Use this WordPress launch checklist before you make a new site public. It covers settings, content, security, search, performance and forms. Ticks are saved only in your browser, and you can print the list.
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Settings Set the site title, tagline, timezone and language Settings → General. Choose permalinks before publishing Settings → Permalinks. Changing them later can break links. Allow search engines to index the site Settings → Reading: make sure “Discourage search engines” is not ticked when you launch. Content and pages Remove demo and placeholder content Starter templates often leave sample posts, pages, images and testimonials. Publish About, Contact and Privacy Policy pages Add Terms, Disclaimer or affiliate disclosure if they apply to your site. Check the 404 page and navigation Every menu link should go somewhere useful. Security Use strong, unique passwords and MFA for admins And avoid obvious usernames for new administrator accounts. Update everything and remove unused plugins and themes Start clean. Set up and verify backups See the backup and recovery checklist . Search and performance Check the XML sitemap and robots.txt Your SEO plugin usually creates the sitemap. Add the site to Google Search Console Submit the sitemap and check for issues. Set up page caching and optimise images Then measure with PageSpeed Insights. Forms, email and devices Test every form and confirm emails arrive Check spam folders. Domains without SPF often have delivery problems. Check the site on a phone Menus, buttons, forms and text size. Check keyboard navigation and focus outlines You should be able to reach every link and button with Tab. After launch, switch to the WordPress maintenance checklist to keep the site healthy.
