Website Launch Checklist

25 Things to Test Before Your Site Goes Live- By Santhosh Kumar

1. Spelling, Grammar, PunctuationCheck for proper spelling, typos, and grammar sitewide.

2. Forms

Fill out the forms on the site and go through the following questions:● Can the flow be improved?● Do you get stuck?● Are the instructions accurate?● Does the completed form get sent to the right people or person?

3. Site Speed

Check the size of your page sizes and their load time. Here’s how:● Download Google Chrome● Navigate to your page in Chrome● Press F12● View “network” tab● Behold!

While Step 3 may appear technical, it doesn’t require a very technical person in order to be useful. The Gantt chart on the network tab will show what a page is doing when it loads in a browser. In the top right corner, they’ll be able to see the total load time.

4.ContextWhen giving a critical eye to the pages within the site, ask:

● Why would I visit this page?● Is the content ready for visitor?● Does the page address the audience?

5. CompatibilityMulti-browser rendering is the bane of the Internet, but as

website creators, we have to live with it. Check to make sure the pages render well in common browsers. Browser share is a moving target so to help prioritize efforts.

6.FontsSometimes font codes get dropped into a page inadvertently and

make a letter or a word look funny. Check to see that the formatting is consistent, and look for odd blips in the copy.

7. ImagesMake sure all display text renders on the image when you hover

over it (the alt attribute). Make sure the images display correctly. Are they larger than 120 kilobytes? If so, find out of there is a good reason for that. You really only need 72 dots per inch (dpi) for web images in terms of quality.

8.Live URLOften, sites are built at a URL (uniform resource locator) that isn't

the website’s final destination. When a site goes live, the URLs are transferred from a staging area to production. All the URLs change at this time, and they need to be tested.

On small sites without any tools, you can navigate to each page to make sure they all work. On a site with fewer than 500 URLs, you can use Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool for free to find bad URLs. For larger sites, there is a modest annual fee.

9.FontsOften, sites are built at a URL (uniform resource locator) that isn't

the website’s final destination. When a site goes live, the URLs are transferred from a staging area to production. All the URLs change at this time, and they need to be tested.

10. ValidationW3C-valid code is the one thing you can do prior to launch to

have some confidence around a search engine spider being able to crawl your site. It’s pretty simple to know if a page is valid. http://validator.w3.org/

11.MinifyThis is a technique that combines and compresses website code

into smaller chunks to speed up your site

12. 404 pagesWhen a 404 (“page not found”) error occurs, make sure you have

a custom page to help your visitor find something else of use, even if it wasn’t what they were looking for. Do you have an HTML sitemap there? Does the 404 page include a site search?

13.FaviconFavicons are those little iconic images that show up in the address

bar and tabs of your browser. How does it help? It’s a small branding opportunity that lends credibility to your site. It’s nice to have one when you launch.

14. Title Tags/Meta TagsThis may sound like old news to some, but this easy-to-fix mistake

happens every day. Make sure every page has a title tag, and make sure they are unique.Also make sure each has a meta description. This is still a common source for search engine spiders to draw from to understand what the page is about and provide visitors with a sneak peak into the page contents from the results.

15.XML Sitemaps/HTML SitemapMake sure your new website has an accurate site map in both XML

and HTML format. Both users and search engines care about this important element as it helps them find the pages they are looking for when other methods fail.

16. ToolsMake sure Google Analytics or the analytics package you’re using,

and Google and Bing Webmaster Tools are set up and ready to go.

17.Social Media IntegrationDo the social media icons on the site go to the correct pages? Do

you have the right buttons and social plugins installed for what you are trying to accomplish and what you want the user to be able to do? (For example, share a page versus “Like” you on Facebook.)

18.SERP DisplayAre the search engines displaying your pages correctly in the

search engine results pages? Did you write proper meta descriptions, but they aren’t being used? Are the images you placed on your Places page being displayed in the SERP?

19.Social Media IntegrationDo the social media icons on the site go to the correct pages? Do

you have the right buttons and social plugins installed for what you are trying to accomplish and what you want the user to be able to do? (For example, share a page versus “Like” you on Facebook.)

20. SERP DisplayAre the search engines displaying your pages correctly in the

search engine results pages? Did you write proper meta descriptions, but they aren’t being used? Are the images you placed on your Places page being displayed in the SERP?

20. PPC SetupMake sure if you are running any PPC campaigns that it’s set up

and ready to go with the site launch. To avoid a lapse in service, if you have a Google PPC rep, you can set and pause all your campaigns to the new URLs prior to launch, and instead of the ads getting disapproved, your rep can approve them manually.

21. MonitoringA site monitor checks pages regularly to make sure it is available

for visitors. Basic monitors check if the page is working.Important pages within the site should have enhanced monitors that test if a completed form behaves the way it should. Enhanced monitors are more expensive to set up and keep running so the page in question needs to justify the additional expense.

22. Backup SystemHave you thought about what happens if the server goes down?

Make sure the backup system is configured properly, and the recovery process has been tested so you know it works.

23. Traffic LoadsThink about what might happen to your site if it gets an influx of

heavy traffic. There are load test software tools that allow you to simulate heavy loads. If you are expecting big crowds, this is a must.

24. Protected PagesDoes your site have pages that require user credentials to view? If

so, do the credentials work? From the opposite angle, also check to see that the pages can’t be viewed without proper credentials. Make several attempts to get to those URLs without proper credentials to make sure the security is working as expected.

25. Secure Certificate (if Required)If your site is ecommerce, or you’re using encrypted pages to

protect visitor privacy on a form or elsewhere, you’ll want to check your certificate on launch day.

To do this, go to the encrypted section of your site. When the lock appears in the address bar, right click on it and read the message your visitors will read. It should have your name on it and state that it’s valid. If the lock doesn’t appear or the name isn’t right, let your provider know.

THANK YOU

For More Refer Google :)Many Thanks

Santhosh Kumar