10 Must-Dos Before Launching Your New Website (With Examples and Tools!)
You’ve spent countless hours creating your new website, and it looks amazing—but hold on before you press that “Go Live” button. Before launching the site, we need to make sure everything is polished, secure, and optimized to give your visitors the best experience possible. You wouldn’t open the doors to your new store without double-checking the displays, making sure all systems work, and testing the checkout process, right?
It’s the same idea for launching a new site. You can avoid common errors like broken links, slow load times, or, worse, security breaches that could hurt performance. Follow these steps and get ready for launch confidently, knowing your site is ready for visitors, search engines, and everything in between.
This checklist will set you up for success, whether you’re a small business owner, an entrepreneur building a personal brand, or a marketing professional ensuring a client’s site is perfect. We are also sharing specific examples and tools (many of them free!) that will make the process a breeze.
1. Give Your Content a Final Polish
Before you go live, it’s time for a last round of content editing. Think of it as giving your site a quick freshen up—everything should look and read perfectly. Double-check all text for spelling errors, grammar issues, and readability. Make sure your brand’s tone is consistent, whether it's in your blog posts or your product descriptions. And don’t forget to review your images and multimedia—are they high quality and optimized for the web? This final polish is all about ensuring your content feels professional and engaging for every visitor who lands on your site.
What to do: Go through every bit of text on your site—check for spelling mistakes, grammar issues, and awkward sentences. Make sure your brand’s voice is consistent throughout.
Example: If your brand’s tone is playful, make sure every page reflects that same energy, even your FAQ section!
Tools: Use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor to help catch errors and simplify your text. Both offer free versions that are great for proofreading and making your writing clear.
2. Test, Test, and Test Again
Forms, links, menus—test everything! Make sure all buttons work and forms (like your contact or sign-up forms) submit correctly. Broken links or non-functional features can really hurt user experience, so click around and make sure everything flows seamlessly.
What to do: Check every interactive element—links, forms, buttons, and menus. Make sure they all work as intended and navigate to the correct places.
Example: Test your contact form by filling it out yourself. Make sure you receive the test email and verify that the confirmation message looks good.
Tools: Plugins like WPForms Lite (free version) for WordPress help you test forms easily. For testing links, you can use check my links Chrome extension (another free plugin) to make sure all your URLs are working correctly.
3. SEO: The Secret Sauce for Search Success
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the secret sauce that gets your website noticed by search engines like Google. It’s what makes the difference between your site appearing on the first page of search results or getting buried where no one can find it. Setting up your SEO basics is like putting up a big, bright sign that says, “Hey, look at me!”—it helps search engines understand your site’s content and shows it to the right audience. So, let’s get you ranking.
What to do: Ensure your site has optimized meta titles, descriptions, H1 tags, and alt text for images. This helps search engines understand your site and rank it higher.
Example: Let’s say you run a pet accessories site. Make sure your product pages have descriptive titles like “Eco-Friendly Dog Collar - Adjustable and Durable” instead of something generic like your Product Name.
Tools: For WordPress, try Yoast SEO offers free versions to optimize your pages. For a quick audit, use Google Search Console to check how your site appears in search results.
4. Check Mobile Responsiveness (Seriously, Do It)
Most people are browsing on their phones, so make sure your website looks amazing on any device. Test how your site responds on tablets, smartphones, and different screen sizes. It’s all about that smooth experience, no matter where someone is visiting from!
What to do: Test how your website looks on smartphones, tablets, and different screen sizes to make sure it’s easy to navigate and visually appealing.
Example: If you notice that your navigation menu overlaps with your logo on smaller screens, it’s time to fix your CSS settings or menu design.
Tools: Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is a free and easy tool to check if your site is responsive. You can also use Responsinator to see how your website looks across multiple devices.
5. Get Your Analytics Up and Running
How do you know if people are visiting your site, or what pages they love most? Set up Google Analytics (or your preferred tool) to start collecting data as soon as you launch. Track conversions, page visits, and time spent on each page so you know what’s working—and what might need some tweaking.
What to do: Set up a tracking tool to monitor website traffic, conversions, and user behavior from day one.
Example: If you run an e-commerce site, tracking conversions is key to understanding which pages lead to sales and which don’t.
