The Ultimate Website Launch Checklist

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• Keeran

  17 Feb 2009 14:45

  Great list Dan, thanks! I think the only things I'd add would be SMS/email alerts for exception notifications and server monitoring. K

• Carl Morris

  17 Feb 2009 14:45

  Unique title tags for each page... Partly for deep SEO. And partly because I just favourited this on Delicious and it didn't automatically have the title of your post! Thanks - very useful.

• Dan Zambonini

  17 Feb 2009 14:58

  @Carl Morris - Argh, can't believe these posts don't have unique titles! They should have; will get that fixed asap. @Keeran Ta, will definitely add that, and sort out the URL issue...

• Alex

  18 Feb 2009 12:03

  You don't really need to submit to search engines - they will find you thru the link. And never pay to have your site submitted to "1000 search engines"

• Pierre Far

  18 Feb 2009 12:07

  For consistency: 1. Full stops (periods) at the end of list items. 2. UK/US spelling for English. Also, make sure there is a copyright statement in the footer, with the correct year (I still see copyright statements for 2008.) Pierre

• Karan Bhangui

  18 Feb 2009 12:11

  I think a good addition would be "Set up detailed server logging at all points of failure (database, web server, etc)". I think it's a very important think in case something goes wrong live, if you haven't already done so during production. It's also a nice complement to front-end analytics (as already listed)

• Fernando

  18 Feb 2009 13:36

  An "Availability" section: - Set up external web site monitoring (uptime)? - Set up an internal measuring tool too (cacti, nagios, monit etc) not only for alerts but to get some graphs for better optimization

• Mark Alves

  18 Feb 2009 13:59

  Validate your site in Google Webmaster Tools. This includes running diagnostics, turning on enhanced image search, verifying any Google sitelinks and confirming your sitemaps status.

• Dan Zambonini

  18 Feb 2009 14:08

  Thanks all for more great suggestions; I'll wait until the initial Hacker News traffic has calmed, then aggregate the suggestions and update the list. Keep them coming!

• Simon

  18 Feb 2009 14:28

  I would add checking your contact form works. We just moved servers and it took us a couple of days to realise we didn't update the mail settings!

• Leroy Fernandes

  18 Feb 2009 14:29

  Thanks for this list. Also thanks to all those who have added their own points to the list. It really helps to have such kind of information in one place. -- Leroy Fernandes www.fuelmediaworks.com

• Timothy

  18 Feb 2009 15:00

  Awesome! Def gonna use this

• James

  18 Feb 2009 15:41

  Checklist as PDF or ODS?

• Matt

  18 Feb 2009 17:17

  would be great to have this as a PDF

• Carlos Kirkconnell

  18 Feb 2009 17:40

  http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch04_Ignore_Details_Early_On.php

• Dan Zambonini

  18 Feb 2009 17:54

  Carlos Kirkconnell: I kind-of agree (we still have a list of about 30 items left to 'refine' for this website which we launched last week), but I'm personally all-for obsessing over every detail. Jonathan Ive is known for 'obsessive passion ... about attention to detail' (http://www.jonathanive.com/biography/), and I know whose products I prefer between Apple and 37S.

• Kweek

  18 Feb 2009 19:26

  Great list! Maybe you can add a .PDF version?

• Jason Bartholme

  18 Feb 2009 20:34

  Great... Could have used this last week. Oh, well. I have it now for future projects. It is truly a great list, especially for team projects.

• alexvega

  18 Feb 2009 21:24

  Thanks to creators and contributors. I made it into a Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ajjgrhjmhnt4_135dk27bcfj You can download a PDF version, print or whatever from there.

