Website Launch Checklist
Before you push a site live, run through this list. It is built to help you catch technical SEO errors, crawl issues, bad redirects, broken navigation, and packaging mistakes before they become public problems.
1. Pre-Launch SEO
Make sure each important page sends clean signals before Google and social platforms see it.
What to check
- Title tag: unique, clear, and written for the page topic
- Meta description: written for clicks, not stuffed with keywords
- Canonical: present and pointing to the preferred version
- Open Graph: title, description, image, and URL ready for sharing
- Schema: add it where it helps clarify the page type
Use this tool
SEO IT helps generate the core head tags that often get skipped when pages are rushed out the door.
2. Crawl and Indexing
If search engines cannot crawl the site cleanly, everything else gets weaker.
What to check
- robots.txt: allows the pages you actually want indexed
- sitemap.xml: includes the live public URLs you care about
- Canonical match: make sure sitemap URLs and canonicals agree
- Do not: accidentally block the whole site with a careless rule
Use these tools
ROBOT IT helps control crawler access, and SITEMAP IT gives search engines a clean roadmap through your site.
3. Structure and Quality Checks
Now look at how the site is built, not just what the head tags say.
What to check
- One clear H1: every page should have a primary heading
- Navigation consistency: same menu, same core links, same flow
- Internal links: no dead ends, no accidental broken references
- Footer consistency: keep key links and disclaimers stable
- Asset references: confirm images, scripts, and files resolve properly
Use these tools
TEST IT helps catch structural problems, and HTML IT lets you inspect how the page is actually laid out.
4. Deployment Checks
This is the part that saves you from the classic “it worked locally” problem.
What to check
- Redirects: old URLs should land exactly where you intend
- Zip packaging: deploy only the files you mean to deploy
- Root structure: make sure the host gets the files where it expects them
- No duplicate leftovers: stale files can cause strange behavior
Use these tools
REDIRECT IT helps build cleaner redirect rules, and ZIP IT helps keep your deployment package under control.
5. Final Launch Steps
Once the build is live, finish strong.
Final pass
- Spot check the homepage and your key money pages
- Open your sitemap live and confirm the important URLs are there
- Open robots.txt live and confirm the rules are intentional
- Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console
- Keep a clean backup of your current deployable version
Related pages
This checklist works best alongside the full tools hub page, which is designed as a clean jumping off point to the rest of the suite.