You've built your WordPress site. Now what? Launching without a proper checklist is like leaving for a road trip without checking your tires, gas, and GPS. You might get there, but you'll probably hit some avoidable problems.

This comprehensive checklist covers everything you need to verify before going live - from SEO and security to performance and legal compliance.

Bookmark This: This checklist is designed to be used. Go through each item before your launch. Missing even one critical step can cause problems that are harder to fix after you're live.

Content Checklist

Proofread all pages Critical Check for typos, grammar errors, and placeholder text (Lorem ipsum). Read everything out loud.
Test all links Click every link on every page. Use a broken link checker plugin or online tool.
Review images Ensure all images load, are properly sized, and have descriptive alt text for accessibility.
Check contact information Verify phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses are correct.
Remove placeholder content Delete sample posts, pages, and comments that came with WordPress or your theme.
Set up 404 page Create a helpful 404 error page that guides lost visitors back to useful content.
Add favicon Upload a favicon (site icon) that appears in browser tabs and bookmarks.

SEO Checklist

Install SEO plugin Critical Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math for essential SEO tools and optimization guidance.
Set page titles and meta descriptions Write unique, compelling titles (50-60 characters) and descriptions (150-160 characters) for each page.
Configure permalinks Use SEO-friendly URLs. Go to Settings > Permalinks and select "Post name" structure.
Set up XML sitemap Your SEO plugin should generate this automatically. Verify it exists at /sitemap.xml.
Create Google Search Console account Verify your site ownership and submit your sitemap.
Set up Google Analytics Install GA4 tracking to monitor traffic and user behavior.
Add schema markup Add structured data for your business type (LocalBusiness, Product, Article, etc.).
Check robots.txt Ensure important pages aren't accidentally blocked from search engines.
Remove "Discourage search engines" setting Critical Go to Settings > Reading and uncheck "Discourage search engines from indexing this site."

Don't Forget This Step

Many people forget to uncheck "Discourage search engines" before launch. This single checkbox can prevent your site from appearing in Google for weeks or months. Always verify this setting.

Security Checklist

Install SSL certificate Critical Your site must use HTTPS. Most hosts provide free SSL certificates.
Force HTTPS redirects Ensure all HTTP requests redirect to HTTPS. Update WordPress and Site URLs in Settings > General.
Change default admin username Never use "admin" as your username. Create a new admin account and delete the default one.
Use strong, unique passwords Critical All user accounts should have strong passwords. Use a password manager.
Enable two-factor authentication Add 2FA to admin accounts using a plugin like WP 2FA or Wordfence.
Set up automatic backups Critical Configure daily backups with off-site storage. Never launch without backup protection.
Update everything Ensure WordPress core, all themes, and all plugins are at their latest versions.
Remove unused themes and plugins Delete any themes and plugins you're not using. They're security risks.
Limit login attempts Install a plugin to block brute force attacks by limiting failed login attempts.

Performance Checklist

Enable caching Important Use a caching plugin or hosting-level caching to speed up page loads.
Optimize images Compress all images. Use WebP format where possible. Enable lazy loading.
Minify CSS and JavaScript Use a plugin to minify and combine CSS/JS files.
Enable CDN Use a CDN (like Cloudflare) to serve static assets from locations near your visitors.
Test page speed Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights. Aim for 90+ on mobile.
Check Core Web Vitals Test LCP, FID, and CLS metrics. These affect both user experience and SEO.
Test on slow connections Use browser dev tools to simulate 3G connections. Ensure site is still usable.

Testing Checklist

Test on mobile devices Critical Check your site on actual phones and tablets, not just browser emulators.
Test in multiple browsers Verify layout and functionality in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Test all forms Critical Submit every form on your site. Verify emails are received and data is saved correctly.
Test navigation and menus Click through all menu items. Check dropdown menus work on mobile.
Test search functionality If you have site search, verify it returns relevant results.
Test checkout process (e-commerce) Complete a test purchase through the entire checkout flow.
Test user registration/login If you have user accounts, test the registration, login, and password reset flows.
Verify email delivery Ensure transactional emails (contact forms, account emails) are actually delivered.

Legal Checklist

Add Privacy Policy Critical Required by law in most jurisdictions. Must disclose what data you collect and how you use it.
Add Terms of Service Define the rules for using your website and protect your business legally.
Add cookie consent banner (if required) Required in EU/UK (GDPR) and California (CCPA). Inform users about cookie usage.
Ensure accessibility compliance Follow WCAG guidelines. Add alt text, ensure keyboard navigation, use sufficient color contrast.
Verify copyright notices Add copyright year and business name in footer. Ensure you have rights to all images and content.
Add refund/return policy (e-commerce) Required for online stores. Clearly explain your refund and return policies.

Launch Day Checklist

Create final backup Make a complete backup right before launch in case you need to roll back.
Update DNS (if changing domains) Point your domain to your new hosting. Allow 24-48 hours for propagation.
Remove "Coming Soon" or maintenance mode Disable any maintenance mode plugins or landing pages.
Submit sitemap to Google Search Console Help Google discover and index your pages quickly.
Test everything one more time Do a final round of testing after launch to catch any issues.
Set up uptime monitoring Use a service like UptimeRobot or your hosting's monitoring to alert you of downtime.
Announce your launch Share on social media, send to your email list, notify partners and customers.

Post-Launch Monitoring

Your work isn't done after launch. Monitor these things in the days and weeks following:

Check Google Search Console daily: Look for crawl errors, indexing issues, and security warnings
Monitor analytics: Watch for unusual traffic patterns or high bounce rates
Review form submissions: Ensure contact forms are working and you're receiving messages
Check site speed: Performance can degrade as you add content. Monitor regularly
Review security logs: Look for failed login attempts or suspicious activity
Update regularly: Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated

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Common Launch Mistakes to Avoid

1. Launching on Friday

If something goes wrong, you won't have full support available over the weekend. Launch early in the week when help is readily available.

2. No Backup Plan

Always have a way to roll back if the launch fails. Keep your old site available (even if just as a backup) until you're confident the new one is working.

3. Skipping Mobile Testing

Over 60% of web traffic is mobile. Testing only on desktop is a recipe for disaster.

4. Forgetting Email Configuration

WordPress email is notoriously unreliable by default. Test that contact forms and transactional emails actually arrive in inboxes.

5. Not Setting Up Redirects

If you're replacing an existing site, set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones. Otherwise, you'll lose SEO value and visitors will hit 404 pages.

MojoShine Team

We've seen hundreds of WordPress launches - both smooth and rocky. This checklist represents the collective wisdom from those experiences. Follow it, and your launch will go smoothly.