Website Launch Checklist: 20 Things to Do Before (and Right After) You Go Live
Welcome back. Whether you built on Blogger, WordPress or Shopify, everyone rejoins the course here. Before you start writing content, there are 20 checks that make sure Google can find your site, visitors trust it, and you can measure what happens next. Most take minutes, and doing them now saves months of fixing later.
Before you launch a website, add your legal pages and affiliate disclosure, connect Google Search Console and submit your sitemap, install analytics, check that every page loads on HTTPS, test speed and the mobile layout, write an About page and author bio, add a contact page, and set up email capture. Then publish your first posts and check they get indexed.
- The checklist is the same on every platform; only where you click changes.
- Google Search Console is the one tool every site needs from day one: it tells you what Google has indexed and which searches show your pages.
- Trust pages (About, author bio, contact, privacy policy, affiliate disclosure) matter for readers, affiliate programs and Google.
- South African sites that collect personal information, including email addresses, need a privacy policy that reflects POPIA.
- “Website launch checklist” gets about 600 US searches a month with a keyword difficulty of 7 in Ahrefs (November 2026).
The 20-point website launch checklist
Work through the list in order. The right-hand columns show where to do each step on your platform.
| # | Check | Blogger | WordPress | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Site loads on your own domain with HTTPS | Settings › HTTPS | Hostinger SSL (free) | Settings › Domains |
| 2 | www and non-www go to the same address | Redirect domain setting | Settings › General | Primary domain |
| 3 | Site title and tagline set | Settings › Basic | Settings › General | Online Store › Preferences |
| 4 | Favicon and logo uploaded | Layout › Favicon | Appearance › Customise | Theme settings |
| 5 | Search engines allowed to index the site | Settings › Privacy | Settings › Reading | Store password removed |
| 6 | Clean URLs | Automatic | Settings › Permalinks › Post name | Automatic |
| 7 | Privacy policy | Pages | Pages | Settings › Policies |
| 8 | Affiliate disclosure | Page plus a line on posts | Page plus a line on posts | Page |
| 9 | Terms of use (and refund policy for stores) | Pages | Pages | Settings › Policies |
| 10 | About page | Pages | Pages | Pages |
| 11 | Contact page with a real email | Contact form gadget | Contact form plugin | Contact page template |
| 12 | Author bio on posts | Profile and theme | Users › Profile | Blog author |
| 13 | Google Search Console verified | DNS or HTML tag | DNS or SEO plugin | DNS or theme |
| 14 | Sitemap submitted | /sitemap.xml | /sitemap_index.xml (Yoast) | /sitemap.xml |
| 15 | Analytics installed | Theme code | Plugin or theme code | Customer events or app |
| 16 | Speed tested | PageSpeed Insights on the homepage and a post | ||
| 17 | Mobile layout checked | On a real phone: menu, text size, buttons | ||
| 18 | Email signup form live | Embedded form from your email tool | ||
| 19 | Social profiles created with your site link | The two or three platforms you’ll use | ||
| 20 | First posts published and requested for indexing | Search Console › URL inspection | ||
WordPress steps assume an SEO plugin such as Yoast. Menu names can change slightly between platform updates.
Legal pages and affiliate disclosure
Every site needs a privacy policy, and every site that earns from affiliate links needs a clear affiliate disclosure. Affiliate programs check for them before approving you, and readers trust sites that are upfront.
- Privacy policy: what personal information you collect (email signups, analytics, comments), why, and how people can ask for it to be deleted. South African sites should reflect POPIA, the Protection of Personal Information Act. Get legal advice if you’re unsure; I’m not a lawyer.
- Affiliate disclosure: a page explaining you may earn commissions, plus a short line near the top of posts with affiliate links, like the one at the top of this lesson.
- Terms of use: how people can use your content. Stores also need refund and shipping policies.
Google Search Console and your sitemap
Google Search Console is Google’s free tool for site owners. It shows which pages are indexed, which searches you appear for, and any problems Google finds.
- Go to Google Search Console and add a property. Choose Domain to cover every version of your site.
- Verify ownership by adding the TXT record Google gives you in your domain’s DNS settings (at Hostinger, 1-Grid or wherever your domain is registered).
- Submit your sitemap under Sitemaps:
sitemap.xmlon Blogger and Shopify,sitemap_index.xmlon WordPress with Yoast. - Request indexing for your homepage and first posts with the URL inspection tool.
Also add your site to Ahrefs’ free tools (Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, now called Ahrefs Free) to get a free site audit and see the backlinks you earn.
