Before your new business website goes live

A finished-looking homepage is only one part of a website launch. The business also needs working contact routes, accurate information and access to the services that keep the site running. A short launch review can catch problems that are difficult to see in design previews. Give the review an owner and record what was tested so the team knows what is ready and what still needs attention.

Test the tasks that matter to customers

Open the website on a small phone, a tablet and a desktop. Follow the menu, read a service page and submit a test enquiry. Check both the success message and the destination inbox. Test required fields and error messages as well as a correctly completed form. A visitor should know what to do when something goes wrong.

Check phone, email, WhatsApp and booking links. Make sure fixed buttons do not cover important controls on mobile. If an animation is decorative, the content should remain available when motion is reduced or the animation fails.

Review content as carefully as the layout

Confirm names, prices, inclusions, contact details and service areas with the business owner. Remove sample testimonials and placeholder project descriptions. Use photographs and logos with appropriate permission. Read important pages aloud to catch confusing sentences and unexplained technical language.

Check article dates, image captions and page titles. If an existing website is being replaced, list important old URLs and agree their destinations. A redesign should not leave customers following old links to irrelevant pages.

Confirm account access and responsibilities

The business should know who controls its domain, hosting, email delivery and other essential services. Document the responsible accounts and recovery contacts without placing passwords in a public handover document. Use individual access where available rather than casually sharing one administrator account with everyone.

Agree how access will be removed when a team member or supplier no longer needs it. Confirm that secrets used by the website are kept out of public source files. Security is an ongoing responsibility; no launch checklist can promise that a site will never have a problem.

Prepare for the week after launch

Know how to report an issue, who can restore service and where backups are held. A backup arrangement should include a realistic way to restore the site, not just a statement that backups exist. Schedule checks for enquiry delivery and key external connections after the public domain is switched over.

Keep a list of minor improvements separate from launch blockers. Fix broken customer journeys and incorrect business information first. Then use actual questions and usage to guide the next changes. Launch is the start of maintaining a useful business tool, rather than the end of the website's life.

Your next steps

• Test forms through to the receiving inbox.
• Review mobile controls and accurate business content.
• Confirm ownership of essential accounts.
• Document support, backup and recovery responsibilities.

Want help putting this into practice? Explore the relevant service and tell us what you would like to improve.