Before making a WordPress website live, it’s crucial to ensure that everything is in order. If this is the first time that you are building and launching a WordPress site, this blog post may help you.
Here, we’ve shared a checklist of 30 things to check before launching your WordPress website. By reviewing each item on this list, you’ll increase the chances of a successful and problem-free website launch.
- Domain Name: Verify that your domain name is correctly configured and points to the right server.
- Hosting: Ensure your hosting plan can handle your website’s anticipated traffic and requirements.
- WordPress Version: Update to the latest stable version of WordPress to benefit from security patches and improvements.
- Backup: Create a complete backup of your website, including files and databases.
- Security: Install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri and configure it for maximum protection. If you are not sure about this, hire a professional WordPress developer to take care of the security of your website.
- SSL Certificate: Ensure that your site has an SSL certificate for secure connections (https://).
- Robots.txt: Check and optimize your robots.txt file for search engine crawling.
- XML Sitemap: Generate and submit an XML sitemap to search engines using plugins like Yoast SEO.
- Permalinks: Set up SEO-friendly permalinks in WordPress settings.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Test your website’s responsiveness across various devices and screen sizes. Every professional web designer would make sure to build a mobile responsive website that looks good on all devices.
- Cross-Browser Compatibility: Verify that your website functions correctly in different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.).
- Page Speed: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to optimize page loading times.
- Broken Links: Scan your site for broken links and fix them using plugins like Broken Link Checker.
- Images: Optimize images for web use to reduce loading times without sacrificing quality.
- Contact Form: Test all contact forms to ensure they work correctly and deliver messages to the intended recipients. If any of the forms on your website don’t work, seek the assistance of your web developer to fix them.
- Email Configuration: Confirm that email notifications from your website, such as contact form submissions, are delivered without issues.
- Content Proofreading: Carefully proofread all website content for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.
- SEO Optimization: Set up SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, and optimize your website for search engines.
- Analytics: Integrate Google Analytics or other tracking tools to monitor website traffic and user behavior.
- Social Sharing: Test social sharing buttons to ensure they display correctly and link to the right profiles.
- Comments: If you enable comments, configure anti-spam measures like Akismet to prevent spam.
- Accessibility: Check for accessibility issues and ensure your website is accessible to people with disabilities.
- Favicon: Upload a favicon for your website to enhance branding and user recognition.
- 404 Page: Customize your 404 error page to help visitors find their way if they encounter broken links.
- Legal Pages: Create essential legal pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Disclaimer if applicable.
- GDPR Compliance: If your audience includes European visitors, ensure GDPR compliance regarding data privacy.
- Copyright: Verify that all content, images, and media on your website comply with copyright laws.
- Performance Testing: Stress test your website with tools like Load Impact or Pingdom to handle traffic spikes.
- User Registration: If your site allows user registration, test the registration and login processes.
- Backup Plan: Establish a regular backup schedule and know how to restore your site from backups.
