google your site exists and which pages to index.

Install analytics tracking

Google Analytics or a privacy-friendly alternative should be in place before launch. Without traffic data, you'll never know how many visitors come, where they come from, or which pages they view.

Before launch: legal

Legal notices

In France, legal notices are mandatory on any professional website. They must include at minimum:

The company name or business name
Registered office address
SIRET number
Name of the publication director
Host contact details

Privacy policy and cookies

If your site collects personal data (contact form, newsletter, analytics), you're subject to GDPR. You must:

Display a privacy policy detailing what data you collect and why
Implement a cookie consent banner if you use non-essential cookies
Allow users to refuse non-necessary cookies

Terms and conditions (e-commerce)

If you sell online, terms and conditions are mandatory. They must cover payment methods, delivery, returns, and the 14-day right of withdrawal provided by consumer protection law.

Launch day

Verify the SSL certificate

Your site must display in HTTPS (padlock in the address bar). A plain HTTP site shows a "Not secure" warning in browsers, which drives visitors away.

Test across different browsers

Check your site on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge at minimum. A display issue on a particular browser can affect a significant portion of your audience.

Configure redirects (for redesigns)

If your new site replaces an existing one, set up 301 redirects from old URLs to corresponding new pages. Without this, all existing links to your old site will lead to 404 errors, and you'll lose your accumulated search ranking.

After launch: the first week

Monitor errors

Log into Google Search Console daily during the first week. Check for crawl errors, non-indexed pages, reported mobile issues.

Verify emails

Make sure emails sent from your site (form confirmations, orders) arrive properly and don't end up in spam. Send tests from different addresses.

Announce the launch

Share your new site on social media, send an email to existing clients, update your Google Business Profile with the link. The first days of traffic and social signals matter for search ranking.

Plan maintenance

Launch isn't the end of the project. It's the beginning of your site's life. Plan regular maintenance now: updates, backups, performance monitoring.

Your condensed checklist

Our methodology integrates these checks into the delivery process. But if you're managing the launch yourself, here's the condensed list:

Preparing a launch and want to make sure nothing is forgotten? Book a call for personalized support. We review your site together and ensure everything is in place for a successful launch.

Checklist before launching your new website