12 Things to Do Before Your Website Goes Live
Before your website goes live, confirm the domain and HTTPS settings, review every page, test the mobile experience, check all forms and conversion paths, finish the SEO setup, create redirects, improve loading speed, secure and back up the site, install analytics, submit the sitemap to search engines, create or update your Google Business Profile and add the business to Apple Maps and Bing Places.
The final days before a new website launches can feel deceptively simple. The design is approved, the main pages are written and the contact form appears to work. It is tempting to connect the domain, press publish and deal with anything else later.
That approach often creates avoidable problems. A website can go live with an expired staging restriction, missing page titles, broken forms, incorrect business hours, untracked enquiries or old URLs that suddenly return error pages.
A successful launch is not only about making the website publicly accessible. It is about making sure customers can use it, search engines can understand it, your business can measure it and your team can recover it if something goes wrong.
This checklist covers the technical, marketing and local visibility tasks that should be completed just before launch. It also includes the tasks many traditional launch checklists miss, such as Google Business Profile, Apple Maps and Bing Places.
1 Confirm the Domain, HTTPS and Staging Settings
Start by confirming exactly which address customers should use. A website may be accessible through several versions of the same domain, including HTTP, HTTPS, www and non-www versions. These should resolve consistently to one preferred version.
The public website should use HTTPS so information exchanged between the visitor and the website is encrypted. Check that the security certificate is active and that the browser does not display a warning.
Check the Following Before Launch
- The correct domain is connected to the new website
- HTTPS loads without a browser warning
- HTTP redirects to HTTPS
- www and non-www versions resolve consistently
- The preferred domain is used in canonical tags
- Internal links do not still point to a staging address
- Images and downloadable files use the live domain
- The domain renewal and DNS access are under business control
Remove Staging Restrictions
Development websites are often hidden from search engines with a password, a platform privacy setting or a noindex directive. These protections are useful during development but can stop the finished site from appearing in search if they remain active.
Do not remove staging restrictions too early. Complete the content, redirect and technical checks first. Remove the restrictions immediately before the final launch and confirm that the live pages are publicly accessible.
2 Review Every Page and Confirm the Business Information
A final content review should be performed on the actual website, not only in a Word document or design file. Text can wrap differently, links can be attached to the wrong words and important sections can disappear on smaller screens.
Review the Main Content
- Page headings accurately describe the content
- Services, products and prices are current
- Spelling and grammar are consistent
- Temporary text and placeholder images have been removed
- Calls to action clearly explain the next step
- Team members, qualifications and project examples are accurate
- Downloadable files open correctly
- Dates and references to current offers are correct
Check Your Business Details Everywhere
The business name, phone number, email address, service area, address and opening hours should be consistent across the website. Check the header, footer, contact page, forms, structured data and legal pages.
Inconsistent information can confuse customers and create extra work when you later build Google, Apple and Bing business listings.
Review the Required Policies
The exact legal requirements depend on the business, location and information being collected. Most commercial websites should at least review whether they need:
- A privacy policy
- Website terms and conditions
- Returns, refunds or cancellation information
- Shipping and delivery information
- Cookie or tracking disclosures
- Competition, promotion or subscription terms
Practical example: If a contact form collects a name, email address and project information, the website should clearly identify the business receiving that information and explain how personal information is handled.
3 Test the Website on Real Mobile Devices and Browsers
A responsive website preview is useful, but it is not a replacement for testing the site on a real phone. Mobile browsers, touch controls, browser toolbars and screen sizes can reveal problems that are easy to miss inside a website editor.
Test More Than the Homepage
Review the homepage, main service pages, product or category pages, contact page, forms, checkout and any page likely to receive traffic from Google or advertising.
- The menu opens, closes and scrolls correctly
- Text is readable without zooming
- Buttons are large enough to tap
- Phone and email links work
- Images do not extend outside the screen
- Tables can be viewed without breaking the page
- Pop-ups do not cover the entire screen
- Forms are comfortable to complete
- Sticky elements do not hide important content
- The page does not move sideways when scrolling
Use More Than One Browser
At minimum, test the important customer journeys in Chrome, Safari and Edge. Firefox is also useful where practical. The purpose is not to make every browser appear pixel-for-pixel identical. The purpose is to ensure that the content, navigation and actions continue to work.