• Dan Zambonini

  18 Feb 2009 23:19

  Thanks all. Wow, loving the Google Docs version! Will possibly do another update tomorrow depending on number of new suggestions. (PS This is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

• k srivatsa iyengar

  19 Feb 2009 00:18

  hi there are, to my mind, many more points to be covered in the check list.. off hand i'm listing just a few which i comes to mind now.. ( based upon my own experience in a corporate ): 1. arrangements with the service provider..be it your own leased line or hosted server.. security of the server, the possibility of running applications on the server ( database access, mailing lists, newsletters etc.etc.) 2. the arrangements for any payment gateways, their terms and handling of sales etc. 3. organising for updating the content from time to time 4. organising and setting up standards for handling the visitors emails and complaints of non working of certain functions 5. payment gateway arrangements ( where applicable ) regarding security, ssl digital signatures etc.. 6. whether the site should be in other languages, if so the managing of the fonts etc.,

• ricardoe

  19 Feb 2009 08:43

  I hope this doesn't bother you: http://www.sharefile.org/showfile-745/weblistlaunch.pdf Its a PDF version.

• Mike

  19 Feb 2009 09:50

  Just sent your post around the office - as an SEO guy I'll expand upon the bit about search engines but I think the idea is great.

• Daniel

  19 Feb 2009 10:29

  Nice check list, and one I'll get our team to refer to. Just wanted to echo a previous comment that there's no need (or benefit) from submitting your site to search engines any more. Just get some other sites to link to it and the search engines will find it in days (if not hours). I'd add a post-launch/marketing point to include a linking strategy - especially if you want to rank strongly on Google.

• Bassy

  19 Feb 2009 14:23

  Thanks . its very nice list.i gonna use this.

• Wiktor

  19 Feb 2009 20:02

  Great stuff. For those familiar with git/github, here is a forkable version: http://github.com/netguru/checklist

• Dave Quested

  20 Feb 2009 02:59

  Great list Dan, some additions: 1. Configure Windows Live Webmaster Tools 2. Submit the Sitemap you've created (Google/Yahoo/Windows Live/Ask)

• Ryan Roberts

  20 Feb 2009 14:06

  Good idea. Dan I can email you a checklist I use if you want? It's relatively extensive and based on checklists gathered by other web designers. If you are then let me know if I should use the main contact form or a specific email.

• Dan Zambonini

  20 Feb 2009 14:07

  Ryan, that would be amazing, thank you! My name is 'dan' and I work '@' 'boxuk.com', so if you add those together you should get my email address... Thanks!

• Nick

  20 Feb 2009 14:19

  Wow, great list! I've bookmarked this for future reference and all other webmasters should!

• tommythewolfboy

  20 Feb 2009 15:38

  If this is supposed to be an 'ultimate' list should it not break out points like Accessibility into relevant checks? You certainly go down to this level for SEO etc.

• Prashant

  20 Feb 2009 16:07

  before beginning, there could be a couple of points regarding hosting details, files/folders that have read-write access, etc.

• B Moore

  22 Feb 2009 07:02

  Thank you for making this list!

• Anthony Sutton

  22 Feb 2009 07:23

  What an awesome list - you should get a PDF version online before others steal it. Also, you have great website - illustrations are beautiful.

• Malcolm

  22 Feb 2009 18:48

  Cool This is an amazing compilation. Many Thanks :)

• Spider

  22 Feb 2009 19:14

  maybe SQL injection test :)

• Dan Zambonini

  23 Feb 2009 09:24

  Thanks all. We'll be uploading a PDF later this afternoon; in the meantime you can get it on Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12692424/The-Ultimate-Website-Launch-Checklist I'll also update the checklist later this week with any new suggestions.

• Mike Archibald

  23 Feb 2009 09:29

  Handy list. Can't say I do everyone when I launch a website, but I try to do most!

• francis_dierick

  24 Feb 2009 01:19

  Should 'Check in text-based browser (e.g. Lynx)' be added to the Ultimate Website Launch Checklist? Why? It's a great and simple accessibility check. Plus, it uncovers tabbing problems for people who like to keyboard-browse your site.

• Monika

  24 Feb 2009 06:05

  Hi Dan great list, i would like to include one more point to the list which is checking browser compatibilty and internal linking of all pages so that they can get crawled easily.

