Run a new website through staged content, technical, contact and handover checks before announcing it.
Freeze the launch version before checking it
Read the note
Set a short content cut-off so the team is testing one agreed version rather than chasing edits. Confirm the page list, navigation labels, main action and who can approve corrections. Mark unfinished case studies or services as post-launch work instead of leaving placeholders in public. Export or note the current DNS settings before a domain change. If an existing site is being replaced, make a list of its useful URLs so each can retain its address or redirect to the closest relevant new page.
Test tasks, not just appearance
Read the note
Use at least one phone and one desktop browser. Submit each form with valid details, then deliberately omit a required field to check the error. Confirm where the enquiry arrives, whether spam filtering catches it and what the visitor sees after sending. Test tap-to-call, email, booking, payment and map links where present. Navigate with the keyboard, enlarge the text and check that important information is not conveyed by colour alone. These checks reveal failures that a visual sign-off misses.
Read every page as a customer
Read the note
Proofread from the published preview, not only a document. Check names, prices, service areas, opening hours, telephone numbers and image captions. Follow every menu item, text link and button. Look for draft text, empty sections and claims that no one can substantiate. Check page titles and search descriptions for sense, but do not delay launch to perfect wording that can safely be improved later. The priority is that each page answers its question and leads somewhere useful.
Make the public switch observable
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Choose a time when the domain, hosting and website contacts are available. Apply the planned DNS or publishing change, then check the live address with and without ‘www’, the security certificate and several internal pages. Confirm that old URLs redirect correctly and that private staging pages are not being indexed. Keep a timestamped launch note recording what changed and by whom. Avoid sending a large announcement until a real external device can load the site and complete the main task.
Stay close for the first working week
Read the note
A successful launch is followed by observation, not abandonment. Check enquiries daily, inspect obvious error reports and ask the person answering calls whether customers mention confusion. Confirm that analytics or search verification is collecting only what was intentionally configured. Fix broken journeys first; collect preference changes for a later batch. Finish by handing over account ownership, backup instructions, supplier contacts and renewal dates so the site can be managed without relying on one person’s memory.
Practical checklist
Print-and-tick launch sheet
Record an owner and result beside every item; do not treat ‘someone tested it’ as a result.
Scope signed offFinal page list, navigation and primary action agreed; drafts and placeholders removed.
Facts verifiedNames, contact details, hours, prices, coverage and legal business information checked by the relevant owner.
Links walkedEvery menu item, button, download and external link opened from the published preview.
Forms deliveredValid and invalid submissions tested; confirmation, recipient mailbox, spam handling and reply route verified.
Device checks passedMain tasks completed on a phone and desktop; keyboard navigation and enlarged text checked.
Privacy checkedEnquiry wording, privacy notice and any cookie controls match the data and technology actually in use.
Old URLs mappedValuable existing addresses retained or assigned a relevant permanent redirect; no blanket redirect to the home page.
Live domain checkedHTTPS, www/non-www choice, internal pages, canonical host and staging visibility verified after publishing.
Recovery readyPre-launch backup, DNS record copy and a named rollback decision-maker are available.
Handover completeBusiness owns the accounts; credentials, MFA, suppliers, renewals and routine maintenance are documented.
