Guide · 8 min read
The website launch checklist
A website launch isn't just flicking a switch. A few quick checks before and after save you from the embarrassing stuff — a broken form, a dead phone link, a typo in your headline.
None of this is technical. You can do all of it from your phone and a laptop in under an hour.
Work through the pre-launch list, go live, then work through the post-launch list.
Pre-launch: test on a phone first
Most of your customers will see the site on a phone, so check it on one before anything else.
Open every page on your mobile. Is the text readable without pinching? Do the images load? Does it look tidy, or is anything cut off or overlapping?
Scroll the whole way down each page. The footer, contact details and any small print should all sit properly.
Pre-launch: the tap-to-call and form tests
Tap your phone number on the live site from an actual phone. It should open the dialler with the right number ready to go. This is the single most important thing on a trade site — test it properly.
Fill in your contact form as if you were a customer and submit it. Then confirm the message actually arrives in the right inbox.
Check the spam folder too, and send a test reply so you know the whole loop works.
If you have a quote request or booking form, test that as well, with every field filled and then with a couple left blank to see what happens.
Pre-launch: spelling and claims audit
Read every word on the site out loud. Reading aloud catches typos and clunky sentences that your eye skips over.
Check the spelling of your business name, your suburbs and any trade terms.
Then check your claims. Don't say "licensed" if your licence has lapsed, "24/7" if you don't answer at 2am, or "fully insured" unless you are. Under Australian Consumer Law, claims on your site need to be true. Honest and modest beats impressive and wrong.
Pre-launch: SSL and page titles
Check the address bar shows a padlock and the site loads on https, not plain http. That padlock means the connection is secure, and visitors are warned away from sites without it.
Check your page titles — the text that shows in the browser tab and in Google results. Each should be clear, like "Brisbane Northside Plumbing — Repairs & Hot Water", not "Home" or "Untitled".
Make sure there are no obvious placeholder bits left over, like "lorem ipsum" text or a stock logo.
Pre-launch checklist, at a glance
Every page checked on a real phone
Tap-to-call tested and dials the right number
Contact form submitted and message received
Quote/booking form tested if you have one
Every word read aloud and spell-checked
All claims (licensed, insured, hours) true
Padlock showing, site loads on https
Page titles clear and specific
No placeholder text or stock images left
Post-launch: connect everything up
Once you're live, link the site into the rest of your business so it actually gets used.
Add your website to your Google Business Profile so the listing sends people to it.
Put the address in your email signature, on your invoices and quotes, and on your vehicle if you're getting signage done.
Mention it when you answer the phone and when you finish a job: "You'll find everything on our website." A site no one knows about does no work.
Post-launch: a quarterly re-check routine
Set a reminder to look over your site every three months. It takes ten minutes and stops it going stale.
Each quarter: re-test the tap-to-call and the contact form, update your hours if they've changed, add a few recent job photos, and check nothing's broken.
Once a year, also check your domain renewal date and that you still control your accounts.
A site that's tested, true and kept current will quietly bring in work for years.
Written by the team at Sheppard Industries. More guides →