Pre-launch checklist for a big update
Everything to verify before a major website update, new feature, or redesign goes live.
Before any major change goes live on your website — a redesign, a new feature, a new e-commerce section, or a large content overhaul — there's a checklist to run through. This guide covers what to verify before you hit publish on something big.
Quick summary
Before a big update goes live, verify that you have a recent backup, have tested on staging, checked all key pages and forms, confirmed redirects for any moved content, reviewed the site on mobile, and have a rollback plan if something goes wrong. Don't rush the final checks.
When to use this checklist
Use this guide for:
- A full or partial website redesign
- A major new section (adding e-commerce, a booking system, a member area)
- A large content migration or restructuring
- A platform migration (moving from one CMS to another)
- A significant WordPress theme change
For routine updates and content changes, the website health checklist and the monthly check are sufficient.
Pre-launch checklist
Before you start
- A fresh, complete backup has been taken today
- The backup has been tested and confirmed restorable
- All changes have been built and tested on the staging site
- The staging site has been reviewed and approved (by you or the relevant stakeholder)
- The launch window is scheduled at a low-traffic time for your site
Content & copy
- All placeholder text (like "Lorem ipsum") has been replaced
- Business name, address, phone, email, and hours are correct
- All prices are accurate
- All services and products are listed correctly
- Staff bios are current
- Legal pages (privacy policy, terms, cookie policy) are present and current
- Copyright year in footer is correct
- All images have alt text
Navigation & links
- All main navigation links work and go to the right pages
- All footer links work
- Any internal links (links from one page to another) work correctly
- If any page URLs changed, redirects have been set up from the old URLs to the new ones
- The 404 page (shown when a page isn't found) looks good and is helpful
Forms & functionality
- Contact form submits and delivers correctly
- If there's a store: complete a test purchase end-to-end (add to cart → checkout → confirmation)
- Order confirmation emails are delivered to both you and the customer (in test mode)
- Any booking or scheduling systems work correctly
- Search works (if applicable)
- Any CRM, mailing list, or integration is connected and receiving data
Design & performance
- The site looks correct on a desktop browser
- The site looks correct on a phone (check in a real mobile browser, not just a resized window)
- The site looks correct on a tablet
- No images are broken or missing
- No obvious layout issues (text overlapping, images too large, elements misaligned)
- The site loads in a reasonable time on a mobile connection
Trust & security
- SSL certificate is active (padlock in browser bar)
- No "Not secure" warnings appear
- Google Analytics or your analytics tool is tracking correctly
- Favicon (the small icon in the browser tab) is correct
After launch
Do a live walkthrough. Walk through your site as a visitor would — from the homepage to the contact form or purchase flow. On the actual live site, not staging.
Check on your phone. Visit the live site on a real mobile device.
Submit a test form. Send a test message through your contact form and verify you receive it.
Check your analytics. Confirm that page views are tracking correctly in Google Analytics or your analytics tool.
Monitor for the first few hours. Keep an eye out for any unusual error reports or customer feedback in the hours after launch.
Have your rollback plan ready. If something goes seriously wrong, we can restore from the backup taken before launch. Know how to reach us quickly — see When & how to request emergency support.
Common questions
Related guides
- How we test changes before they go live
- How backups work
- Restoring your site from a backup
- Your website health checklist
- When & how to request emergency support
Need a hand?
Your website health checklist
The complete checklist we run through to assess and maintain a healthy website — covering security, performance, content, and functionality.
Website care: frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions clients ask most often about our website care and maintenance service.