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Checklist6 min read
Website Launch Checklist for Small Businesses
Don't launch your website without checking these 40+ items. From SEO to security, this checklist ensures your site is ready for the real world.
Launching a website is exciting — but rushing to go live without checking the details can cost you visitors, credibility, and sales. If you haven't already, start by generating a project brief to ensure your goals are documented. Then use this checklist to make sure everything is ready.
Content & Copy
All pages have final, proofread copy (no lorem ipsum)
Contact information is correct and consistent across all pages
Business name, address, and phone number match your Google Business listing
All images are high quality and properly sized
Alt text is added to all images (important for SEO and accessibility)
Copyright year is current
Privacy policy and terms of service are in place
Design & User Experience
Site looks good on mobile phones (test on real devices, not just browser resize) — see what makes a good small business website for design benchmarks
Site looks good on tablets
All buttons and links are easily tappable on mobile (minimum 44x44px)
Navigation is clear and consistent across all pages
Forms work correctly and send to the right email
404 error page exists and is helpful
Favicon is set
Technical SEO
Every page has a unique title tag (under 60 characters)
Every page has a unique meta description (under 160 characters)
Heading hierarchy is correct (one H1 per page, then H2s, H3s)
URLs are clean and descriptive (e.g., /about not /page-2)
XML sitemap is generated and submitted to Google Search Console
Robots.txt file exists and is configured correctly
Open Graph tags are set for social media sharing
Canonical URLs are set to prevent duplicate content
Schema markup is implemented (Organization, LocalBusiness, FAQ)
Performance
Page load time is under 3 seconds (test with Google PageSpeed Insights)
Images are compressed and served in modern formats (WebP)
Lazy loading is enabled for images below the fold
CSS and JavaScript are minified
Browser caching is configured
Security
SSL certificate is installed (site loads with https://)
Forms have spam protection (reCAPTCHA or honeypot)
Admin login is secure with a strong password
File permissions are set correctly
Backup system is in place
Analytics & Tracking
Google Analytics 4 is installed and tracking
Google Search Console is set up and verified
Conversion goals are configured (form submissions, calls, purchases)
UTM parameters are set for marketing campaigns
Legal
Cookie consent banner is in place (if required in your region)
Privacy policy covers data collection and usage
Terms of service are accessible
ADA/accessibility compliance is addressed
Launch Day
DNS is pointed to the correct server
Old site redirects are in place (if replacing an existing site)
Test all forms one more time on the live site
Submit sitemap to Google Search Console
Share on social media and update your Google Business profile with the URL
Post-Launch (First Week)
Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors
Check analytics for tracking accuracy
Test site speed from different locations
Ask 3–5 people to test the site and report issues
Set a reminder to review analytics in 30 days
This checklist covers the essentials. Save it, print it, and check off each item before you hit publish. Need help finding the right designer to build your site? Read our guide to hiring a web designer.
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