• Abhinav Gulyani

  24 Feb 2009 19:07

  Thanks an awesome list. Really useful.

• Heidi Cool

  25 Feb 2009 10:24

  Nice list. I particularly like that you focus on content first (so many people seem to forget that.) When possible I'd set up things like Google Analytics and search engine submissions as early as possible. (1-2 weeks pre-launch) If using a testing server during pre-launch this isn't doable, but for new sites/domains that can publish pre-launch it can give you a leg up. I recently did this with a new site and found it helpful that Google had indexed the pages by the time I announced the launch. That said, obviously this can't be done until you have a preponderance of pages created, and can't be done if you need to keep site secret until the launch, but it's nice to get a bit of a head start.

• Kevin Hemsworth

  26 Feb 2009 14:58

  Great list. Didn't read all the comments to know if anyone's suggested adding checking DNS records (mail forwarding, etc.) when moving to a new host environment, but it's not so great when you hit the switch and your client loses their email access!"But look how great your new site looks!" never seems to go over particularly well in those instances.

• facundo

  26 Feb 2009 19:01

  great list guys! besides validation, i would pay attention to the site being viewable in Chrome too. it's happened to us recently

• merzmarkus@goglemail.com

  27 Feb 2009 19:05

  I miss 'user tests' and in this context ongoing 'navigation tests'. Another point is 'check landing pages' if affiliate programs or AdWord programs are used to promote the site. Very useful list. Bookmarked and posted to my site.

• Anne

  1 Mar 2009 15:36

  This is a thorough list, excellent! Thanks.

• Lachelle T.

  3 Mar 2009 05:00

  Excellent list! Too often we have most of these "To-Do" items in our heads but there's no way to get to all of them and more without a checklist such as this. Will definitely be utilizing this for all my future projects.

• Greg

  6 Mar 2009 19:41

  Great list. How about testing your 'web2.0 and social networking features'. I.e. 'user generated content', 'social bookmarks', 'widgets', 'shared/posted links', 'user account set-up/settings', esp. OpenID/Facebook Connect, 'management & admin systems', 'mashup performance', 'embeded content', e.g. YouTube Videos, etc.

• Stu Collett

  10 Mar 2009 13:40

  Love this list. Great work guys! Stu.

• Eva johnson

  27 Mar 2009 10:14

  ok, what do you charge for checking a particlar website before louncing on internet.... Regards Eva

• mathew llewellyn

  2 Apr 2009 21:05

  I guess your handling 'usability' outside of this model. I don’t think anyone has mentioned functional testing for internal network sites/applications Make sure you test your site/application across the same environment that your customer’s workforce(s) is/are using. Thin client based Citrix environments throw up all sorts of problems outside of standard accessibility testing. Have fun with lists ... Nice to see people working together!

• Adrian

  8 Apr 2009 01:07

  Thanks for the list. this is great.

• Michael Müller

  8 Apr 2009 02:54

  Excellent resource, thank you for sharing!

• Erick Schluter

  10 Apr 2009 23:53

  Mmhh...I have downloaded the .PDF...Sigh...Here goes my weekend!
  Thanks!

• Joni Mueller

  14 Apr 2009 02:47

  And this checklist would also make a very good addition to any checklists or milestones you have created within your preferred Project Management system too. I plan to implement huge chunks of it in my boilerplate web site project template in activeCollab. :)

• Gustavo Ballve

  14 Apr 2009 14:24

  Thanks a LOT!

• EmmaB

  23 Apr 2009 09:43

  I was wondering if this could be formatted into an Excel checklist? Of course, only if you have the time.

• Biggs

  30 Apr 2009 15:12

  @EmmaB - You can save this page in your browser as html and open it up in excel. You'll have to do a tiny bit of cleanup, but the list is there.
  
  Great list by the way, Dan. I've been thinking of how I can incorporate it to my workflow. Not as a piece of paper on my desk, iykwim.