Mobile usability is one of the principles covered in our guide to the 7 C's of a website .
4 Test Every Form, Button and Conversion Path
A website is not ready to launch simply because the form displays correctly. Submit it as a customer would and confirm that the message reaches the correct inbox.
Test the Complete Enquiry Journey
- Open the live or final preview page.
- Complete every required field.
- Test optional fields and file uploads.
- Submit the form.
- Check the on-screen confirmation.
- Check the customer confirmation email.
- Check the business notification email.
- Confirm the reply-to address is correct.
- Repeat the test on a phone.
Check spam folders and confirm that important notifications are not being sent only to one staff member's personal inbox.
Test Other Important Actions
- Click-to-call telephone numbers
- Email links
- Booking calendars
- Newsletter forms
- Quote calculators
- Account registration
- Shopping carts and checkout
- Payment methods
- Discount or promotional codes
- Order and booking confirmations
Never assume the form is working because it says “submitted”. The customer-facing confirmation and the business notification are separate parts of the process. Both must be tested.
5 Complete the Essential On-Page SEO Setup
Search optimisation should be considered during the project, not added as a last-minute plugin. However, the final pre-launch review is the right time to confirm that each important page can be understood by customers and search engines.
Review Each Important Page
- A unique and descriptive SEO title
- A useful meta description
- One clear primary page heading
- Logical subheadings
- A readable URL
- A self-referencing canonical URL where appropriate
- Descriptive image alternative text
- Relevant internal links
- A clear call to action
- Indexing enabled for pages intended to appear in search
Check Structured Data
Structured data can help search engines understand the type of information on the page. Depending on the website, relevant types may include Organisation, LocalBusiness, Product, BreadcrumbList, Article or FAQPage.
The structured data must accurately describe visible content. Do not add ratings, prices, services or business details that customers cannot find on the page.
Google provides official guidance for LocalBusiness structured data .
Practical example: A Sydney web design service page should have a clear page title, a matching H1, original service information, suitable internal links and a direct path to make an enquiry. Repeating “web design Sydney” in every paragraph will not make a weak page useful.
6 Create 301 Redirects and Check Every Important Link
This step is essential when replacing an existing website. If an old page is removed or its URL changes, visitors and search engines may continue trying to access the original address.
A 301 redirect sends the old URL to the most relevant new page. It helps preserve useful traffic, bookmarks and links pointing to the previous address.
Create a Redirect Map
Export or record the URLs from the old website, then match each important URL to its closest replacement.
| Old URL | New destination | Action |
|---|---|---|
| /old-web-design-page | /custom-web-design-sydney | 301 redirect |
| /projects | /web-design-portfolio-sydney | 301 redirect |
| /contact-us | /contact | 301 redirect |
Do Not Redirect Everything to the Homepage
A redirect should lead to the closest relevant replacement. Sending every deleted page to the homepage creates a poor experience and can make it harder for search engines to understand what changed.
Check for Broken Links
- Navigation links
- Footer links
- Buttons and calls to action
- Internal article links
- External references
- Images and downloadable files
- Social media profiles
- Privacy and terms pages
7 Improve Loading Speed and Image Delivery
New websites often become slow because the final photography, video, tracking tools and third-party widgets are added after the original design was approved.
Review performance again after the real content and integrations are installed.
Common Pre-Launch Improvements
- Resize images to the dimensions in which they are displayed
- Use efficient image formats such as WebP where suitable
- Compress large photographs
- Avoid automatically loading unnecessary video
- Remove plugins and scripts that are not being used
- Delay non-essential third-party tools
- Enable suitable caching
- Review font files and font weights
- Prevent large layout shifts during loading
- Test both desktop and mobile performance
Do not optimise only the homepage. Product categories, service pages, blog posts and checkout pages may contain different templates and scripts.
Practical example: A homepage hero photograph exported directly from a camera may be several megabytes. Resizing and compressing it can produce a major improvement without changing the visual design.
