WordPress Launch Checklist (2025): From DNS to Web Vitals

Surprising fact: nearly 40% of site issues that plague new websites come from missed basics like SSL, broken redirects, or placeholder content.

You’re building a foundation for your website, so this brief guide walks you from domain and DNS to Core Web Vitals. Use clear KPIs—unique visitors, conversion rate, time on site, and newsletter sign-ups—to define success before you go live.

Polished content matters: replace placeholders, align design with your brand, and optimize media with proper licensing. Verify forms, links, and templates so your pages function for users and search engines.

Prepare the technical baseline: SSL and HTTPS redirects, clean URLs, backups, and a tested restore path. Lean on proven tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to tune performance and make your website fast and indexable.

Result: a professional, secure site that meets business goals and a repeatable process you can use for future websites.

• Set measurable KPIs so every page and content decision ties to business goals.
• Replace placeholders and align design for consistent brand pages.
• Secure the site with SSL, redirects, and backups before going live.
• Use performance tools to meet Core Web Vitals and improve SEO.
• Verify forms, links, and templates to prevent functionality issues.
• Instrument analytics to track visitors and refine your pages after launch.

Treat the pre-launch steps like a contract: they protect your website, users, and revenue. A short, focused plan stops last-minute errors that break functionality or tank search performance.

Commercial intent first. Define the one thing your site must do—leads, sales, or bookings—and map KPIs like unique visitors, conversion rate, and newsletter sign-ups to that goal.

Translate intent into SMART goals so content, design, and seo choices support measurable outcomes. Use competitor research with tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to set traffic and conversion benchmarks.

• Map each goal to pages and CTAs so you can trace search results and conversion lift.
• Decide what success looks like at 7, 30, and 90 days to guide iteration.
• Document your analytics events early so data is clean from day one.

Start with rock‑solid domain and DNS steps so your site resolves fast and stays secure under real traffic. Point the correct domain to hosting and allow time for DNS propagation before you flip anything live. Validate A, AAAA, and CNAME records, and confirm TTLs so you can plan the switch without surprise downtime.

Choose US hosting that matches your expected visitors and stack. Pick fast CPU, adequate RAM, NVMe storage, and edge caching to lower latency and improve perceived speed for local users.

Before migration: provision and auto‑renew your SSL, enforce HTTPS at the server level, and scan for mixed content so every page serves securely. Set www/non‑www and HTTP→HTTPS redirects in one place to avoid chains that hurt performance and confuse crawlers.

• Confirm hosting includes daily backups, staging, and a firewall for quick recovery.
• Check TTFB with PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix; tune PHP, OPcache, and DB with hosting support if slow.
• Document DNS records, email SPF/DKIM/DMARC, and keep a rollback plan for fast reversion.

Quick security wins: lock default admin URLs, disable directory indexing, and ensure auto‑renewed SSL so your website looks and feels professional at go‑live.

Polish headlines, confirm asset rights, and tighten CTAs so your site looks professional on day one.

Audit every page for placeholders, thin copy, and inconsistent voice. Fix tone so the primary value prop is clear in the first screenful. Proofread headings, body text, and meta descriptions so the website reads like one team wrote it.

Compress and export images to WebP where possible, keep responsive sizes, and enable lazy loading to avoid bloated media. Use descriptive alt text for meaningful images to help users and seo. Host large videos on YouTube or Vimeo and embed them so your hosting stays fast.

Verify licensing for photos, icons, and fonts. Track attributions in a single document so you can prove rights later. For services pages, add trust elements like testimonials and guarantees to reinforce your brand without distracting from the CTA.

Publish legal pages—privacy policy, terms and conditions, cookie consent, and an accessibility statement—and link them from the footer for easy access. State how you collect data, how users can request accommodations, and where to contact you about privacy.

• Audit pages for placeholders and tighten CTAs so each page supports a clear conversion goal.
• Standardize capitalization, numerals, and style to keep design and copy consistent.
• Compress images, confirm rights, and use proper alt text for accessibility and search.

For a practical launch guide and final pre-live reminders, review a trusted resource like website launch guidance before you flip the site live.

Before you call the site done, make sure the visual details and interactions behave the way real visitors expect.

Logos, favicon, color, and typography

Standardize logo placement and spacing in the header and footer so your brand reads as one. Validate the favicon in browser tabs and bookmarks.

Audit typography scale and color contrasts. Ensure headings, body copy, and links form a clear visual hierarchy that pushes users toward CTAs.

Test forms end‑to‑end: validation, spam protection, success messages, admin alerts, and CRM hooks. Click every CTA and menu item to confirm routing.

If you run WooCommerce, place sandbox orders: add to cart, update quantities, apply coupons, calculate shipping, and check order emails.

Scan for broken links and 404s with a crawler and fix or redirect stale pages. Validate thank‑you pages and event tracking so conversions are captured and automations run.

• Keep buttons large, labeled consistently, and test active/focus states.
• Check service widgets, booking flows, and payment forms for real-world functionality.
• Maintain a punch‑list of tweaks and retest affected pages after each change.

Test your site across browsers and devices early to catch layout and interaction surprises. Run real checks in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge so sticky headers, menus, and interactive elements render consistently.

Don’t assume emulation is enough. Open your key pages on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Verify grids, typography, and images adapt and that buttons are easy to tap with a thumb.

Render critical pages in each browser and note visual or scripting differences. Fix CSS prefixes, z-index issues, and event handlers that behave inconsistently.

Check navigation, off-canvas menus, and search so they are reachable and usable on small screens. Ensure tap targets meet minimum sizes and spacing to reduce accidental taps.

Walk the site using only a keyboard. Confirm focus order, visible focus rings, and skip links so users can reach all controls.

