Introduction

Preparing for the launch of your new WordPress site? Congratulations on reaching this milestone!

The launch of a website is undoubtedly an exhilarating moment. After investing significant effort, you now have the opportunity to showcase your creation to the world and attract visitors.

Yet, this phase can also be accompanied by stress. How can you ensure that you haven't overlooked any crucial WordPress settings or tasks that could potentially lead to issues in the future?

By utilizing this comprehensive checklist for launching a website, you can rest assured that you have covered all the necessary aspects, ensuring your site is fully prepared for its grand debut.

Through my experience, I have discovered a set of common tasks that are crucial in preparing any website for launch. These tasks essentially embody the "best practices" that every website should adhere to.

Whether you are embarking on your first WordPress site or have already built numerous sites, it can be challenging to remember all these tasks. This is where a checklist becomes invaluable.

Rather than trying to recall each individual task, a checklist simplifies the process. By going through the checklist, you can confidently ensure that your site is fully prepared for launch.

Without further delay, let us delve into the key points of the website launch checklist specifically designed for new WordPress sites.

Secure your website:

• Set strong passwords for all user accounts, including the administrator account.

• Consider using a security plugin to protect against common threats.

• Enable a firewall to block malicious traffic.

• Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated to the latest versions for security patches.

Backup your website:

• Regularly backups your WordPress website and database.

• Ensure you have a backup of both the files and the database.

• Test the backup to ensure it can be restored successfully.

Test website functionality:

• Test all website features, such as forms, navigation menus, search functionality, and contact information.

• Check for broken links and missing images.

• Verify that third-party integrations (e.g., payment gateways, email marketing services) are functioning correctly.

Responsive design and cross-browser compatibility:

• Test your website on different devices (desktop, mobile, tablets) and various web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) to ensure a consistent and responsive experience.

• Verify that all elements, including images and forms, are properly displayed and functional across different devices and browsers.

SEO optimization:

• Install an SEO plugin (e.g., Yoast SEO) to optimize your website's meta tags, XML sitemaps, and social media sharing settings.

• Ensure your website has unique and descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.

• Verify that the website's URL structure is user-friendly and SEO-friendly.

Performance optimization:

• Optimize website performance by minimizing CSS and JavaScript files, compressing images, and implementing caching mechanisms.

• Test the website's load time using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix, and make necessary optimizations based on the recommendations.

Privacy and legal compliance:

• Implement a privacy policy and cookie consent mechanism if your website collects user data.

• Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA.

Set up analytics and tracking:

• Integrate your website with a web analytics tool (e.g., Google Analytics) to track website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion goals.

• Configure and test the analytics tool to ensure data is being collected accurately.

Review content and proofread:

• Proofread all website content, including text, images, and multimedia.

• Verify that all links are working and lead to the correct pages.

• Check for any spelling or grammatical errors.

Set up website monitoring:

Implement a website monitoring service to receive notifications if your website goes down or experiences any issues.

Remove unnecessary plugins and themes:

Remove any unused or inactive plugins and themes to reduce potential security risks and improve website performance.

Test the website on a staging environment:

Before making the website live, consider testing it on a staging environment that replicates the production environment. This allows you to thoroughly test changes and updates without affecting the live site.

Update permalinks:

Set up the desired permalink structure for your website. Ensure it is SEO-friendly and reflects the structure you want for your URLs.

Update contact information and copyright:

• Ensure that your website's contact information, including email addresses and phone numbers, is up to date.

• Update the copyright information in the footer of your website.

Remove default content:

Delete any default content, such as sample posts, pages, and comments that come with a fresh WordPress installation.

Double-check settings and configurations:

Review and adjust the WordPress settings, including general settings, reading settings, discussion settings, and media settings, to match your website's requirements.

It's crucial to thoroughly review each item on the checklist to ensure your website is ready for a live launch. Additionally, consider seeking the assistance of a web development professional or consulting relevant resources for more specific or advanced requirements based on your website's needs.