• Richard

  13 May 2009 12:20

  I wish I had access to such good info when starting out our website. We learned as we went along and cut some corners which were tough to get back around. Nice list.

• David Radovanovic

  27 May 2009 00:10

  Thanks for the great post. It would be great if there were links with the associated list items to either pages with more info or hints. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

• Noah

  2 Jun 2009 02:55

  That is a great checklist indeed.
  
  Under marketing, I'd add 'create an XML site map' and replace 'submit to search engines' with 'begin link building process.'
  
  Doing the social marketing you mention and/or link building will get the site indexed in every search engine, so submitting is not necessary.

• Brian McManus

  29 Jun 2009 05:38

  Hi Dan, that's a really great list. I wondered if you might consider adding a link to my new website, launchly. Launchly is all about getting new websites the feedback they need to succeed and I would love to see it included as an optional step in the launch process!
  
  http://www.launchly.com

• Raffi Darrow

  29 Jun 2009 18:21

  Functionality: Does the logo in the header link back to the domain name?

• Junagadh

  3 Jul 2009 11:58

  Hi,
  
  here its one of the best needed checklist present.

• Michael Melen

  5 Jul 2009 21:27

  That is a very comprehensive list. Good job!

• PabloC

  20 Jul 2009 20:40

  Thanks, great list.

• Jonas

  22 Jul 2009 22:23

  How about adding - "Check for color scheme consistancy" to the content and style section.

• Chris

  23 Jul 2009 17:31

  Wish i had done it before, thanks for the tips

• Luis Fontes

  26 Jul 2009 20:05

  Great work, Thanks... Keep up your work work

• anunturi

  28 Aug 2009 22:45

  Nice list Dan!
  
  Thanks,
  Regards

• tocoa.net

  1 Sep 2009 12:28

  Good checklist, will use it for my website if the time has come. One small addition to the Security/Risk section should be to check the access rights to the folder/files and to tighten them as much as possible (that is: restrict access to outsiders).

• Jay - Work At Home Blogger

  7 Sep 2009 12:47

  The post you made and the list is awesome. Screen resolution is a must!

• April

  7 Oct 2009 11:10

  Thanks very much for this checklist. I had no idea there were so many different things to look at. I guess you only have one chance to make a first impression so it's worth taking the time from the beginning.

• Bill Gassett

  10 Oct 2009 12:03

  This is quite a comprehensive list. I like the fact that you mention some of the things you are doing to get the site noticed by the search engines. Having great content and good design of course is very important. I would put having an online presence as the next item of importance on the list.

• Peter Lancaster

  12 Oct 2009 09:53

  Everyone absolutely need to follow a list like this when thinking about what their website will be like. Too many time we get caught up in how t will look and what bells and whistles it will have to impress people and show how clever we are. Remember that a website is there for a reason other than to boost your ego. If you want it to do the job you intend it to do successfully do the homework and follow a guideline like this one. It saves a whole lot of work later. Best to do it all first and spend extra time than tear it all down and do it over.
  http://www.barneyslabels.com.au
  

• stefa

  3 Dec 2009 17:27

  good list! is the pdf version already available??

• Dwayne

  4 Dec 2009 00:33

  Thanx so much, I was doing like 3 projects and got overwhlemed and this list helped me a lot, i tried coming up with one my self then i decided to get one in the rush of time. GREAT. Also remember to check your server limitations, so that u don't run out of allotments such as: max number of database connections and so on. Remember to secure your secret scripts that u use to either monitor or administer ur site! Login area sometimes is not enuff to protect, use a specific URL and only access it fr ur PC or u can remove or change it if u access it elsewhere.
  
  My new site is: http://www.linkshares.net/

• Bolsa de Trabajo

  4 Dec 2009 23:31

  The checklist is really good and detailed.
  How about testing your 'web2.0 and social networking features'. I.e. 'user generated content', 'social bookmarks', 'widgets', 'shared/posted links', 'user account set-up/settings', esp. OpenID/Facebook Connect, 'management & admin systems', 'mashup performance', 'embeded content', e.g. YouTube Videos,

• prakash

  14 Dec 2009 09:37

  I’d been taught that left-aligned labels are preferred, to support the prototypical F-shaped eye-tracking heatmap of web browsing. The idea is that it supports easy vertical scanning.
  
