The Complete Website Launch Checklist for 2026

Launching a new website? Before you announce it to the world, make sure these essentials are covered. Missing even one can cost you customers, rankings, or legal trouble from day one.

Security

HTTPS enabled and forced. All seven security headers configured. WordPress and plugins updated to latest versions. Default admin username changed. File permissions set correctly.

Compliance

Privacy policy published and linked from every page. Cookie consent banner installed and tested. Terms of service page published. Contact information visible on every page.

SEO

Unique page titles on every page. Meta descriptions on every page. Open Graph images set for social sharing. Schema markup added. Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console. Canonical URLs set.

Accessibility

Alt text on every image. Language attribute set. Viewport meta tag configured. Keyboard navigation tested. Colour contrast checked.

Performance

Images compressed. Caching enabled. Unnecessary plugins removed. Page size under 100KB.

Automate this

LaunchKitty checks every item on this list in a single 30-second scan. Run it before launch, share the report with your developer, and fix anything flagged. Then set up monitoring to catch issues as they appear.