How to test your website before launch: a checklist

Most launch-day embarrassments are entirely preventable with a short, disciplined checklist. Broken forms, dead links, a typo in the hero, a page that falls apart on a phone — none of these should ever reach real visitors, and a ten-minute pass catches almost all of them. Run it before you flip the switch.

Here is the checklist worth running every time.

Devices and browsers

Open the site on a real phone, a tablet and a desktop, in more than one browser. Layout and behavior can differ between them, and real devices catch touch, spacing and performance problems that a single desktop window quietly hides.

Links, forms and content

Click every link, submit every form, and read every word. Broken links and dead forms silently cost you conversions you never see, and a single typo on the homepage can undercut trust before anyone reads further. This is the least glamorous and most valuable step.

Speed and SEO basics

Confirm the site loads quickly, and check that every page has a unique title and meta description. These basics are fast to verify and directly affect how you are found in search and how your links look when shared.

1. 1
   Test on real devices

   Phone, tablet and desktop, in more than one browser.
2. 2
   Click every link

   Catch broken links before visitors do.
3. 3
   Submit every form

   Confirm messages actually arrive.
4. 4
   Check speed and meta tags

   Fast load, plus a title and description per page.
5. 5
   Proofread everything

   One typo on the homepage undercuts trust.

• ✓A short pre-launch checklist prevents most embarrassments.
• ✓Test on real phones, tablets and desktops, in multiple browsers.
• ✓Click every link and submit every form.
• ✓Verify speed and per-page title and description.
• ✓Proofread, then launch — do not wait for perfect.