  But this study revealed this to be incorrect!
  IT solution
  

• Steve

  4 Jan 2010 01:52

  What about a comms (communications) strategy?
  Probably not a concern for small sites, but a must for larger, very public sites like Banks etc who need to pre-warn customers their site is changing (so it doesn't look like the sites been hijacked on launch). Therefore, I recommend a complete comms strategy at least 2 months prior to launch for larger corporate sites. This would slot in around 'performance' entry in the above timeline.

• Neil Webster

  5 Jan 2010 01:08

  Great List. A bit short on detail with the performance and load testing. I'd add test performance from major centres. Stress test including leaving sessions open, rapid refresh etc.

• Clerkendweller

  19 Feb 2010 10:39

  I put some thought into information security aspects for website releases and published it here:
  
  http://www.clerkendweller.com/2010/2/19/Website-PreLaunch-Security-Review-Checklist
  
  (Linking back to your great list at the end).

• Satish Chathanath

  14 May 2010 12:42

  Hi
  
  Another critical check - whether Home page downloads within 10 seconds on dial-up connection

• Arpan Dhandhania

  18 Jun 2010 04:24

  Hi Dan,
  
  Thanks for this really comprehensive list. I have been looking for something like this for a while. By the way, I came across this awesome web app called LooseStitch that is ideal for sharing checklists with others. So I have created a document on LooseStitch and entered the points from your checklist into it. Here is the link to the document:
  
  http://loosestitch.com/ideas/h393p7hrjalcv9zr/ultimate-website-launch-checklist/

• Tanie auta

  29 Jun 2010 08:10

  Good article...

• Yachting

  21 Jul 2010 09:36

  interesing...;)

• Yachting

  5 Aug 2010 09:52

  good article...

• Lex Fitz

  20 Aug 2010 16:06

  This is an impressive list.
  
  I've started sending my clients here so they can really put me over the hot coals, and also so they will appreciate how thorough I am with their sites.
  
  Thanks for the list.
  
  Best regards,
  Lex Fitz

• Paulo

  10 Sep 2010 15:42

  Nice post

• efusien

  15 Sep 2010 20:03

  I don't agree with capitalization of headers. Knowm more difficult to read: see web design articles.

• ioan salter

  20 Sep 2010 13:24

  nothign about SSL certs in there

• Joomla Website Development

  8 Dec 2010 10:33

  A ablaze and resourcefully post,Thanks for this really comprehensive list
  Keep on sharings

• Prasad Hassan

  10 Dec 2010 14:44

  Great and Thank you so much Dan .Best wishes.

• saufi

  22 Dec 2010 07:08

  thank you.
  
  Meery Christmas & Happy New Year

• dyejo

  14 Jan 2011 23:27

  Great post. Very exhaustive list. I would add the social media piece to this; allow for seamless integration into Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  
  Any similar checklist for mobile website you know of?
  
  
  
  JOHN DYE
  President
  
  FLUID STUDIO
  801.295.9820 ext.22
  http://www.fluid-studio.net
  
  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dyejo
  Twitter: http://twitter.com/dyejo
  LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fluidstudio
  
  
  

• Usability Questionnaire

  19 Feb 2011 11:23

  Thanks for spending the time to describe the terminlogy towards the newbies!
  
  
  Usability Questionnaire
  
  
  

• vijendra singhal

  22 Feb 2011 16:49

  hi i m developing a websites on php,html by using data base connections of mysql,ms access.so please let me know the perfect way to check the sites as well as on those projects also which are not in html and php.and please send me a mail also.

• Custom logo design

  31 Mar 2011 13:35

  Nice site designing resources ideas sharing.
  