Tools: Google Analytics is the industry standard and is free to use. You can set up goals like form submissions or sales conversions.
6. Speed Check: Make Every Second Count
Did you know that even a few extra seconds of loading time can cause visitors to click away before they even see your site? In today’s fast-paced world, people expect websites to load almost instantly. That’s why testing your site’s speed and optimizing it is so important—it's the difference between keeping your audience engaged or losing them to a competitor. Speed isn’t just about user experience; it also impacts your SEO rankings. So, let’s go over how to check your site’s speed and make it lightning-fast!
What to do: Test your site’s loading time and optimize anything slowing it down, like large images or unminified CSS/JavaScript files.
Example: Compressing images can cut down load time. If your site’s home page takes more than 3 seconds to load, many visitors might leave before even seeing your content.
Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights gives detailed speed scores and suggestions for improvement. TinyPNG is a free tool for compressing images without losing quality, and Autoptimize is a great WordPress plugin for minifying code.
7. Security Matters: Protect Your Site
Nothing ruins a launch like a security breach. Install an SSL certificate to keep your site secure (you’ll know it’s working when you see that little padlock and “HTTPS”). Make sure all plugins and themes are up-to-date, and consider adding a security plugin for extra protection.
What to do: Ensure your site is secure by installing an SSL certificate, updating plugins, and setting up basic security features.
Example: An SSL certificate (showing “https” in your URL) not only protects your site but also boosts your SEO rankings.
Tools: Use Really Simple SSL (a free plugin for WordPress) to set up your SSL certificate quickly. For security, try Wordfence Security or Sucuri Security, both of which have free versions to help protect your site from threats.
8. Cross-Browser Testing: No Browser Left Behind
Different browsers can show your site differently—yep, even in 2024. Test your site on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Make sure everything looks great and functions properly across the board. No one wants their site looking perfect on Chrome but off-center on Safari!
What to do: Test your website on different browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge to make sure everything looks and works the same.
Example: A site may look perfect on Chrome but could appear misaligned on Safari. Cross-browser testing catches these issues before they become a problem for visitors.
Tools: BrowserStack offers free trials for testing your site across different browsers and devices. LambdaTest also provides a free plan for cross-browser testing.
9. Backup and Launch Plan (Your Safety Net)
Before you launch, create a full backup of your website. This way, if anything goes wrong, you’ve got a safety net. Outline your launch plan with specific steps and timelines so you’re prepared for a smooth rollout.
What to do: Back up your website files and database before launching to ensure you have a restore point if anything goes wrong.
Example: If you update a plugin that crashes your site, a backup allows you to restore the last working version quickly.
Tools: For WordPress, UpdraftPlus is a free and reliable plugin for scheduling backups. You can also manually back up files using cPanel or your hosting provider’s tools.
10. Don’t Forget Compliance and Legal Pages
Got a Privacy Policy? Terms & Conditions? Make sure all legal pages are live and up-to-date. If you’re targeting international audiences or specific regions, double-check compliance regulations like GDPR. And while you’re at it, ensure your site is accessible to all users—everyone deserves a great experience!
What to do: Make sure your site has all the necessary legal pages, like Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Cookie Policy, and check that you’re compliant with regulations like GDPR.
Example: If you collect customer information through forms, a Privacy Policy explains how their data is used, helping you stay compliant and build trust with visitors.
Tools: Termly and PrivacyPolicies.com both offer free templates for creating legal documents. To check if your site meets accessibility guidelines, use WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool for a free site audit.
Ready, Set, Launch! Final Steps to Success
Launching a website is an exciting milestone, but it’s not just about making it look good; it’s about ensuring everything works perfectly and creates a seamless, engaging experience for your visitors. By following these 10 essential steps—like polishing your content, testing functionality, optimizing speed, and securing your site—you’re setting yourself up for a successful launch that makes a great first impression on both users and search engines.
Once you’ve checked everything off, you can confidently press that “Go Live” button, knowing your site is ready for action. But remember, the work doesn’t stop there—monitor your site regularly, update your content, and keep optimizing as you learn more about your audience. And if you ever need expert help or guidance, Fierce Media is here to support your digital journey every step of the way. Ready to make it happen? Let’s get your site launched the right way!