• Provide accurate alt text for meaningful images and hide decorative graphics from assistive tech.
• Use a contrast checker to meet WCAG AA for text/background ratios.
• Review headings for semantic order to help screen readers and seo.
• Run quick audits with tools like BrowserStack or built-in emulation to spot device-specific bugs.

Document any gaps and prioritize fixes that block core user journeys. Small accessibility and cross-device wins improve the experience for users and search performance.

Prioritize real-world speed metrics to guide performance fixes that move the needle. Measure your website with reliable tools so you know what users actually feel.

Benchmark first. Use Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to track LCP, INP, and CLS. Focus on the slowest pages that drive traffic or conversions.

Run tests on mobile and desktop and note which pages fail LCP or show high layout shift. Re-test after each change so gains are clear.

Improve TTFB by upgrading PHP, enabling OPcache, and tuning the database. Add full‑page caching and browser caching to cut repeat load times.

Serve next‑gen images (WebP/AVIF), build responsive srcsets, and lazy‑load offscreen images. Remove unused plugins and defer noncritical scripts to reduce requests.

Consider a CDN to bring assets closer to visitors. Audit third‑party scripts and delay those that don’t help conversions.

• Test on real devices and networks — lab scores differ from what visitors see.
• Track results over time; performance work is ongoing, not one-off.
• Align speed goals with seo and conversion metrics so fixes support search and revenue.

Help search engines and visitors find your best pages by fixing headings, alt text, and submitting a sitemap.

Start with titles and meta. Configure Yoast or Rank Math to create unique title tags and meta descriptions for key pages. Preview how your website appears in search and tweak for clarity and click‑through rate.

Header structure matters. Use one H1 per page, then scannable H2/H3s to organize content. That helps people scan and helps crawlers understand topic hierarchy.

• Enable clean permalinks (post‑name) so the site URL describes the page.
• Build internal links to connect related pages and pass authority naturally.
• Write descriptive image alt text that explains context without keyword stuffing.

Generate an XML sitemap automatically and submit it to Google Search Console. Then confirm coverage reports show your important pages indexed.

Review robots.txt to avoid accidental blocking of main sections while excluding admin or staging folders. Add schema (Organization, Product, FAQ) via your SEO plugin to improve eligibility for rich results.

Quick audit: scan for duplicate titles or thin content and fix issues that dilute search performance. Use Search Console reports to monitor coverage and address errors fast. For a compact SEO guide and extra configuration steps, review an SEO checklist.

Don’t make security an afterthought. Locking down access and proving your recovery process prevents a single event from derailing launch day. Small steps now save hours of clean-up later.

Require strong passwords and unique usernames for every admin account. Enable two‑factor authentication and limit login attempts to stop brute‑force attacks.

Review user roles, remove unused accounts, and revoke old API keys so least‑privilege is enforced across the site.

Install Wordfence or Sucuri and enable the web application firewall. Schedule regular scans and check alerts weekly.

Keep core, themes, and plugins up to date — most compromises exploit outdated software. Disable in‑dashboard file editing by adding define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true) to wp-config.php and lock SFTP/SSH to trusted IPs.

Configure automated, off‑site backups with UpdraftPlus or a similar tool. Store backups away from hosting and run a test restore so you know recovery works.

Log security events, confirm hosting offers DDoS and server‑level monitoring, and document incident response contacts and backup locations for quick action.

• Enforce HTTPS site‑wide and scan for mixed content.
• Restrict admin settings and review access before go‑live.
• Keep a short runbook that lists who to call and how to restore data.

Before you flip the site live, make sure tracking, backups, and comms are all in place. This final step ties the technical work to your business goals and helps you catch surprises fast.

Deploy analytics across every page and map events to measurable goals: form submits, purchases, or bookings. Verify your property in Google Search Console and submit the sitemap so search coverage starts reporting immediately.

Take a full, off‑site backup before any change. Then clear server and plugin caches and purge the CDN so users see the latest content.

Turn off maintenance mode, enforce HTTPS, and open the browser console to confirm no mixed‑content warnings.

Run a short smoke test: the homepage loads, menus work, the primary CTA completes, and confirmation pages render. Check core functionality like logins, forms, search, and any payment flows.

Notify your client and stakeholders of the go‑live window, then announce to email lists and social channels once the tests pass. Monitor real‑time data for the first hour to spot anomalies.

Once your site is public, a short daily routine helps you catch errors and measure real user behavior.

Watch analytics and search performance. Check traffic and conversion metrics daily during week one. Use Google Search Console to spot indexing or search drops that affect visitors and business goals.

Review server metrics like CPU, RAM, and PHP workers to prevent slowdowns. Scan error logs and respond to new warnings so visitors don’t hit broken flows.

Keep core, themes, and plugins updated and run regular malware scans. Schedule speed audits to guard page load and prune scripts that hurt performance.

“Quick, regular checks after go‑live are the simplest way to protect traffic and conversions.”

Keep a change log and re‑test mission‑critical flows—forms, logins, and checkout—after each update. Coordinate with your client and document admin access and contact points so your business can act fast when issues arise.

Close the project with a simple plan that keeps your website stable and ready for visitors. Run one final pass: verify domain and hosting, confirm HTTPS, and test core pages and forms.

Keep performance and SEO in your routine. Track Core Web Vitals, tune for speed, and refine internal links so search and users find your best pages.

Choose a tech stack that scales with your business and protect your brand with off‑site backups and sensible defaults. Plan small, regular improvements—weekly iterations beat risky overhauls.

With this checklist, you have a repeatable process to ship polished websites, measure results, and keep improving the design, content, and performance that matter to visitors.