What to Do Right Before You Launch Your WordPress Website

After months of work and preparation, you’re finally ready to launch your shiny new website. But no website launch is perfect. Whether it’s a brand-new website or a redesign, there are bound to be things that you or your web design team have overlooked.

To make sure your website is as flawless as possible when it goes live, we’ve put together a website pre-launch checklist that will help you cover all the essential tasks before the big reveal.

By taking the time to properly prepare, you can ensure a smooth launch and avoid potential issues that could affect your website’s performance, security, and user experience.

Website Pre-Launch Checklist

Here’s a comprehensive list of tasks you should complete right before launching your website to set it up for success. These final preparations ensure that your site functions smoothly, is secure, and provides an optimal user experience.

By following this checklist, you’ll avoid common issues and ensure your website is fully optimized for performance, SEO, and professionalism. Taking the time to complete these steps will help guarantee a successful and seamless launch.

Fortify Your Security

Security should be your top priority when preparing for your website launch. No protection for your site means that all your hard work (and money) might be in vain. To harden your site security, use one of the various plugins, such as Wordfence or iThemes Security.

Another important security feature your site must have — before it goes live — is SSL certification. This encryption feature basically assures that sensitive data entered through your site is secure from those who may want to attack your site.

You can purchase the SSL certificate for your website through a certification authority online. However, most hosts offer free SSL certificates these days.

In addition, don’t forget about spam protection. Countless bots and individuals want to spam sites with often malicious links or content. Remember to install a spam protection plugin such as Akismet to keep those at bay.

Polish Your SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for attracting organic visitors to your website. Without proper SEO, your website may struggle to rank in Google’s search results, which means fewer people will find you online. According to HubSpot, 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results, emphasizing the need for solid SEO practices to ensure your site ranks well and gets noticed.

Before launching, make sure your website is fully optimized for search engines. On WordPress, a popular and effective plugin for on-site SEO is Yoast SEO. It helps you fine-tune your content by suggesting improvements to keyword usage, metadata, headlines, and more.

By running an SEO audit using Yoast or another tool, you can identify areas for improvement, such as ensuring your target keywords are strategically placed throughout your pages and blog posts.

Also, check that your meta descriptions, title tags, and image alt texts are properly set up. A well-optimized site is more likely to rank higher on search engines, driving more traffic to your website after launch.

Check for Broken Links

One of the last things you want on launch day is a website full of broken links. Broken links can frustrate visitors, damage your site’s credibility, and hurt your SEO rankings. Developers often change or remove links while building the site, so it’s essential to double-check that all links are working properly before launch.

There are several tools available to help you identify broken links on your site. Broken Link Checker is a popular WordPress plugin, or you can use Chrome extensions like Link Miner to quickly scan your pages.

Additionally, ensure that the link structure hasn’t been altered during the development process. Checking for broken links is an easy but vital task that ensures a smooth user experience and protects your site’s SEO standing.

Check the Favicon

The favicon is the small icon that appears next to your website’s title in the browser tab. It serves as a visual identifier for your site and helps users easily find and switch between open tabs. A favicon might seem like a small detail, but it’s an essential part of your website’s branding and user experience.

Make sure your favicon is displaying correctly and in high resolution. If you don’t see one, you can easily upload it through your WordPress dashboard by going to Administration Screen > Appearance > Customize, then selecting Site Identity and uploading the image under the “Site Icon” section. It’s a good practice to upload a high-resolution version for sharper visuals across various devices.

Allow Search Engine Indexing

While a website is in development, developers usually turn off search engine indexing. This is good practice as it’s not necessary for search engines to index an “under construction” site.

However, once you’re ready to roll out your website, it should allow search engine indexing. This feature makes your website visible on Google and other search engines. Check the Search Engine Visibility option in your WordPress settings before launching the website.

The next step is to submit your website to Google. Just search “submit URL to Google”’” and you’ll get a simple input box where you can add the URL of your website. You should be listed on Google in a few days.

Check Browser Compatibility

In today’s multi-device world, your website must be compatible with the most popular browsers and devices. This ensures that your website looks good and functions well across a wide range of platforms.

Responsive web design is key to achieving this compatibility, but it’s still important to test your site across different browsers and devices to ensure the best user experience.

You may not have access to every device and browser, but you can use tools like Browsershots to simulate how your site will appear on different platforms. At the very least, make sure to check your site on major browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge, and test how it performs on mobile phones and tablets.

Double Check Your Copy

Read your copy one more time (or, better yet, ask someone else) to ensure you haven’t overlooked any mistakes. Look for grammar and spelling mistakes, as well as incoherent ideas. Not only do these blunders slow down your reader, but they also tarnish your brand image.

To make proofreading faster, use tools such as Grammarly and the Hemingway app. These resources can save you a lot of time, and you might learn more about writing more impactful copy.

Also, check for dummy text to avoid embarrassment if someone finds a post called “Hello World” or a paragraph saying “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.” Search for this filler copy and delete it.

Remove Unwanted Content and Plugins

During development, your web team may have used test images, demo content, or plugins that aren’t necessary for the final version of your site. These elements can unnecessarily slow down your site, making it less efficient and user-friendly.

Before launching, take time to remove any content that is no longer needed, such as placeholder images, test pages, or demo plugins.

A plugin like WP Sweep can help you clean up your site by deleting unused plugins, clearing up post revisions, and removing unwanted content. This will not only improve your site’s performance but also make it easier to maintain after launch.

Test Website Performance

Performance testing is a critical step in ensuring that your website loads quickly and provides a smooth experience for visitors. Slow-loading websites can frustrate users and negatively affect your SEO rankings.

According to a study by Google, 53% of mobile site visitors leave a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. To avoid this, use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GT Metrix to test your site’s speed and identify areas for improvement.

There are also WordPress plugins like WP Rocket and Swift Performance that can help optimize your site’s performance. Even a small improvement in loading speed can boost user satisfaction and search engine rankings.

Phone a Friend

While this website pre-launch checklist is comprehensive, one of the most helpful things you can do before launching your site is to ask a friend or colleague to review it. A fresh perspective can help identify issues that you might have missed.

Ask them to navigate your site and provide feedback on the design, usability, and functionality. They may spot areas for improvement that can make a big difference in the final user experience.

Website Launch Complete! But Do You Have a Marketing Plan?

A marketing plan is your blueprint for how to promote your brand, attract clients, and grow your investment. You may have ticked off the items in this website pre-launch checklist, but you may be wasting your time and money without a marketing plan. Take a look at our small business marketing plan post for inspiration, and consult our franchise web design and development services, as well.