Website launch checklist: 20+ Things to check before going live

Look, we’ve all been here before. I’ve been here before, many, many times.

You’re staring at your site, running through an endless mental checklist. Did I set up analytics? Is the SEO right? Is my site even indexed? You double-check the branding and then triple-check it. You tweak the copy, question your life choices, and then, just for good measure, check the homepage on mobile again.

I’ve been through it all. The janky client site that somehow survived launch day. The one that fell apart two days later. The food blog I started on a whim (RIP). The SaaS landing page looked great but loaded slower than a dial-up connection. And through all of it, one thing always stands out: that moment before launch when you want to be absolutely sure you've covered everything.

This is that checklist. Not just a random list, but my battle-tested pre-launch guide from someone who’s launched websites, broken them, and most importantly, fixed them.

Is it exhaustive? No. But after years of working on site launches across different industries, I can tell you these are the essentials. If you want to avoid the most common mistakes (and trust me, you do), start here.

1. Core technical setup: the non-negotiables

Before you worry about aesthetics, marketing, or conversion rates, let’s get one thing straight: if your site is slow, broken, or invisible to search engines, nothing else matters.

These are the foundational elements that make or break a website before it even sees the light of day. You can have the best design, the smartest copy, and the greatest product in the world—but if your site loads like it’s running on a hamster wheel, people will leave before they even see it.

Let’s fix that.

Hosting & domain: the basics that shouldn’t be basic

Your hosting and domain are the bedrock of your site. If they suck, everything else suffers.

• SSL certificate: If your site isn’t on HTTPS, maybe don’t go live? Google will actively penalize you, browsers will throw scary warnings at users, and you’ll look like you’re stuck in 2010. Most hosting providers (like Cloudflare, Kinsta, or SiteGround) offer free SSL certificates, enable it.
• Fast hosting: Cheap hosting is tempting, but a slow site is a dead site. If your homepage takes longer than 3 seconds to load, people leave. Kinsta, WP Engine, and Rocket.net are solid choices for speed and reliability.
• Domain configuration: The www and non-www versions of your site should redirect properly. Nothing screams "amateur hour" like a site that loads at yourdomain.com but breaks at www.yourdomain.com.

Speed & performance: because no one likes a slow website

Speed is not just about convenience. It’s about keeping visitors. Google’s PageSpeed Insights tells you exactly what’s slowing you down but here’s what usually kills speed:

• Unoptimized images: If your site loads like it’s stuck in the early 2000s, your 5MB hero image is probably the culprit. Use TinyPNG, Squoosh, or ShortPixel to shrink images without losing quality.
• Bloated code: Too many scripts? Too many animations? Google’s PageSpeed Insights will tell you if your LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) is too high. Minify your CSS and JS with Autoptimize (WordPress) or WP Rocket.
• Caching & CDN: Use Cloudflare or BunnyCDN to speed up content delivery globally.
• Mobile optimization: Open your site on an actual phone (not just your desktop browser’s mobile preview). If you have to pinch, zoom, or squint, fix it now.

SEO & indexing: because a hidden website is a dead website

You could have the best website in the world, but if Google can’t see it, it might as well not exist.

• robots.txt & XML sitemap: If you don’t tell Google where to crawl, it’ll either ignore your site or index the wrong pages. Use Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or SEOPress to generate an XML sitemap and make sure your robots.txt file isn’t blocking important pages.
• Google Search Console & analytics: Hook them up before launch. This is not optional.
• Meta tags & Open Graph: Title tags, meta descriptions, and social preview images should not be auto-generated nonsense. Imagine sharing your site on Twitter, and the preview image is a cropped footer logo, not a good look huh?

Security & backups: because things break when you least expect it

• Automatic backups: If you’re not backing up your site regularly, you’re begging for disaster. UpdraftPlus (WordPress), VaultPress, or Acronis are great options.
• Basic security measures: Strong passwords, firewalls, and malware protection. If you’re on WordPress, install Wordfence or iThemes Security. Seriously, just do it.
• DDoS protection: If you’re on Cloudflare, enable their basic DDoS protection, your future self will thank you.

2. Install the right tools before you regret it

You know what’s worse than realizing you need a tool? Realizing it after your site is live! When you’re already missing data, bleeding traffic, or struggling to fix something that could have been automated from day one.

Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.

Analytics: you can’t improve what you don’t track

Here’s the deal—if you launch a site without an analytics setup, you’re flying blind. And by the time you realize it, you’ll have already lost valuable insights.

• Seline: First things first—install Seline. Why? Because analytics is everything, and Seline gives you the key web insights you actually need without the bloat of Google Analytics. It’s minimalist, fast, and perfect for beginners and pros alike. And if you’re thinking, “I’ll set up analytics later”, nope. Do it now, because missing early data means losing critical insights on user behavior, traffic patterns, and SEO performance.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Yes, it’s clunky. Yes, it’s overcomplicated. But if you want deep integration with Google Ads and advanced tracking, it’s still essential. Just pair it with Seline so you don’t have to suffer through GA4’s painful interface all the time.
• Google Search Console: If your site isn’t connected to Google Search Console, you might as well tell Google, “Hey, I don’t care if you index my site or not.” Set it up, submit your sitemap, and start tracking impressions and clicks before launch day.
• Microsoft Clarity: If you want heatmaps and session recordings (for free), Clarity is your go-to. It shows you exactly where users click, scrolls, and drop off, so you can fix usability issues fast.