8 Set Up Security, Backups and Business-Owned Access
A website should not go live without a clear recovery plan. Updates, server problems, configuration mistakes and security incidents can affect even a well-built website.
Confirm the Backup Process
- Automated backups are enabled
- Backups include the website files and database
- Copies are retained for a suitable period
- At least one copy is stored separately from the live website
- The restore process is understood or has been tested
Review Security and Maintenance
- Website software and plugins are current
- Unused plugins and accounts have been removed
- Administrator passwords are unique and strong
- Multi-factor authentication is enabled where available
- Form spam protection is active
- Login attempts or suspicious activity can be monitored
- A maintenance contact has been nominated
Make Sure the Business Owns the Accounts
The business should control the domain, hosting, website platform, analytics, Search Console, Business Profile and other critical accounts. A developer can be added as an administrator or manager, but the company should not be dependent on a former contractor's personal login.
Record the access details before launch. Store account ownership, renewal dates and recovery methods in a secure password manager rather than in a shared spreadsheet or email thread.
9 Install Analytics and Submit the Website to Search Engines
Tracking should be installed before launch so the website begins collecting useful information from its first visitors.
Set Up Google Analytics 4
Install the Google tag through the website platform, a direct code installation or Google Tag Manager. Then use the Realtime report to confirm that visits are being received.
Google provides official instructions for setting up Analytics for a website .
Measure Actions, Not Only Page Views
Set up key events for the actions that matter to the business, such as:
- Contact form submissions
- Quote requests
- Telephone link clicks
- Email link clicks
- Bookings
- Newsletter registrations
- Purchases
- Important file downloads
Set Up Google Search Console
Add and verify the website property, submit the XML sitemap and use URL Inspection to check important pages. Search Console can later show indexing issues, search queries and other information about how Google sees the site.
Google explains how to build and submit a sitemap .
Add Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools allows the website owner to verify the site, submit the sitemap, inspect search data and identify crawl or SEO issues affecting Bing.
Use the official Bing Webmaster Tools platform and submit the same live XML sitemap.
Remember What Sitemap Submission Means
Submitting a sitemap helps search engines discover the website. It does not guarantee immediate indexing or a particular ranking. The pages still need to be accessible, useful and technically sound.
10 Create or Update Your Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile can help an eligible business manage how it appears in Google Search and Google Maps. This is particularly important for local businesses and service-area businesses.
Do not wait until several weeks after the website launches. Verification can take time, and Google determines which verification methods are available.
Complete the Profile Carefully
- Use the real business name
- Select the most accurate primary category
- Add relevant secondary categories where appropriate
- Add the correct phone number
- Link to the final live website
- Use accurate business hours
- Set the correct address or service area
- Add a clear business description
- Add services or products
- Upload the logo and genuine business photos
- Add appropriate appointment or enquiry links
Google requires the profile to represent the genuine business and provides official guidance for adding or claiming a Business Profile .
Update an Existing Profile During a Redesign
If the profile already exists, update the website link after the new site is live. Check that old landing pages, booking URLs and service information still match the new website.
Do not create a duplicate profile. Search for the business first. If a profile already exists, claim or request access to it rather than creating another listing for the same business.
11 Add or Claim the Business on Apple Maps
Apple Maps is easy to overlook because many website launch checklists focus only on Google. However, customers using iPhones, Siri and other Apple services may rely on Apple's business information.
Apple Business Connect allows businesses to control how their information appears across Apple platforms, including Maps.
Review the Apple Listing
- Search for the business before creating a new listing
- Claim the existing place card where one already exists
- Verify the business through the available method
- Add the correct website
- Confirm the phone number
- Check the map position
- Add accurate hours
- Select suitable categories
- Add the logo and genuine photographs
- Keep the details consistent with the website
Start through the official Apple Business Connect platform.
Practical example: If the business has moved, do not only change the address on the website. Review the map pin, entrance details, opening hours and contact information shown in Apple Maps.
12 Add or Update the Business in Bing Places
Bing Places for Business allows businesses to manage a free listing that can appear in Bing search results and Bing Maps.
