Website Launch Checklist for Agencies: 40 Checks Before Go-Live
Launch day is the worst time to discover that the contact form emails nobody, or that Google has been told not to index the site. Use this checklist on staging before every go-live. It is grouped by area so you can split it between your team and the client.
1. Content
- ✓All placeholder text (lorem ipsum) replaced
- ✓Spelling and grammar checked on every page
- ✓Phone numbers, emails and addresses are correct
- ✓Prices, offers and dates are up to date
- ✓Legal pages in place: privacy policy, terms, cookie notice if needed
- ✓Copyright year in the footer is correct
2. Design and layout
- ✓Fonts load correctly and match the approved design
- ✓Images are sharp, correctly cropped and not stretched
- ✓Favicon and app icons are set
- ✓Spacing and alignment are consistent across pages
- ✓Hover, focus and active states work on buttons and links
- ✓404 page is designed and links back home
3. Mobile and browsers
- ✓Tested on a real iPhone and Android phone, not only a resized browser
- ✓Tested on Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge
- ✓No horizontal scrolling on small screens
- ✓Menus, popups and sliders work by touch
- ✓Tap targets are large enough to press
4. Forms and functionality
- ✓Every form submits, shows a success message and delivers the email
- ✓Form emails don’t land in spam
- ✓Checkout or payments tested with a real low-value transaction
- ✓All links work: no broken links or links to staging URLs
- ✓Search, filters and login (if any) work
- ✓No errors in the browser console
5. SEO basics
- ✓Each page has a unique title and meta description
- ✓One clear H1 per page
- ✓Images have descriptive alt text
- ✓“Discourage search engines” / noindex setting is turned OFF
- ✓XML sitemap exists and robots.txt allows crawling
- ✓301 redirects set up from old URLs if this is a redesign
- ✓Social share image and title look right when the link is shared
The most common launch mistake: the staging site’s “noindex” setting is copied to the live site, and Google never indexes it.
6. Speed and security
- ✓Images compressed and served in modern formats
- ✓Page speed checked on mobile
- ✓HTTPS works and http:// redirects to https://
- ✓www and non-www both go to one version
- ✓Admin passwords are strong and staging accounts removed
- ✓Backups are scheduled
7. Tracking
- ✓Analytics installed and receiving live visits
- ✓Key conversions tracked (form submits, purchases, calls)
- ✓Site added to Google Search Console and sitemap submitted
8. Client sign-off and handover
- ✓All client feedback resolved or agreed as a later change
- ✓Written sign-off received from the client’s approver
- ✓Logins, domain and hosting details handed over securely
- ✓Short training or video on how to update content
Collecting the final round of feedback directly on the staging site makes sign-off much faster: the client can see every request marked as resolved before approving launch.
Run your final review on the website itself
With PagePin, clients and teammates pin issues directly on the staging site. Every pin includes a screenshot, browser, screen size and console errors, and you can check them off one by one before launch.
FAQ
When should I start the launch checklist?
Start about a week before launch so there is time to fix what you find. Run the full list on staging, then repeat the quick checks (links, forms, tracking, noindex) on the live site right after launch.
Who should do website QA?
Ideally someone who did not build the page, because fresh eyes catch more. Ask the client to review content and messaging, and a teammate to test functionality and devices.
What is the most common thing missed at launch?
Leaving the staging noindex setting turned on, broken contact form emails, and links that still point to the staging domain.
Manav Rathod
Founder of PagePin. Backend developer who has shipped SaaS products and Shopify apps for agencies.