The Ultimate Website Launch Checklist

Before you even think about "going live," your foundation needs to be rock solid.

• DNS Propagation: Ensure TTL is lowered to 300s (5 mins) 24 hours before launch to allow quick switching.
• CNAME/A Records: Verify your `@` and `www` records point to the correct load balancer or IP.
• Redirects: Setup a 301 redirect from non-www to www (or vice versa) to prevent duplicate content issues.
• Canonical Tags: Ensure every page has a self-referencing canonical tag unless it's a duplicate.

Speed isn't just a luxury; it's a ranking factor. Aim for a Lighthouse score of 90+.

• Image Compression: Convert all images to WebP or AVIF format. Use tools like TinyPNG or Sharp.
• Lazy Loading: Enable lazy loading for images below the fold.
• Minification: Ensure CSS and JS files are minified and Gzipped/Brotli compressed.
• Caching: Configure proper `Cache-Control` headers for static assets (usually 1 year).

• SSL Certificate: Force HTTPS on all pages. Check for mixed content errors.
• Security Headers: Implement HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
• Robots.txt: Ensure you aren't blocking search engines (unless intended for staging).
• Privacy Policy: Link your Privacy Policy and Terms in the footer. Add a cookie banner if operating in EU/California.