Technical SEO Checklist Before Launching a New Website

A new website can look perfect on launch day and still be invisible to search engines. Most of the problems I run into are small: a forgotten setting, a missing file, an old page that now leads nowhere. None are hard to fix, but all are easy to miss when everyone is focused on design and content.

This is the technical SEO checklist I go through before and after a launch. You do not need to be a developer to follow it, only to know what to ask for and what to check.

1. Make sure search engines are allowed to index the site

While a site is being built, it is usually hidden from search engines on purpose. That hiding has to be removed at launch, and forgetting it is one of the most common launch mistakes I see.

• Noindex tags: a “noindex” tag is a small instruction in a page’s code that tells search engines not to show that page in results. Check that your important pages do not carry it.
• WordPress setting: go to Settings, then Reading, and make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked.
• Password protection: if the staging site was behind a password, confirm the live site is not.

2. Check the robots.txt file

The robots.txt file sits at the root of your domain (yourdomain.com/robots.txt) and tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they may visit. A single wrong line, such as “Disallow: /”, blocks crawling of the entire site.

Keep in mind that robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing. To keep a page out of search results, use a noindex tag and leave the page crawlable, otherwise search engines never see the noindex. Keep the file simple and add a line pointing to your sitemap.

3. Create and test the XML sitemap

An XML sitemap is a list of the pages you want search engines to find. Most WordPress SEO plugins generate one automatically, and Next.js has built-in support for it. Before launch, open it in a browser and check that:

• It lists your real, live pages and not staging URLs.
• It leaves out noindex pages, redirected URLs, and thin pages like empty tag archives.
• It updates when you publish new content.

4. Write unique titles and meta descriptions

The title tag is the clickable headline in search results, and the meta description is the short summary under it. Every important page should have its own.

• Put the main topic near the start of the title, and add your brand name at the end if there is room.
• Avoid duplicates, such as every page titled “Home” or one description copied across the site.
• Write descriptions for people, not keywords. Google often rewrites them, but a clear, accurate description still gives it a good starting point.

5. Use a clear heading structure

Headings (H1, H2, H3) organize a page for readers and help search engines understand what it covers. A good rule is one H1 per page for the main subject, with H2 and H3 headings for the sections below it. In page builders like Elementor, pick the heading level for structure and set its size separately.

6. Set canonical tags correctly

A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page is the main one when similar versions exist, for example the same page reachable with tracking parameters added. Each page should usually point to itself. Check that canonical tags use the live domain and the right version (HTTPS, with or without “www” as you chose), and that they do not all point to the homepage by mistake. Search engines treat the canonical as a strong hint, not a command, so consistent internal links and redirects matter too.

7. Add structured data where it fits

Structured data is extra code, usually in a format called JSON-LD, that describes your content in a way machines understand, such as your business name and location, or an article’s author and date. It can make a page eligible for richer search results, but it never guarantees them. Add only what is true and visible on the page, and test it with Google’s Rich Results Test.

8. Review internal links and redirects

Internal links help visitors and search engines find and understand your pages.

• Make sure no links still point to the staging domain.
• Link important pages from the navigation or related content, so none are left orphaned.
• If you are replacing an old site, map every old URL that had traffic or links to its new equivalent with a 301 redirect, a permanent forward from one address to another. This step does the most to protect existing search visibility during a redesign or migration.

9. Handle 404 pages properly

A 404 is the “page not found” response. Broken links inside your own site should never lead to one. Crawl the site with a tool like Screaming Frog to find them before launch. Also confirm that your 404 page returns a real 404 status code, not a normal page that just says “not found”.

10. Test speed and Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are Google’s measurements of real user experience. There are three:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): how quickly the main content appears.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): how quickly the page responds when someone clicks, taps or types. It replaced FID in March 2024.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): how much the layout jumps around while the page loads.

Test key pages with PageSpeed Insights. The usual fixes are compressed, properly sized images, fewer heavy plugins or scripts, good caching, and efficient font loading. Lab tests are a guide. Field data comes from real Chrome users and appears only once a page has enough traffic, so on a new site it takes time to build up.

11. Check the site on real phones

Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing. Test on an actual phone, not only a resized browser window. Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, menus and forms work, and nothing important from desktop is missing on mobile.

12. Set up Search Console and analytics

Google Search Console is a free tool that shows which pages Google has indexed, which searches bring visitors, and what problems it finds. At launch:

• Verify the site, ideally as a domain property so every version (HTTP, HTTPS, with and without “www”) is covered.
• Submit your XML sitemap.
• Use the URL Inspection tool on your most important pages and request indexing.
• Set up analytics, such as Google Analytics 4, and confirm it records visits and form submissions, with a consent setup where privacy laws such as the EU’s require one.

What to check in the first weeks after launch

Launch is not the finish line. In the first few weeks I keep an eye on:

• Page indexing report: are your important pages indexed, and are any excluded for reasons you did not expect?
• 404s and broken links: fix new ones and add redirects for old URLs you missed.
• Performance report: watch which queries and pages start getting impressions.
• Core Web Vitals report: once enough real data is collected, look for pages flagged as poor or needing improvement.

Rankings take time to settle, especially for a new domain or after a migration, and some movement in the first weeks is normal. What matters is that nothing technical is holding the site back.

Need a second pair of eyes before launch?

I build WordPress and Elementor sites and Next.js applications, and this checklist is part of how I launch them. If you are about to launch a new site or move an existing one and want the technical side checked properly, send me a message through the contact form. I reply within one working day.