The 20-point website launch checklist

Get found on Google

1. A sitemap. A file at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml lists every page. It hands Google a map instead of a guess.
2. A robots.txt file. It tells search engines they may crawl the site and where the sitemap lives. One wrong line here can hide your whole site.
3. No stray "noindex" tags. This tag tells Google to skip a page. Builders often leave it on from testing. Only a 404 or thank-you page should keep it.
4. A canonical tag on every page. It names the one true address of the page. That stops Google from splitting your ranking across copies.
5. A meta title on every page. This is the blue link in Google. Keep it 25 to 65 characters and make each one different.
6. A meta description on every page. This is the gray text under the link. Keep it 70 to 160 characters and write it like an ad.

Make every page easy to read

7. One H1 per page. The H1 is the main headline. One per page tells Google what the page is about.
8. Headings in order. Go H1, then H2, then H3. Skipping levels confuses screen readers and search engines.
9. Alt text on every image. Describe the photo in a few words. Blind visitors hear it and Google reads it.
10. Schema markup. A small block of code tells Google your business name, location, prices and FAQ. It can earn richer search results.
11. Internal links. Every page should link to at least one other page. A page nothing links to is hard to find.
12. No broken links. Click every button and menu item. A dead link loses the visitor and the trust.

Load fast and work on phones

13. Compressed images. Save photos as WebP and keep most under 300 KB. Big photos are the top reason sites load slow.
14. Core Web Vitals. These are Google's speed scores. Aim for the main content in under 2.5 seconds and no jumping layout.
15. A mobile layout that works. Most visitors use a phone. Check the menu, the buttons and the form at phone size.

Stay safe and look right when shared

16. HTTPS everywhere. The lock in the address bar. Turn it on with your host and send every visit to the https address.
17. Clean URLs. Use short lowercase addresses with hyphens, like /free-audit. Skip spaces and capital letters.
18. A share image. This is the picture that shows when someone texts or posts your link. Make one at 1200 by 630 pixels.
19. Google Search Console. This free Google tool shows how you rank. Verify your domain and submit your sitemap the day you launch.
20. An llms.txt file. A plain text summary of your business at yoursite.com/llms.txt. It helps AI tools like ChatGPT describe your business.

After launch: three checks

Run your live address through PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Open the site on your own phone and tap through it. Then submit your sitemap in Search Console.

One more tip. Move old backup copies out of the site folder before you upload. Otherwise Google can find and index old versions of your homepage.