• loanbusiness

  22 Apr 2011 07:07

  Keep up the great work, its hard to find good ones. I have added to my favorites. Thank You

• Ashton Blue

  18 May 2011 18:58

  Used this on several projects and loving it. I wish that it was HTML instead of a PDF though.

• business financing

  23 May 2011 01:24

  I want to thank you for this informative read I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work
  business financing

• Grapes Calories

  2 Jun 2011 03:07

  That was one great checklist and I really appreciate that. However, make sure that you update it more often.
  
  
  

• Vlad

  2 Jun 2011 12:01

  I would add a autoresponder/newsletter from the beginning. Anyway nice list and thanks for putting it up, it's very handy for every new launch. It helps you not forget some important steps.
  scary maze

• handyquelle

  2 Jun 2011 18:25

  Nice post Dan, I like this checklist, I will use it on my next website launch,thanks for sharing.
  http://ch.diggonline.net/member/handyquelle
  
  

• kiteboarding

  4 Jun 2011 05:37

  Can't wait until your next post. Great info.

• grow taller

  4 Jun 2011 07:01

  really helpful information.Thanks

• Tamy

  4 Jun 2011 07:42

  This is helpful.Thanks fro publishing the list.

• Penelope

  4 Jun 2011 08:43

  Nice share, thanks man.
  
  get her back

• Katy Perry

  7 Jun 2011 06:01

  This is what I have been searching for a checklist for launching a site. So glad to came across your site, you answer all questions thats running through my mind.
  
  Katty Perry

• Kalpesh

  13 Jun 2011 05:56

  Thanx Man, it's very useful for me

• Sandra

  13 Jun 2011 14:21

  This a much more complete checklist than the one I created for myself and my readers. I'm going to borrow some from your list but won't publish without permission.
  Thanks.
  
  google tablet pc

• Jeanie

  13 Jun 2011 14:25

  Using a check list is a great idea and will use this one as my template going forward.
  
  http://runnergpswatch.com

• Jack

  15 Jun 2011 06:31

  Thanks for this list, I'm going to bookmark it for future site launches
  
  local scholarships

• John

  15 Jun 2011 06:32

  This a much more complete checklist than the one I created for myself and my readers. I'm going to borrow some from your list but won't publish without permission.
  
  

• Lila Marion

  21 Jun 2011 12:47

  wow, great blog, will be returning for much further reading to gain more info on
  
  this subject. Thanks - keep up the great work!

• kiteboarding

  26 Jun 2011 23:43

  Great post. I'm subscribing now for future reads.

• Gary

  27 Jun 2011 20:07

  Do you have any idea how to convert xml to pdf? I need to do a huge presentation next week, and I have no idea what I'm doing! Should I use http://www.ecrion.com/LandingPage/XMLtoPDF.aspx ?

• Media mangement

  9 Jul 2011 06:40

  Most now days launching websites are increasing days by day and some mistakes too. This checklist is very useful in launching a perfect websites. great!!! if unexplained things also explained well...it will be so well

• rheawinford

  14 Jul 2011 03:13

  I truly enjoy looking through on this website , it has wonderful posts.small business search engine optimisation

• Brian

  31 Jul 2011 14:55

  a great, comprehensive list for the development of a site. I tend to subscribe to the idea that this is an ongoing process during development, but still incredibly beneficial even if you can only do it once pre-launch. I do much of this now, but it's very valuable to have a list to reference in the heat of it all. Thanks!!

• melvinvillton

  3 Mar 2012 12:48

  i love you all

• Mike Cowburn

  7 Mar 2012 09:04

  Thank you so much, this has saved me a lot of time and trouble!
  
  Off to see a client now to get a content & branding brief.
  
  :-)

• Megan

  20 Apr 2012 08:32

  I was last here 2009, got your list. Brilliant. Its been a staple of mine since. Top download, thank you for providing this as download.

• Chintan

  27 Apr 2012 13:29

  Best list I have ever seen.
  Great work there