The website launch checklist: what we test before going live
- Web
- Quality
Most launch problems are found by visitors. This is the list we work through so they are found by us first.
Speed
Test the live build, not the development version, on a mid-range phone and a normal connection. Large images, heavy scripts and fonts are the usual culprits.
Accessibility
Use the whole site with a keyboard. Check colour contrast, headings, labels on every field and text alternatives for images. Run an automated check, then check by hand.
Search
Every page has a unique title and description, a canonical address and a place in the sitemap. Old addresses redirect. The site can be crawled, and the preview that appears when a link is shared looks right.
Forms and email
Submit every form for real and confirm the message arrives where it should. Check the confirmation, the error messages and what happens with spam.
Phones and browsers
Open the site on real iPhones and Android phones and in the main browsers. Look at menus under the bottom bar, dark mode and landscape.
Privacy
A privacy policy that matches what the site really does, a cookie banner only if you use cookies that need consent, and no tracking that loads before a choice is made.
- Have a backup and a way back if something goes wrong
- Know who is watching the site in the first week
- Write down who owns the domain, hosting and accounts