Website Launch Checklist

Catch the launch-killers — robots.txt, noindex, SSL, sitemap, analytics, Core Web Vitals & WCAG — before you go live.

Enter your live domain to get the exact paths to check (robots.txt, sitemap.xml).

Launch readiness
Not started — 0 verified

Self-attestation only — ticking a box says you verified it. The tool can't see your live site. Re-check robots.txt, noindex & SSL directly on the production URL.

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Website Launch Checklist — guide & how to use

What it does

This pre-launch checklist walks you through every step that flatlines organic traffic when it's skipped — the catastrophic robots.txt Disallow: / left over from staging, a stray noindex, a missing or expired SSL certificate, broken redirects, absent meta titles, an unsubmitted sitemap, dead analytics, failing Core Web Vitals, and WCAG accessibility gaps. It weights each item by severity, computes a launch-readiness score, and hard-gates the verdict: if any launch-blocker is still open, you'll see NOT READY no matter how high the percentage climbs.

How to use it

  1. Enter your production URL so the tool can echo the exact paths to verify (e.g. https://example.com/robots.txt).
  2. Verify each item on your live site, then tick it. Don't tick from memory — open the page and confirm.
  3. Mark anything that doesn't apply (no forms → form-labels) as N/A; it drops out of the score so the percentage stays honest.
  4. Type the optional numbers (title length, LCP/INP/CLS, contrast ratio) to run the truncation and threshold validators.
  5. Clear every Blocker and Critical item before launch; circle back to Recommended right after.

Worked example

You're launching https://acme.example. You tick almost everything — SSL valid, titles unique, GA4 firing, sitemap submitted — and hit 92%. But you haven't yet confirmed that robots.txt is clean. Because the "no site-wide Disallow: /" item is a Blocker and it's still unchecked, the headline reads NOT READY — 1 launch-blocker open and the score ring turns red. You open https://acme.example/robots.txt, find the staging Disallow: /, remove it, re-tick the item — and the verdict flips to READY TO LAUNCH — 100%. That single gate is the whole point: a 92% "looks done" score is exactly how a site ships fully de-indexed.

Severity tiers

Accuracy & disclaimers

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common website launch mistake?

Shipping the staging robots.txt with a site-wide Disallow: / line, which tells Google not to crawl any page and de-indexes the entire site. A lingering noindex meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header does the same thing silently. This checklist flags both as launch-blockers that override your score.

How is the launch-readiness score calculated?

Each item is weighted by severity — Blockers count most, then Critical, then Recommended — and the score is the weighted percentage of items you've verified. Items marked Not Applicable drop out of both numerator and denominator. If any Blocker is still unchecked the verdict is forced to NOT READY no matter how high the percentage is.

Does this tool actually scan my live site?

No. It's a self-attestation checklist: ticking a box asserts you verified that item yourself. The tool can't confirm the live state of your site, so treat the output as "based on what you've confirmed." Always re-verify the critical items (robots.txt, noindex, SSL) directly on the production URL.

What are the current Core Web Vitals thresholds?

As of the March 2026 core update: LCP under 2.0s (tightened from 2.5s), INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1 — judged on the 75th percentile of real-user field data over 28 days, not a single Lighthouse lab run. Thresholds drift; re-verify against web.dev and Search Central.

What WCAG contrast ratio do I need?

WCAG 2.2 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt, or 14pt bold). Compare the unrounded ratio — 4.499:1 fails 4.5:1. Automated checks catch only ~30–50% of WCAG issues, so passing this is not a legal certification; a manual audit is still required.

Does my progress save?

Yes. Everything runs in your browser and your ticks, N/A marks, and the URL you enter are saved in localStorage, so a refresh won't wipe your checklist. Nothing is uploaded.

Related tools

Everything runs in your browser — your checklist never leaves this device and nothing is sent to our servers. See our privacy policy.