The small website launch checklist

A launch should be a quiet handover, not a scramble to find out which form sends email and who owns the domain. The easiest way to keep it calm is to check the ordinary things first.

Content and navigation

• Read every page title and main heading.
• Open each navigation item, including the footer links.
• Replace placeholder phone numbers and addresses.
• Confirm that draft articles are not presented as finished work.

Check the important journeys

Choose a handful of tasks a visitor actually wants to complete:

1. Find out what the business offers.
2. Compare the relevant options.
3. Get in touch or make a booking.

Try each task on a phone. Do not use your knowledge of the site to fill in missing instructions.

Forms and feedback

A form is not finished when its button looks right. Submit it with realistic data, check the confirmation message, and make sure the right person receives the result.

A successful test includes the inbox at the other end.

Keep error messages specific. “Enter an email address” is more useful than “Invalid input.” Leave the information someone has already typed in place whenever possible.

The final handover

Give the person maintaining the site a short list of routine jobs:

• Where to edit page copy.
• How to draft and save an article.
• Who to contact if something stops working.

Keep the checklist close after launch. The same checks are useful whenever you add a new section or change an important form.