WEBSITE LAUNCH CHECKLIST
Website launch checklist: check everything before you go live
A website launch checklist makes sure nothing is broken, slow or unsafe on day one. Digimetrics Website UAT Audit runs the technical part for you from a single page URL: it checks broken links across the page and site, headings, images and tags, speed and SSL, security headers and email records, and whether the domain appears on malware lists. Every tool, this one included, is unlocked free for 7 days, no card.
- Free for 7 days
- No card needed
Updated 23 October 2026
The short answer
- A website launch checklist is the final QA pass before a site goes live: links, content, speed, security and tracking.
- Website UAT Audit covers the technical checks from one page URL, so you do not tick them off by hand.
- It checks broken links, headings, images, tags, speed, SSL, security headers, email records and malware lists.
- Run it on your staging or new site before you announce the launch, then again on launch day.
- Pair it with a speed test and a crawler-eye view of key pages for full coverage.
WHAT YOU GET BACK
What the pre-launch audit checks
- Broken linksAcross the page and site
- Headings, images and tagsChecked
- Speed and SSLChecked
- Security headers and email recordsChecked
- Malware listsWhether the domain is listed
HOW IT WORKS
How to run a pre-launch website audit in three steps
- 1
Enter a page URL
Use the home page or the page you are about to launch. That is the only input.
- 2
Run the audit
It checks links across the page and site, headings, images, tags, speed, SSL, security headers, email records and malware lists.
- 3
Fix, then re-run
Clear broken links and missing tags first, sort out SSL or header warnings with your host, then run it again to confirm a clean result before you go live.
The website launch checklist: what to check before you go live
Five groups: links, content and tags, speed, security and trust, and search readiness. The audit covers most of them; the rest are quick manual checks.
Use this as your website QA checklist. The middle column shows which items the audit checks for you and which still need a person.
| Area | Check | Covered by |
|---|---|---|
| Links | No broken links on the page or across the site | Website UAT Audit |
| Content and tags | Headings in order, image alt text, title and meta tags present | Website UAT Audit |
| Speed | Pages load fast enough for visitors | Website UAT Audit; Page Speed Check for detail |
| Security | Valid SSL, security headers set | Website UAT Audit |
| Email and reputation | Email records in place; domain not on malware lists | Website UAT Audit |
| Search readiness | Pages crawlable, not blocked or set to noindex by mistake | Google Crawler Simulator |
| Forms and tracking | Forms submit, thank-you pages and analytics fire | Manual test |
What is website UAT testing?
User acceptance testing (UAT) is the final check that a site works the way the owner and its users expect, before it is signed off. A website UAT checklist covers both functional checks and technical quality.
In a typical project, the developer tests the build, then the client or a QA lead runs UAT before launch. The functional side (do the forms work, is the copy right) needs a human. The technical side is repetitive and easy to miss, which is where an automated pre-launch website audit helps: it catches the broken link on page twelve and the missing security header nobody thought to check.
Web designers often run it as the last step before handover. See how web designers and developers use Digimetrics.
How do I launch my website without hurting SEO?
Make sure Google can crawl the new pages, nothing important is blocked, old URLs redirect to new ones, and the basics (titles, headings, speed) are in place before you announce it.
The most common launch mistake is a staging setting left on, such as a noindex tag or a blocked robots.txt, which keeps the new site out of Google. Run the Googlebot simulator on your key pages to see the title, description, canonical and links exactly as Google reads them.
After launch, crawl the whole site with the technical SEO audit to catch problems across many pages, and run the page speed test on your heaviest page. Our technical SEO checklist covers redirects and sitemaps in detail.
How much does it cost to launch a website?
It depends on the build: domain, hosting, design and development vary widely. You can run the pre-launch audit free, with every tool unlocked for 7 days and no card.
Budget for the parts that stay with you after launch: hosting, the domain renewal and someone to fix issues. A pre-launch audit costs far less than a launch-week scramble, because broken links and missing SSL are cheaper to fix before customers see them. Paid plans start at $31 a month billed annually if you want ongoing checks across several sites.
Who uses a website launch checklist tool?
Web designers and agencies before handover, business owners before a relaunch, and marketers before a campaign landing page goes live.
Agencies can run the same audit across every client site, and on the Expert plan export white-label PDF reports under their own brand. See how agencies build it into their delivery process. If you are launching a campaign page rather than a whole site, the landing page audit adds a conversion score and checks clarity and trust.
There are so many tools out there but few have the breadth and depth of Digimetrics in finding and fixing SEO, content, web, and social media issues. It's definitely a boon to marketers and agency owners alike.
Walter LimFounder, Cooler InsightsQUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Email support@digimetrics.ai and a person will reply.
What is the best website launch checklist in 2026?
One that you do not have to tick off by hand. Website UAT Audit checks broken links, headings, images, tags, speed, SSL, security headers, email records and malware lists from a single URL, leaving only forms and tracking for manual testing.
Is there a website QA checklist template I can use?
Use the table on this page as your template: links, content and tags, speed, security, email and reputation, search readiness, and forms and tracking. The audit fills in most of the rows for you.
Should I run the audit on staging or the live site?
Both, if you can. Run it on staging to fix issues before launch, then on the live site on launch day, because SSL, redirects and server headers can differ between the two.
Does it check whether my email will be delivered?
It checks that email records are in place for your domain, which helps prevent your messages being treated as spam. It does not send test emails.
What does the malware list check do?
It checks whether your domain appears on malware lists. Being listed can trigger browser warnings, so fix any match with your host before you launch.
What should I run after launch?
Crawl the full site with the Technical SEO Crawler, test your heaviest page with Page Speed Check, and run the free website health check for a ranked plan across search, speed and AI visibility.
How long before launch should I run it?
Run it as soon as the site is feature-complete on staging, so there is time to fix what it finds. Then run it again on launch day and once more a week later, after real traffic and any last-minute edits have landed.
Launch with nothing broken.
Audit your site before it goes live. Free for 7 days, no credit card.