You've built your site and you're ready to go live. Before you hit publish, run through this checklist - a few minutes now saves you from an embarrassing typo or a broken form later.
Content & design
- Proofread everything. Read every page out loud. Typos quietly undermine trust.
- Check the mobile view. Most visitors are on a phone - make sure every page looks right and taps easily.
- Test every link. Click them all. Broken links frustrate visitors and hurt SEO.
- Test your forms. Submit your contact form and any signups yourself, and confirm the message actually arrives.
Findability (SEO)
- Set page titles and meta descriptions on every page - clear, specific, keyword-aware.
- Add image alt text so images are described for search engines and screen readers.
- Add a favicon - that little icon in the browser tab is a small but real polish signal.
Measurement
- Connect analytics so you can see who's visiting and what they do. You can't improve what you don't measure.
Trust & essentials
- Confirm your contact info is correct and easy to find - phone, email, address, hours.
- Add your legal pages - privacy policy, terms, and a cookie notice if you use tracking.
Going live properly
- Connect your custom domain and confirm HTTPS is active (the padlock in the address bar). Your own domain looks far more professional than a subdomain.
- Check the social share preview - when someone shares your link, the right title, description, and image should appear.
After launch
Launching isn't the finish line - it's the start. Watch your analytics, ask early visitors for feedback, and keep improving. The advantage of building it yourself is that changes take minutes: fix, publish, repeat.
Ready to tick these off? Build and launch your site with Webkio - the SEO fields, forms, analytics, custom domains, and HTTPS are all built in.
FAQ
What should I check before launching a website?
Test every form and link, read every page on a phone, confirm your contact details and opening hours, and check your page titles. Those four catch most launch-day embarrassments.
Do I need to test on mobile separately?
Yes. Most visitors will arrive on a phone, and layouts that look balanced on a laptop often crowd on a small screen. Preview each page rather than assuming.
What happens if I spot a mistake after going live?
Fix it and publish again. Changes take effect within moments, which is the main advantage of running the site yourself.