10 Things You Need to Do Before Launching a Website

We have 55 things on our official website launch list, but this is the top 10 things to check when you launch a site.

1. Set WordPress to allow indexing: Settings —> Reading: "Discourage search engines from indexing this site"
2. Make sure Analytics is installed
   1. Add launch date to Analytics as a "shared annotation"
   2. Along with any other tracking software, like FreshMarketer or CrazyEgg
3. Add new site to Google Search Console
   1. Listen for issues
   2. Make sure to submit your new sitemap
4. Make sure test blog entries have been removed. Remove "uncategorized" category.
5. Check time zone settings: eg. New York vs GMT -5
6. Make sure posts are "by" the site owner
7. Check for special characters. 
   1. Invisible on Mac
   2. You can see them on Windows or Chrome OS.
8. Set up redirects
9. Check API keys for Google Maps and Google ReCaptcha
10. Make sure your forms work

Resources

• What a Website Launch Day Looks Like
• What to Do After Your WordPress Website Launches