Website Launch Checklist for Client Projects

Shipping a client website is not “upload files and send the invoice.” The last 10% decides whether the site feels professional on day one—or looks half-finished in Search Console, email, and WhatsApp inquiries.

This is the go-live checklist I use before a business site leaves staging.

1. Content and conversion paths

• every page has a clear H1 and one primary CTA;
• contact, WhatsApp, and email links work on mobile;
• forms send a test submission to a real inbox;
• 404 page exists and points back to home / contact;
• legal pages (privacy / terms) are linked from the footer when required.

If a form fails silently, marketing spend is wasted from hour one.

2. DNS, domain, and email

• A/AAAA (or CNAME) points to the correct host;
• MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC are intact after DNS changes;
• www and apex resolve to the same site;
• TTL was lowered before the cutover when migrating domains.

Broken email after go-live is the fastest way to lose client trust.

3. HTTPS and security basics

• valid certificate (Full Strict if Cloudflare is in front);
• HTTP → HTTPS redirect;
• no mixed-content warnings in Chrome;
• wp-admin / staging URLs are blocked from indexing if still public;
• default credentials and demo users removed.

4. SEO technical minimum

• unique title and meta description on key pages;
• XML sitemap submitted in Search Console;
• robots.txt does not block important paths;
• canonical URLs are correct (especially after WordPress migrations);
• Open Graph image loads (share preview on WhatsApp/Telegram).

5. Performance smoke test

• run PageSpeed Insights on the homepage (mobile);
• compress hero images and check LCP element;
• enable caching / CDN if the stack supports it;
• confirm TTFB is not clearly broken on the new host.

You do not need a perfect 100—but you should not launch with an uncached 4MB homepage.

6. Analytics and measurement

• Google Analytics / Tag Manager (or agreed alternative) fires on key pages;
• conversion events for form submit / WhatsApp click if scoped;
• Search Console property verified for the final domain.

7. Backup and handover

• full backup taken after go-live;
• credentials documented for the client (hosting, domain, CMS);
• staging turned off or password-protected;
• a short “how to edit content” note for non-technical owners.

Delivery note I send clients

Site is live on the production domain with HTTPS, forms tested, analytics connected, and a post-launch backup saved. Please review the homepage and contact flow on mobile within 48 hours.

That sentence sets expectation better than “sudah online.”