The Forge Lab
Checklist · 4 min read

Website Launch Checklist

Launch problems are almost always small and preventable. Work down this list before you announce the new site.

Last reviewed August 2026

Before launch

  • Every form submits and the notification email arrives
  • Phone, WhatsApp and email links open correctly on a real phone
  • Page titles and meta descriptions are unique on every page
  • Images are compressed and have descriptive alt text
  • 404 page exists and links back into the site
  • Legal pages present: privacy, terms, POPIA notice
  • Favicon, social share image and business name are correct

Technical

  • SSL certificate active and http redirects to https
  • One canonical domain — www or non-www, not both
  • robots.txt and sitemap.xml reachable
  • Analytics installed and recording
  • Old URLs redirected to their new equivalents

After launch

  • Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console
  • Check Google Business Profile details match the site
  • Test the full enquiry journey yourself, on mobile data
  • Watch analytics for pages with unusually fast exits in week one

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