The Website Pre-Launch Checklist: QA, Review and Client Sign-Off

Why a pre-launch checklist matters

Launch day is the worst time to discover a broken form or a typo on the homepage. A repeatable pre-launch checklist catches the small things before your client, or their customers, do. It also gives you a clean, documented sign-off so there is no argument later about what was agreed.

The website pre-launch checklist

1. Functionality and links

Click every navigation item, button and form. Check for broken links, 404s and any placeholder text that slipped through.

2. Responsive and cross-browser

View every key page on mobile, tablet and desktop, and in at least Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Layouts that look perfect on your monitor often break on a phone.

3. Content and proofreading

Proofread every page. Check names, prices, phone numbers, opening hours and email addresses. These are the errors clients notice first.

4. Forms and notifications

Submit every form and confirm the notification arrives at the right inbox, with the right reply-to address. A silent contact form is a lost lead.

5. SEO basics

Confirm each page has a unique title and meta description, set up redirects from any old URLs, and check the XML sitemap and robots settings.

6. Performance

Run the key pages through a speed test. Compress images, enable caching, and make sure nothing loads that does not need to.

7. Analytics and tracking

Install analytics and confirm it is recording, set up any conversion tracking, and remove staging or test tracking codes.

8. Accessibility

Check colour contrast, image alt text and keyboard navigation. It is the right thing to do and it reduces legal risk.

The step most teams rush: client review and sign-off

Even a perfect build needs the client to look at it and approve. This is where projects stall, because feedback comes back over email and screenshots and nobody can tell which note maps to which page. The fix is to let the client review the live site in context and sign off in one place, using a repeatable client sign-off checklist.

Reviso is a website feedback tool for WordPress: send your client a no-login link, they pin comments directly on the page, you resolve each one inside Bricks, Elementor or Gutenberg, and they mark the page approved with a timestamped record. See how it compares to BugHerd, or check the plans.

Launch with confidence

Run the checklist, collect feedback in context, and close with a clear approval. A boring, predictable launch is exactly what you want.