# Website launch checklist: what to check before go-live

> A practical pre-launch checklist covering content, SEO, tracking, forms, performance, security and redirects.

Web page: https://oravol.com/insights/website-launch-checklist

## About this article

- **Published:** 4 October 2026
- **Topic:** Websites & Apps
- **Publisher:** ORAVOL

## Key takeaways

- Test every form and conversion path end to end before launch.
- Redirect old URLs and remove any 'noindex' left from staging.
- Launch early in the week, when your team can respond to problems.

## Article

Launch day is when small oversights become public. Work through this list on the final version of the site, ideally with two people checking independently.

### Content

- Proofread every page, including headings, buttons and image captions.
- Check names, prices, phone numbers, addresses and opening hours.
- Replace every placeholder text and image.
- Confirm legal pages are in place: privacy policy, terms and cookie policy where needed.

### Forms and conversions

- Submit every form and confirm the notification arrives where it should.
- Check auto-replies, thank-you pages and CRM records.
- Test bookings, payments and downloads with real transactions where possible.

### Search engines

- Remove any "noindex" tags and robots.txt blocks used on staging.
- Check every page has a unique title and meta description.
- Create an XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console.
- Set canonical URLs, and make sure HTTPS and your preferred domain version redirect correctly.

### Redirects

If you are replacing an old site, map every important old URL to its new equivalent with a permanent (301) redirect. Pay special attention to pages that receive traffic or links.

### Tracking

- Install analytics and verify that page views are recorded.
- Set up conversion events for forms, calls and purchases.
- Check your cookie consent banner works and respects visitors' choices.

### Performance and devices

- Test on real phones as well as desktop browsers.
- Check page speed and fix very large images.
- Make sure the site works on the browsers your customers use.

### Accessibility

- Navigate key pages with a keyboard only.
- Check image alternative text, colour contrast and form labels.

### Security and operations

- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication for admin accounts.
- Confirm automatic backups and that you can restore one.
- Note who to contact if something breaks after launch.

### After launch

Monitor Search Console for errors, watch analytics for unusual drops and keep a list of small fixes for the first weeks.

Our [website development](https://oravol.com/services/website-development) projects use a launch checklist like this, and an [SEO](https://oravol.com/services/seo) review covers the search-related items in more depth.

## Questions

### What is the most common launch mistake?

Leaving a staging setting that blocks search engines, such as a 'noindex' tag or a robots.txt block. Check it on launch day.

### Should we launch on a Friday?

It's better to launch when your team is available for the following days, usually early in the week, to fix anything that comes up.