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The Ultimate Website Launch Checklist for Businesses (SEO + Security + Speed)

Launching a website is not “publish and pray.”
A real business launch means three things work on day one:

  1. SEO: Google can crawl and index the site correctly (without losing rankings).

  2. Security: Admin access and user data are protected.

  3. Speed: The site loads fast, especially on mobile (better conversions + better rankings).

This checklist is written for business websites (service companies, agencies, B2B, e-commerce). Use it as a go-live plan and assign an owner for each section.

Before You Launch: 15-minute setup (so nothing is missed)

Create a simple launch sheet with:

  • Owner: who checks it

  • Status: done / needs fix

  • Proof: link or screenshot

Minimum owners:

  • SEO / Content owner

  • Developer

  • Marketing / Analytics owner

  • IT / Security owner

Part 1) SEO Launch Checklist (don’t lose traffic)

A) Crawlability + Indexing

  • ✅ Robots.txt is correct (no accidental blocking of important pages)

  • ✅ XML sitemap generated and accessible (e.g., /sitemap.xml)

  • ✅ Google Search Console verified + sitemap submitted

  • ✅ Noindex is removed from production (but enabled on staging)

  • ✅ Canonical tags set (avoid duplicate pages indexing)

  • ✅ Broken links fixed (no 404/500 on key pages)

  • ✅ 301 redirects from old URLs → new URLs (especially if redesign/migration)

If you redesigned a website:
Redirects are non-negotiable. This is how you keep SEO value.

B) On-page SEO (business-ready)

  • ✅ Unique Meta Title + Meta Description for key pages

  • ✅ Clear headings (one H1 per page; clean H2/H3 structure)

  • ✅ Alt text for important images

  • ✅ Open Graph (Facebook/LinkedIn) + Twitter cards

  • ✅ Internal links: services → case studies → contact

  • ✅ Schema (Organization, FAQ where relevant)

C) Local SEO (if you have location/service areas)

    • ✅ Google Business Profile updated

    • ✅ NAP consistency (Name/Address/Phone) across site + footer

    • ✅ Service areas and “contact” info visible

    • ✅ Local landing pages (if needed)

Part 2) Security Launch Checklist (protect your business)

A) HTTPS + basic hardening

  • ✅ Force HTTPS everywhere

  • ✅ Enable HSTS

  • ✅ Modern TLS configuration

  • ✅ Security headers (CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, etc.)

B) Admin access + RBAC

  • ✅ MFA for admin users

  • ✅ Strong roles/permissions (least privilege)

  • ✅ Secure sessions (HttpOnly cookies where possible)

  • ✅ Limit sensitive actions (exports, role changes, payments) with extra checks

C) Backups + Recovery

  • ✅ Automated daily backups

  • ✅ Off-site backup copy (3-2-1 approach)

  • ✅ Restore test scheduled (monthly minimum)

D) Monitoring

  • ✅ Uptime monitoring alerts

  • ✅ Error tracking (so you see crashes instantly)

  • ✅ Basic security alerts (failed logins, privilege changes)

Part 3) Speed Launch Checklist (rank + convert better)

A) Core Web Vitals basics

Target:

  • LCP < 2.5s

  • INP < 200ms

  • CLS < 0.1

B) Fast wins before launch

  • ✅ Compress images (WebP/AVIF) + lazy load below the fold

  • ✅ Enable caching (page + object cache)

  • ✅ Remove heavy scripts and unused plugins

  • ✅ Minify CSS/JS

  • ✅ Preload fonts + font-display: swap

  • ✅ Use CDN for static assets

Business reality: speed issues = fewer leads.

Part 4) Tracking + Conversion Setup (don’t launch blind)

A) Analytics setup

  • ✅ GA4 installed

  • ✅ Key conversions configured (form submit, WhatsApp click, call click, checkout)

  • ✅ Tag Manager (optional)

  • ✅ Search Console verified

B) Lead capture tests

  • ✅ Contact form sends emails correctly (and stores submissions)

  • ✅ WhatsApp / phone links work on mobile

  • ✅ Email deliverability (SPF/DKIM) if sending from domain

Part 5) Final Go-Live QA (the last 30 minutes)

A) Content + UX checks

  • ✅ Mobile layout tested on real devices

  • ✅ Buttons/CTAs tested (contact, quote, booking)

  • ✅ 404 page works and is helpful

  • ✅ Images and fonts load correctly

  • ✅ Accessibility basics: contrast, labels, focus

B) Post-launch checks (first 7 days)

    • ✅ Run a crawl test + fix issues fast

    • ✅ Monitor errors daily

    • ✅ Monitor speed + pages with high traffic

    • ✅ Check Search Console coverage + indexing

    • ✅ Validate conversions are tracked

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