Website launch checklist: are you ready to go live?
30+ checks across SEO, performance, security, legal, and analytics. Score your readiness and see exactly what to fix before launch.
Launch readiness score
0 of 30 items checked
How the readiness score works
The checklist scores your launch readiness across 6 categories, each weighted by its impact on a successful launch. Every item has a priority weight: critical items (red) can break your site or hurt your business if missed, important items (yellow) affect quality and growth, and nice-to-have items (gray) are polish.
The score updates in real time as you check items. Focus on clearing all critical items first - these are your "don't launch without" list. Important items should be addressed within the first week after launch. Nice-to-have items can wait.
Category weights
| Category | Weight | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Content & Copy | 15% | Broken links and placeholder text damage credibility |
| SEO | 20% | Missing meta tags mean Google can't index you properly |
| Performance | 20% | Slow sites lose 7% conversions per second of delay |
| Security | 20% | No HTTPS = "Not Secure" warning = visitors leave |
| Legal & Compliance | 10% | Privacy policy is legally required in most jurisdictions |
| Analytics & Tracking | 15% | Without tracking, you can't measure success or debug issues |
What to prioritize on launch day
Critical - block launch
SSL, HTTPS redirect, privacy policy, title tags, meta descriptions, and Google Analytics. These directly affect trust, legal compliance, and search visibility from day one.
Important - fix within a week
XML sitemap, canonical URLs, image optimization, form spam protection, and conversion tracking. These affect long-term SEO and performance but won't break your launch.
Nice to have - polish later
OG tags, lazy loading, UTM parameters, and terms of service. These improve the experience but won't cause problems if they're not ready on day one.
Redesign launches
If you're relaunching an existing site, add 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to your critical list. Missing redirects are the #1 cause of traffic drops after a redesign.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I check before launching a website?
- At minimum: SSL certificate, mobile responsiveness, all links working, SEO meta tags (title, description, sitemap), Google Analytics installed, privacy policy linked, and page speed under 3 seconds on mobile. This checklist covers 30+ items across all critical areas.
- How long before launch should I start?
- Start 1–2 weeks before your target launch date. This gives you enough time to fix critical issues without rushing. Critical items like SSL, analytics, and legal pages can take a day or two to set up properly.
- What's the most common thing people forget?
- Analytics tracking. People launch without it and lose valuable baseline data. The second most forgotten item is meta descriptions - without them, Google writes its own, which is often less compelling.
- Do I need a privacy policy?
- Yes, if you collect any user data - including analytics cookies. GDPR requires it for EU visitors, CCPA for California residents, and most ad platforms require one to run campaigns.
- Can I use this for a redesign launch?
- Absolutely. The same checks apply. Pay extra attention to URL redirects (301s from old URLs to new ones) and making sure your sitemap reflects the new structure. Broken redirects after a redesign are one of the most common causes of traffic drops.
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