Essential Site Launch Checklist: Steps to Ensure Your Website is Ready to Go Live

Essential Site Launch Checklist: Steps to Ensure Your Website is Ready to Go Live

By Michael Chen

February 28, 2025 at 01:10 AM

Making your site launch as successful as possible requires thorough preparation. Here's what you need to check and complete before going live:

Design and Branding Essentials

  • Set your site title and upload a logo
  • Review style settings (fonts, colors, spacing)
  • Add cookie banner if needed for privacy
  • Upload custom favicon for browser tabs

Page Setup and Content

  • Create compelling homepage that reflects your brand
  • Organize navigation menus logically
  • Proofread all pages for errors and placeholder text
  • Verify URL slugs match page titles
  • Set up mobile layouts for Dynamic Editor pages
  • Ensure collection pages match site's style
  • Keep page sizes under 5MB for faster loading
  • Consider adding members-only content
  • Create custom 404 error page

Image Optimization

  • Add featured images to all pages
  • Check social sharing images
  • Verify image link destinations
  • Ensure image quality and proper formatting
  • Fix any odd image cropping

Domain and Technical Setup

  • Add custom domain
  • Set primary domain if multiple exist
  • Test all form submissions
  • Verify social media links
  • Consider Google Workspace email integration
  • Set up multi-language support if needed

SEO Preparation

  • Add SEO descriptions to all pages
  • Complete full SEO checklist
  • Verify search engine optimization

E-commerce Setup

  • Connect payment processor
  • Configure tax rules
  • Set up shipping options
  • Test complete checkout process
  • Verify product details and pricing
  • Disable test mode
  • Consider adding product tags
  • Customize email notifications
  • Style checkout area
  • Prepare launch promotions

Pre-Launch Final Checks

  • Remove page passwords
  • Disable Coming Soon page
  • Update collaborator permissions
  • Submit to Google Search Console
  • Test on multiple devices and browsers
  • Set up analytics tracking

Post-Launch Marketing

  • Share site with network
  • Enable social sharing
  • Follow SEO best practices
  • Set up email marketing
  • Use announcement bars and pop-ups
  • Connect social commerce features

Blog-Specific Checks

  • Publish initial posts
  • Configure comment settings
  • Add content categories
  • Set post display options
  • Verify author attribution

Event Page Setup

  • Review landing page
  • Verify event details
  • Add supplementary content

Portfolio Requirements

  • Style subpages consistently
  • Test layout options
  • Add supporting content sections

Remember to conduct final testing across all features before making the site public, and continue monitoring and optimizing after launch.

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