05 / LAUNCH

What to check before publishing a site

Ivan TishchenkoOctober 16, 20262 min read

The main page that opens is a not yet ready site. Before launching, you need to go through the visitor’s path and make sure that not only the appearance, but also the result of his actions works.

Laptop, tablet and phone with responsive website layout — Illustration for the article · created using AI

Go through the key scenario manually

Open the site as a new visitor: read the offer, go to the service, submit a test request. Check for required fields, invalid phone, no consent and double click. The successful screen should only appear after confirming the corresponding action.

Check that the notification was actually received, not just the page's response. If the interaction is stored separately from the sending of a letter or message, the interface must honestly describe the intermediate state.

Test different screens and controls

It's not just font sizes that matter on a phone. Menus, modals, keyboards, and long error messages can change the available area. The submit button should remain reachable and the text should be readable without horizontal scrolling.

Go through the main elements using the Tab key. Make sure that focus is visible, fields are labeled, and modals can be closed. If there is a dark theme, check the contrast of the text, margins and photos separately from the light one.

Prepare your pages for search

Each content page must have a clear title, description, main heading and correct canonical. Check the addresses in the sitemap, the availability of robots.txt, internal links and the absence of accidental indexing bans.

Metadata does not guarantee search rankings. Useful content, clear structure and accessibility of pages are also important. Don't add fictitious ratings and reviews to structured data for the sake of an attractive snippet.

Prepare for disruption and change

Check HTTPS, error page, file backup and recovery of important data. Integration secrets should not end up in a public folder. Forms require server-side verification and restrictions against frequent requests: verification alone in the browser is not enough.

After publication, repeat the short test at your work address. Check photos and fonts, notices and links to documents. Running is a proven working version and a clear way to notice a problem, not a promise that errors will never happen again.

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