L7.1 – Pre-launch Checklist

Module : 07 – Launching Your Website

Lesson < : Lesson 6.4 — Comment Moderation
Lesson > : Lesson 7.2 — Submitting Your Site to Google

Why You Need a Pre-launch Checklist
Check Website Design and Layout
Verify Content Quality
Test All Functionality
Optimize for Performance
Ensure SEO Basics Are Complete
Set Up Security Measures
Configure Legal Pages
Final Technical Checks
Summary

1. Why You Need a Pre-launch Checklist

A pre-launch checklist ensures your website is ready for visitors. It helps you catch missing content, broken links, design issues, performance problems, and security risks before going live.

Improves user experience
Reduces technical errors
Enhances performance and SEO
Ensures your site looks professional

Completing a checklist reduces surprises after launch.

2. Check Website Design and Layout

Review your site’s visual appearance to ensure everything looks clean and consistent.

Check layout on desktop, tablet, and mobile
Verify header and footer design
Ensure navigation menu works correctly
Check spacing, readability, and typography
Confirm brand colors and fonts are consistent

A visually consistent design improves user trust.

3. Verify Content Quality

High-quality content makes your website more valuable and credible. Review all content before launching.

Check grammar and spelling
Ensure headings are structured properly
Verify internal links work correctly
Remove placeholder text
Check accuracy of important information

Quality content improves user engagement and SEO.

4. Test All Functionality

Testing functionality ensures that all interactive elements work properly before users access your website.

Test contact forms
Verify email notifications work
Check search functionality
Test navigation menu links
Check buttons, sliders, and block elements
Test user registration if applicable

Functional testing helps prevent user frustration.

5. Optimize for Performance

Good performance ensures fast loading times, better SEO ranking, and improved user experience.

Enable caching
Optimize images
Minimize unused plugins and scripts
Check PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix scores

Fast websites keep users engaged and reduce bounce rates.

6. Ensure SEO Basics Are Complete

SEO setup ensures search engines can index your website properly after launch.

Set SEO titles and meta descriptions
Check URL structure (permalinks)
Generate and review sitemap
Add internal links between pages
Enable schema markup if available

These steps help improve your site’s visibility from day one.

7. Set Up Security Measures

Security measures protect your site from attacks and unauthorized access once it goes live.

Install a security plugin
Enable two-factor authentication
Use strong passwords
Limit login attempts
Enable SSL (HTTPS)

Security should always be configured before launching.

8. Configure Legal Pages

Legal pages help build trust and ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Refund Policy (if selling products)
Disclaimer Page
Cookie Notice (if required)

These pages are essential for transparency and legal compliance.

9. Final Technical Checks

Before launching, review technical details to ensure your website functions smoothly for all users.

Test links across the entire site
Ensure favicon is visible
Verify backup scheduling
Check responsive design
Disable coming soon/maintenance mode when ready

Performing these final checks prepares your site for public access.

10. Summary

A pre-launch checklist ensures your website is ready for visitors
Review design, content, functionality, and performance
Ensure SEO and security settings are in place
Create and verify required legal pages
Perform final checks before turning off maintenance mode