Bing should not be treated as irrelevant simply because Google has a larger search share. Bing information can support visibility across Microsoft products and search experiences.
Complete the Bing Places Listing
- Search for an existing listing first
- Claim or add the genuine business
- Verify ownership
- Add the final website URL
- Confirm the address or service details
- Add the phone number and opening hours
- Select accurate categories
- Add the business description
- Upload the logo and photographs
- Keep the details consistent with Google, Apple and the website
Use the official Bing Places for Business platform.
Consistency Matters More Than Copying Every Word
The descriptions do not need to be identical on every platform. However, core details such as the business name, phone number, website, address, service area and hours should not contradict one another.
What Most Website Launch Checklists Miss
Many launch guides focus on proofreading, forms, browser testing, analytics and backups. These are essential, but they often stop at the edge of the website.
A new website also needs to be connected to the wider business presence. Customers may discover the company through Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing, social profiles, directories, email signatures or old bookmarked links.
A technically successful launch can still create confusion when these external sources continue showing the old website, old phone number, incorrect address or outdated business hours.
The Website Launch Has Three Parts
- The website works: pages, forms, mobile layouts, security and performance are ready.
- The website can be found: search tools, sitemaps, redirects and business profiles are connected.
- The website can be measured: enquiries, bookings, calls and purchases are tracked from the beginning.
A Practical Website Launch Timeline
Not every task should be left until the final hour. Use this schedule to reduce last-minute pressure.
Seven Days Before
Finish content, record the old URLs, prepare redirects, review policies, test forms, optimise images and confirm domain access.
Twenty-Four Hours Before
Take a final backup, recheck mobile pages, test conversions, confirm analytics, review SEO settings and prepare the DNS or domain change.
Launch Day
Connect the domain, enable indexing, test HTTPS and redirects, submit the sitemap, update business listings and monitor forms, traffic and errors.
Check Again After Launch
Recheck the website after the final domain is connected. Some problems appear only on the live address, including mixed-content warnings, incorrect redirects, caching issues and integrations that still reference the development domain.
Final Website Pre-Launch Checklist
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check immediately before a website goes live?
Check the domain, HTTPS, indexing settings, mobile layout, forms, calls to action, SEO settings, redirects, performance, backups, analytics, sitemap and business listings. Repeat the main tests after the final domain is connected.
Should Google Analytics be installed before or after launch?
Install and test Google Analytics before launch so the website can collect information from its first visitors. Confirm data collection through the Realtime report and test important key events such as form submissions and purchases.
How do I tell Google that my new website is live?
Verify the website in Google Search Console, submit the live XML sitemap and inspect important URLs. Make sure the pages are publicly accessible and are not blocked by a password, noindex directive or robots.txt rule.
Do I need a Google Business Profile before launching a website?
An eligible local or service-area business should create, claim or update its Google Business Profile as part of the launch process. Verification may take time, so it is better not to leave the task until several weeks after launch.
How do I add my new website to Apple Maps?
Use Apple Business Connect to search for the business, claim or create the correct listing, complete verification and add the final website URL, phone number, hours, categories and photographs.
Is Bing Places worth setting up for an Australian business?
Bing Places provides a free way to manage how the business appears in Bing search and Bing Maps. It is a useful part of a broader local visibility setup and should contain information consistent with the website, Google and Apple.
What redirects are needed when replacing an old website?
Create a 301 redirect from each important old URL to the most relevant new page. Avoid redirecting every old page to the homepage. Test the redirects after launch and retain them for the long term.
How long should website launch testing take?
The time depends on the size and complexity of the website. A small service website may require several focused hours, while an ecommerce or custom website may require several days of testing across products, accounts, payments, devices and integrations.
Should the website be backed up before it goes live?
Yes. Take a complete backup immediately before major launch changes and confirm that automated ongoing backups are active. The business should also know who can restore the website if something goes wrong.
What should I monitor during the first week after launch?
Monitor form delivery, purchases, bookings, analytics, indexing, redirects, broken links, loading performance, security alerts and customer feedback. Check that business profile links and contact details continue to point to the correct live pages.
Planning to Launch a New Website?
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