Website Launch Checklist

A website launch should be a controlled release, not a last-minute switch followed by hope. This checklist covers the practical checks a UK small business should complete before publication, immediately after launch and during the first week.

Not every item applies to every site. Assign a named person to each relevant check and record the result. For an existing website, preserve a rollback route until the new version has been verified.

1. Ownership and access

• Confirm the business controls the domain registration and recovery details.
• Confirm access to DNS, hosting or website platform, business email and website administration.
• Confirm analytics, Search Console, payment, booking and other critical accounts are owned appropriately.
• Use named administrator accounts where possible rather than one shared login.
• Enable two-step verification for important accounts where available.
• Record third-party licences, renewal dates and billing responsibility.
• Remove temporary accounts and unnecessary privileges after launch.

2. Backup and rollback

• Create a complete backup of the current live website before replacing it.
• Back up the new site's files, database and relevant configuration.
• Store a backup separately from the live hosting environment.
• Confirm who can restore it and how long restoration is expected to take.
• Document the conditions that would stop or reverse the launch.
• Protect business email settings when domain or DNS changes are made.

3. Content and editorial checks

• Every page has one clear H1 and a logical H2/H3 hierarchy.
• No placeholder, demonstration or duplicated content remains.
• Names, addresses, telephone numbers, opening hours and service areas are consistent.
• Prices, offers, delivery, returns, cancellation and booking information reflect the real process.
• Claims, qualifications, reviews, case studies and statistics can be substantiated.
• British English, punctuation and link text have been proofread.
• Changing facts have a genuine review date where appropriate.
• Downloads and tools mentioned in the copy actually exist and work.
• Each important page has a clear next step without an aggressive or misleading promise.

4. Navigation and links

• The main menu works on desktop, mobile, touch and keyboard.
• The logo and home links behave consistently.
• Breadcrumbs reflect the real hierarchy where used.
• Internal links lead to published, relevant pages.
• No important page is isolated without an incoming route.
• External links and downloads work.
• The 404 page returns an actual 404 response and offers useful recovery routes.
• Old URLs have relevant redirects where pages have moved or been consolidated.
• Redirects lead directly to the final destination without avoidable chains.

5. Forms, booking and payments

• Test each form with valid and invalid information.
• Required fields, labels and errors are understandable.
• Submissions reach the correct monitored destination.
• The confirmation explains what happens next and the expected response time.
• Spam protection does not block normal use.
• Booking availability, time zones, deposits, reminders, rescheduling and cancellation have been tested.
• Payment journeys have been tested using the provider's safe test method where available.
• Receipts, order emails and failure messages contain accurate business information.
• No live test orders or personal data remain unintentionally.

6. Privacy, cookies and legal information

• The privacy notice accurately describes the personal information the site processes.
• Contact forms, newsletters, accounts, bookings and analytics match the notice.
• Cookie information and consent controls reflect the technologies actually used.
• Non-essential technologies are handled according to the applicable requirements.
• Terms, delivery, returns, cancellation and complaints information match the business process where relevant.
• Affiliate or advertising relationships are disclosed where present.
• Specialist advice has been obtained where the business cannot safely determine its obligations.

7. Mobile and accessibility checks

• Test representative pages at widths from approximately 320 to 430 CSS pixels.
• There is no page-level horizontal scrolling, except deliberate scrolling inside wide tables.
• Text remains readable and controls are comfortably usable.
• All important actions work without hover.
• Keyboard users can reach, see and operate interactive elements.
• Focus does not become trapped in menus, dialogs or forms.
• Images have useful alternative text when they convey information and empty alt text when purely decorative.
• Video has appropriate captions or alternatives where required.
• Form labels and error messages identify the problem clearly.
• Colour is not the only way information or status is communicated.

8. Performance and presentation

• Images use appropriate dimensions and modern formats where supported.
• Below-the-fold media is lazy-loaded appropriately.
• Large layout shifts do not occur as images, adverts or fonts load.
• Unnecessary third-party scripts have been removed.
• Representative pages have been tested on a real mobile connection and device.
• Browser console and server logs do not expose critical public errors.
• Social sharing previews use accurate titles and images.

9. Google Search readiness

• The production site is not protected by a staging password.
• Important pages are not accidentally marked noindex.
• Robots rules do not unintentionally block required pages or resources.
• Canonical URLs point to the intended versions.
• Page titles and descriptions are useful and not duplicated unnecessarily.
• The XML sitemap contains the intended indexable URLs and is accessible.
• Search Console is connected to an account controlled by the business.
• Important migrated URLs and redirects have been checked.
• Structured data, where used, describes visible content accurately.

Following these checks does not guarantee that Google will crawl or index every page. Search Console should be used to monitor the real result after launch.

10. Launch procedure

1. Freeze non-essential content and configuration changes.
2. Confirm backups, decision-makers and rollback conditions.
3. Deploy or switch the site during an agreed window.
4. Check the home page, key landing pages and main user journeys immediately.
5. Test email, forms, bookings and payments.
6. Check HTTPS, redirects, robots, canonical URLs and sitemap.
7. Review mobile pages from outside the administrator session.
8. Record defects and assign owners.

11. First-day checks

• Monitor form and transaction delivery.
• Check important old URLs and external campaign links.
• Review server, platform and security alerts.
• Confirm analytics events are recorded without double-counting.
• Check that business email continues to send and receive.
• Correct critical customer-journey faults before cosmetic issues.

12. First-week checks

• Review Search Console for access, indexing or sitemap problems.
• Check real enquiries, bookings and orders for missing information.
• Review common mobile and form errors.
• Confirm the backup schedule is operating.
• Remove old staging sites or protect them from public access and indexing.
• Update documentation and access records.
• Separate defects from new improvement ideas.

Launch sign-off

Minimum launch sign-off record

Area	Owner	Status	Evidence or issue
Accounts and ownership	Named person	Pass / hold	Access register checked
Backup and rollback	Named person	Pass / hold	Backup location and restoration owner
Content and legal	Named person	Pass / hold	Approvals recorded
Forms and transactions	Named person	Pass / hold	Test references
Mobile and accessibility	Named person	Pass / hold	Devices and issues recorded
Search readiness	Named person	Pass / hold	Robots, sitemap and redirects checked

Sources and further guidance

• Google Search Central: technical requirements (checked 21 July 2026).
• Google Search Central: get started with Search Console (checked 21 July 2026).
• Information Commissioner's Office: privacy notices and cookies (checked 21 July 2026).
• National Cyber Security Centre: small organisations guide to cyber security (checked 21 July 2026).