SEO tools: don’t wait until you’re invisible

SEO starts before you go live—not after you realize you’re ranking for nothing.

• Seline (Again, Yes): Because SEO is more than just tracking traffic. Seline helps you monitor traffic coming from search engines and adjust your strategy on the fly.
• Ahrefs / Semrush: If you’re serious about keyword tracking, competitor analysis, and backlink monitoring, grab an Ahrefs or Semrush subscription. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Also yes.
• Rank Math or Yoast SEO (For WordPress Users): These plugins handle meta tags, sitemaps, and schema markup automatically, so you don’t have to do it manually.

Automation & essential integrations

• Zapier / Make (Integromat) – Automate literally anything. Want to auto-save form submissions to Google Sheets? Trigger Slack notifications when a new lead comes in? Send abandoned cart emails? Zapier can do it.
• CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Zoho CRM) – If your site is capturing leads, they need to go somewhere. Pick a CRM and integrate it before leads start disappearing into the void.
• Live Chat (Tidio, Crisp, or Chatbase) – If you sell anything, live chat increases conversions. Chatbase is an AI-powered chatbot that makes answering customer questions seamless.

Bottom line?

Setting up the right tools before launch is the difference between running a smart, data-driven website and running a guesswork-filled mess.

If you haven’t installed Seline yet, do it now. And if your analytics, SEO, and automation tools aren’t ready before launch day, that’s a bad move.

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3. User experience: if your site annoys visitors, they won’t stay

Great, you’ve set up your analytics, SEO, and automation tools. Now, let’s talk about something that directly affects your bottom line: user experience (UX) and conversions.

If your website loads slowly, looks messy, or makes it hard for users to find what they need, they’ll leave. And Google? Google will bury you in the search results.

Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.

Speed matters more than you think

Nobody waits for a slow website. If your pages take longer than 3 seconds to load, nearly 40% of visitors will bounce.

• Use a CDN (Cloudflare or BunnyCDN): A content delivery network (CDN) helps load your site faster by serving files from servers closer to the user.
• Optimize your images: Compress images with TinyPNG or ShortPixel. Use WebP format instead of PNG/JPG, it’s lighter and loads faster.
• Minimize plugins & scripts: If you’re using WordPress, don’t bloat your site with 50 unnecessary plugins. If it’s not essential, remove it.
• Use fast hosting: Bad hosting = slow site. If you’re on shared hosting (like GoDaddy or Bluehost), upgrade to a better option like Cloudways, SiteGround, or Kinsta.

Navigation: make it stupidly easy

Your visitors shouldn’t have to think about where to click next. If they struggle to find what they need, they’ll leave.

• Keep your menu simple – No more than 5-7 main links. Anything more? You’re overcomplicating it.
• Use a sticky header – Keep the navigation bar visible as users scroll. It reduces frustration and boosts engagement.
• Use breadcrumbs – This helps users (and Google) understand where they are on your site. WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO add breadcrumbs automatically.
• Prioritize mobile navigation – Your menu should be easy to tap, not a tiny text-based nightmare that forces users to pinch and zoom.

Make your CTAs pop

A call-to-action (CTA) is useless if nobody clicks it. Make sure your CTAs stand out and actually encourage action.

• Use clear, actionable text: “Get Started Free” is better than “Submit”.
• Use contrasting colors: Your CTA should pop against the background. If your page is blue, don’t use a blue button—make it orange, green, or red.
• Eliminate distractions: If a user lands on your homepage and sees 15 different buttons, they won’t know what to do. Focus on one primary action per page.
• Place CTAs above the fold: Users shouldn’t have to scroll to find them.

Forms: keep it short & sweet

Nobody enjoys filling out long, complicated forms. The more fields you add, the fewer conversions you’ll get.

• Ask only for essentials: Name, email, and maybe a phone number, nothing more unless absolutely necessary.
• Use autofill & validation: Make it easy for users to complete forms without frustration.
• Test on mobile: If your form is a nightmare to fill out on a phone, fix it.

Trust signals: people won’t buy if they don’t trust you

New visitors are skeptical. They don’t know you. So, you need to prove that you’re legit.

• Use testimonials & reviews: If you have happy customers, showcase their reviews. If you don’t, get some.
• Display security badges: If you’re handling payments, use SSL, Trustpilot, or other security badges to reassure visitors.
• Have a clear about & contact page: If users can’t find a way to reach you, they’ll doubt your legitimacy.
• Showcase social proof: If big brands or influencers use your product, highlight that.

Bottom line?

UX and conversion optimization aren’t just “nice-to-haves”—they’re critical. A fast, user-friendly, and trustworthy site will keep visitors engaged, increase conversions, and improve SEO.

Launch your website with Seline!

Launching a website is exciting, but excitement alone doesn’t build a successful site, strategy does.

Whether you’re starting fresh or optimizing an existing site, following a structured website launch checklist ensures you cover all the essential steps, from technical setup and SEO to content, automation, and analytics.

And if you’re looking for a simple, effective analytics tool to get started on the right foot, Seline is your best bet.

No complex setup. No unnecessary features. Just clear, actionable insights that help you grow right from day one.

If your site is already live and you haven’t set up analytics yet, the best time to do it is now.

Sign up for Seline today and take control of your website’s success.