Introduction
Finishing the design and development of a website doesn't necessarily mean the website is ready to launch.
Before a WordPress website goes live, there are several things that should be checked.
01 Check mobile responsiveness
I check the website on desktop, tablet and mobile screen sizes.
I look for horizontal scrolling, overlapping elements, incorrect spacing, unreadable text and buttons that are difficult to use.
02 Test navigation
Every menu item should lead to the correct destination.
I check desktop navigation, mobile menus, dropdowns and important internal links.
03 Test forms
Contact forms are one of the most important things to test before launch.
I submit test messages and verify that emails are delivered correctly.
04 Check images
Images should be properly sized and optimized.
I also check whether images display correctly on different screen sizes.
05 Review typography
Font sizes, line heights and spacing can sometimes change between devices.
I review headings, paragraphs, buttons and other text elements.
06 Check website speed
I review the website's loading performance and look for obvious bottlenecks such as large images, unnecessary scripts or heavy assets.
07 Test buttons and links
I check calls to action, external links, phone links, email links and buttons.
08 Review content
I check headings, paragraphs, spelling, contact information and page content.
09 Basic SEO checks
I review page titles, headings, meta information, URLs, image alt text and other basic SEO elements.
10 Final browser testing
Finally, I test the website across commonly used browsers and different screen sizes.
Conclusion
A good launch checklist doesn't have to be complicated.
The important thing is to slow down before launch and verify the details that visitors will actually interact with.
Spending a little extra time on testing can prevent many avoidable problems after the website goes live.
