Website Launch Checklist for Small Businesses (40 Checks)
A practical pre-launch checklist for new or redesigned business websites: content, design, mobile, forms, speed, SEO, analytics, security, legal pages and post-launch steps.
On this page
- Check content, mobile design, forms, links and payments before launch.
- Confirm speed, SEO settings, redirects, analytics and Search Console.
- Secure the site, add legal pages, then monitor closely after launch.
Launch day goes smoothly when problems are found beforehand. Work through this checklist before your new or redesigned website goes live.
Content
- All pages proofread; no placeholder text
- Contact details correct everywhere
- Prices, services and hours up to date
- Images are real, relevant and properly licensed
- Every page has a clear call to action
Design and mobile
- Tested on several phones, tablets and desktop browsers
- No sideways scrolling or overlapping elements
- Buttons large enough to tap
- Favicon and social share image set
Functionality
- Every form submits and the email arrives
- WhatsApp, phone and email links work
- Payments or bookings tested end to end (if applicable)
- Search, filters and menus work
- No broken internal links
Speed
- Images compressed and sized
- Caching enabled
- Key pages tested on PageSpeed Insights
SEO
- Unique titles and meta descriptions
- One H1 per page, logical headings
- Image alt text
- "Discourage search engines" OFF; no leftover noindex
- XML sitemap working; robots.txt correct
- 301 redirects from old URLs (for redesigns)
- Canonical tags correct
- Structured data where relevant
Analytics and tracking
- GA4 installed and receiving data
- Key events for forms, calls and WhatsApp
- Search Console verified
Security and reliability
- HTTPS on every page
- Strong passwords and 2FA for admins
- Automatic backups scheduled
- Uptime monitoring on
- Unused plugins and themes removed
Legal and trust
- Privacy policy (and terms, refund or shipping policies where relevant)
- Cookie consent if needed for your audience
- Business details and registrations shown where required
Not sure what your terms page should say? See what website terms and conditions usually cover.
Launch and after
- Submit sitemap and request indexing for key pages
- Update Google Business Profile and social links
- Monitor Search Console and forms closely for two weeks
- Follow the 90-day post-launch plan
Redesigning? Also see redesigning without losing rankings.
Need help with your website?
I'm Sameer, a freelance WordPress developer building fast, SEO-friendly websites since 2020. Tell me what you need and I'll reply with a plan and a fixed quote within 24 hours.
Freelance WordPress developer and founder of Samverse, building websites for clinics, manufacturers, agencies and online stores since 2020.
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