The pre-launch checklist: 15 checks before you announce your website

Launching on Friday? Run these fifteen checks first. They take under an hour and prevent the classic launch-day embarrassments.

Content (the credibility checks) 1. No lorem ipsum, placeholder text or 'Coming soon' ghosts 2. Every price, phone number and address triple-checked — wrong numbers on launch day cost real orders 3. Spelling pass read aloud (typos hide in silent reading) 4. About page says who you are in human words, not corporate fog

Function (the silent killers) 5. Every form submits AND lands somewhere you monitor 6. WhatsApp button opens a chat with the right number 7. All internal links resolve — no 404s from renamed pages 8. Favicon set (the tab looks finished)

Mobile and speed 9. Full walkthrough on a budget Android with mobile data 10. PageSpeed score checked; images compressed to WebP 11. Test on WhatsApp link preview — how does your site's card look when shared? (og tags)

SEO and measurement 12. Page titles and meta descriptions set per page 13. Google Search Console verified, sitemap submitted 14. Analytics installed — you cannot improve what you never measured 15. Google Business Profile linked from the site

Then — and only then — print the visiting cards, change the Instagram bio, and tell the family group. Launch is a moment; the checklist is what makes it a good one.