When should I run this checklist — before or after staging review?

Run it on staging first, fix everything you find, then run the critical items again after deploying to production. Some issues only appear in production: SSL, CDN behavior, and certain redirects. Every critical and high item should pass in staging before you flip DNS.

How long does a pre-launch QA review take?

For a typical 10-20 page service business site, plan 2-4 hours for a thorough review. Larger sites with more pages, integrations, and custom functionality can take 8-16 hours. Do not compress this into 30 minutes — post-launch fixes are far more disruptive than pre-launch ones.

What is the most commonly missed pre-launch item?

robots.txt. Development environments are usually set to block all crawlers so a half-built site is not indexed, and that file gets deployed to production by accident. Always confirm robots.txt allows crawling before launch.

Do I need to test on every browser?

No. Priority order is Chrome, Safari on iOS, Firefox, then Edge. Use your existing analytics to see what your visitors actually use, and test on real devices rather than only emulating them in DevTools.

Why include regression testing in a launch checklist?

Because most launch-day incidents are side effects, not broken new features. A change to shared styles, a shared component, or a dependency upgrade can quietly break a page nobody thought to re-open. A regression pass over existing critical journeys catches that.

What should I do if GA4 is not firing correctly?

Confirm the measurement ID is correct and present in the HTML source, then browse the site while watching the GA4 real-time report. If you use Google Tag Manager, check the container snippet is on every page. The usual cause of missing data is a tracking snippet installed on some templates but not all.

What happens if my URLs change during a redesign?

Every changed URL needs a 301 redirect from the old address to the new one, or you lose the rankings those URLs accumulated. Map every old URL to its replacement before launch and test each redirect individually. Do not assume the CMS handles it.

Free launch resource

Pre-launch website QA checklist

84 checks across SEO, performance, responsive layout, cross-browser behavior, functionality, accessibility, content, analytics, security, and rollback readiness. Run it before your site goes live to catch what most teams miss.

Get a Launch QA Report Download the PDF checklistPrintable, 84 items, free — no email required

QA items: 84
Critical checks: 33
Focus areas: 10
Updated for: 2026

Who this is for

This checklist is for marketing managers, content teams, founders, and web teams preparing landing pages, demo pages, campaign pages, product pages, or gated content before publishing.

Priority levels:critical must pass before launchhigh fix within the first weekmedium address in the first month

0 of 84 complete0%

PDF

Your ticks are saved in this browser only.

SEO

SEO issues discovered after launch can take months to recover from. Catch them now.

6 critical6 high priority1 medium13 total items

Performance

Performance issues directly affect both search rankings and conversion rates. Test on mobile first.

3 critical5 high priority2 medium10 total items

Responsive Design and Layout

Most traffic is mobile. A layout that only holds together at 1440px is a broken layout.

2 critical3 high priority2 medium7 total items

Cross-Browser and Device

Rendering bugs cluster in the browsers you personally do not use. Check them deliberately.

2 critical3 high priority2 medium7 total items

Functionality and Forms

Every interactive path a visitor can take should be walked end to end before launch.

4 critical2 high priority1 medium7 total items

Accessibility

Accessibility is both a legal requirement and a UX improvement. These are the highest-impact checks.

1 critical5 high priority2 medium8 total items

Content and Copy

Content errors found by a first-time visitor erode trust immediately. Proofread on multiple devices.

4 critical3 high priority0 medium7 total items

Analytics and Tracking

If tracking is not set up before launch, you lose day-one data permanently.

2 critical4 high priority1 medium7 total items

Security

Security basics that protect the site, your client, and the trust of every visitor.

4 critical4 high priority1 medium9 total items

Release and Rollback Readiness

Launch day goes well when the way back is as well rehearsed as the way forward.

5 critical3 high priority1 medium9 total items

Launch decision: go or no-go?

Use one simple rule before approving any launch.

Go

All critical items pass
High-priority items are passing or documented with a fix scheduled
Analytics tracking verified in the real-time report
Contact form tested and confirmed working
Rollback procedure documented with a named owner

No-go

Any critical item is failing
Placeholder content remains on any page
GA4 events are not firing
Old URLs are not redirecting to new ones
No tested backup exists

The QA process, step by step

The checklist tells you what to check. This is the order to work through it in.

01
Lock the scope
Write down exactly what ships in this release. An undocumented scope makes it impossible to say whether QA passed.
02
Test the new work
Walk each new feature against its requirements, including the unhappy paths: empty states, bad input, slow networks.
03
Run a regression pass
Re-test the features you did not touch. Most launch-day incidents come from side effects, not from the new feature.
04
Check performance under load
Test at expected peak traffic, not average. Record where the first bottleneck appears and whether it is acceptable.
05
Review security and compliance
Headers, secrets, permissions, rate limits, and any regulation that applies to the data you collect.
06
Rehearse the rollback
Restore a backup, time it, and confirm who runs it. A plan that has never been executed is not a plan.
07
Verify in production
Some issues only exist live: SSL, CDN behavior, redirects, analytics. Re-run the critical items after DNS flips.

Pre-launch questions answered

Need a second set of eyes before you launch?

Hulma Studio runs a full pre-launch QA on every site we build, and offers launch audits on sites built elsewhere that need reviewing before going live.

Get a Launch QA Report Schedule a call

Back to home