Analytics: GA4 or Ahrefs Web Analytics
Google Analytics 4
Free and detailed. Best if you want conversion tracking and to connect Google’s other tools. It needs a cookie notice in many countries.
Ahrefs Web Analytics
Free, lightweight and simpler to read. A good fit for a new content site that mainly wants visits, sources and top pages.
Either is fine. What matters is installing one before launch, so you have data from your first visitor.
Trust pages: About, author bio, contact
Readers, affiliate managers and Google all look for signs that a real person with real experience stands behind a site. Google’s guidelines describe this as experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust (E-E-A-T).
- About page: who you are, why you started the site, and your experience with the topic. A real photo helps.
- Author bio: a short box on every post with your name, photo and relevant experience, like the one at the end of this lesson.
- Contact page: a working email address or form. Affiliate programs often check this.
HTTPS, speed and mobile
- HTTPS: visit your site with http:// and check it redirects to https://. Fix any “not secure” warnings before launch.
- Speed: run your homepage and a post through PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, remove plugins or apps you don’t use, and keep your theme light. On WordPress, Hostinger is my pick for a first site, and Cloudways is what I use once a site grows.
- Mobile: most visitors will arrive on a phone. Check the menu, text size, tables and buttons on a real device.
Email capture
Google traffic can change overnight; your email list is yours. Add a signup form from your email tool to your sidebar or post footer, offer something useful in return (a checklist, a guide, a discount), and send a welcome email. Even a few subscribers a week adds up.
The first week after launch
- Publish your first three to five posts, each targeting a low-competition keyword (the next lesson shows how to find them).
- Request indexing for each new post in Search Console.
- Check the Pages report after a few days to see what Google has indexed.
- Share each post on the social profiles you set up. For more ways to get early visitors, see how to get traffic to your website.
- Set a weekly routine: publish, promote, check the numbers. Running a website like a business covers how I plan the work.
- Publish your privacy policy, affiliate disclosure, About and contact pages.
- Verify your domain in Google Search Console and submit your sitemap.
- Install GA4 or Ahrefs Web Analytics.
- Test HTTPS, speed and mobile, and add your email signup form.
You don’t need a perfect site to start earning. The One-Pager gets you there with one page.
The One-Pager Strategy
- Build and launch a single monetised page with AI in days, not months
- Low effort: one focused page instead of a 50-post content plan
- Runs alongside your job, no big budget needed
The Full System
- Full video course on running websites as a real business
- A dedicated course ebook to follow along with
- Private student group: share wins, ask advice and collaborate with other students
- Mentorship from me, and you can reach out whenever you’re stuck
- Regular updates in the group on what’s changing in SEO and AI
Compare everything on the courses page.
Find keywords a brand-new site can actually rank for.
Previous← Choose your platformSummary: the website launch checklist
Before you launch, make sure your site loads on your own domain over HTTPS, add your privacy policy, affiliate disclosure, terms, About and contact pages and an author bio, verify Google Search Console and submit your sitemap, install GA4 or Ahrefs Web Analytics, test speed and the mobile layout, and add an email signup form. In the first week, publish your first posts, request indexing, check what Google has indexed and set a weekly routine.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I do before launching a website?
Make sure the site loads on your domain over HTTPS, add your privacy policy, affiliate disclosure, About and contact pages, verify Google Search Console and submit your sitemap, install analytics, test speed and mobile, and add an email signup form.
How do I get my new website on Google?
Verify your site in Google Search Console, submit your sitemap and use the URL inspection tool to request indexing for your homepage and first posts. Google usually discovers new sites within days to weeks, but ranking takes longer.
Do I need a privacy policy on my website?
Yes, if you collect any personal information, including email signups, comments or analytics data. South African sites should follow POPIA. Affiliate programs also expect to see a privacy policy before approving you.
Should I use Google Analytics or Ahrefs Web Analytics?
Either works. Google Analytics 4 is more detailed and connects to Google’s other tools. Ahrefs Web Analytics is free, lighter and simpler to read, which suits many new content sites.
How many posts should a website have at launch?
Launch with your trust pages and at least three to five useful posts, then publish regularly. A steady schedule matters more than a big launch.
About Eugene Madondo
Eugene is a Cape Town-based SEO specialist and digital entrepreneur who has been earning online since 2012. He has worked in SEO at a tech startup, an agency and in-house tech roles, ran a consulting business, and has generated over $1.4 million from his own affiliate websites since 2020. He teaches website operators through Rank to Earn.
Back to the free website course overview, or see the tools I use on my resources page.