Website Launch Checklist: 12 Must-Do Steps

Launching a website? Here's what you need to know to do it right. A poorly planned launch can hurt your credibility, cost you customers, and impact your revenue. This checklist covers everything from setting clear goals to ensuring legal compliance, with a focus on Australian businesses. Here's a quick breakdown:

• Set Goals and Review Content: Define your website's purpose, ensure brand consistency, and align with Australian norms (e.g., ABN, local spelling, Privacy Act compliance).
• Technical Setup: Test mobile and browser compatibility, optimise load speeds, and ensure smooth navigation.
• Analytics and Conversion Tools: Install Google Analytics 4, set up lead capture forms, and track conversions.
• SEO and Compliance: Use local SEO strategies, optimise for search engines, and meet Australian legal and accessibility standards.
• Security and Backup: Secure your site with SSL, firewalls, and regular updates. Automate backups and test recovery processes.
• Post-Launch Monitoring: Track uptime, fix errors, and maintain performance through regular updates and audits.

Each step ensures your website is functional, secure, and aligned with Australian user expectations. Let’s dive in!

Pre-Launch Setup

Getting your website off the ground starts with a solid foundation. These initial steps set the stage for both technical performance and user-focused design.

Set Business Goals and KPIs

Before launching, your website needs a clear purpose. Are you aiming to generate leads, drive sales, or boost brand awareness? Define measurable objectives to guide your design and content choices. Each goal should influence how your site is structured and how it engages visitors.

Website goals aren’t just theoretical - they shape practical decisions. For example, businesses that use analytics tools effectively are twice as likely to experience growth. Laying this groundwork is essential for long-term success.

Review Content and Brand Consistency

Every part of your website communicates something about your brand, so it’s worth auditing your content carefully. Use Australian English conventions - like spelling "colour", "centre", and "realise" - to connect with local users and enhance credibility.

Make sure any seasonal references, holidays, or customs are aligned with Australian norms. For instance, use Celsius for temperatures and metric units for measurements, unless your industry requires otherwise.

Your Privacy Policy must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Consumer Law. Clearly outline how you’ll handle personal information and provide options for users to opt out of data collection.

Consistency extends beyond text. Check that your logo appears correctly on every page, maintain uniform colour schemes, and ensure your imagery reflects your brand values. Don’t forget to display your contact details - including your ABN - clearly and consistently across the site.

Complete Site Structure and Navigation

A clear site structure is key to guiding visitors toward important actions. Organise your page hierarchy so essential pages - like About Us, Services, Contact, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service - are easy to find. Make sure contact details and pricing are accessible from any page.

Visitors should be able to locate key information within three clicks. Is your contact information visible on every page? Highlighting your local presence can help build trust with Australian customers.

If your site includes a lot of content or products, add a search function to simplify navigation. Also, optimise your site for both desktop and mobile users to ensure a seamless experience.

Finally, remember the small details that matter locally. Use Australian date formats (DD/MM/YYYY) and ensure forms accommodate local address conventions, including postcodes and state abbreviations. These details might seem minor, but they contribute to a polished, professional user experience that resonates with your audience.

With these pre-launch steps complete, you're ready to dive into technical testing and optimisation. Stay tuned for the next section!

Technical Setup and Testing

Technical hiccups can throw a wrench into your website’s success, so thorough testing before launch is non-negotiable. Make sure your site performs well across both mobile devices and desktop browsers.

Test Mobile and Browser Compatibility

Did you know that mobile traffic makes up more than half of all global web usage? That means your website needs to work seamlessly on a variety of devices and browsers to meet user expectations.

Instead of relying solely on developer tools, test on actual devices. In Australia, popular browsers include Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox. Keep in mind that not everyone updates their browser right away, so testing multiple versions is a smart move.

Consider creating a compatibility matrix to help you track testing across different environments. Check that key features like forms, image loading, and touch-screen navigation work as they should.

Mobile performance is especially critical. A whopping 53% of users will leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load on their device. Testing your site’s load speed under different network conditions is a great way to ensure visitors have a smooth and frustration-free experience.

Conversion and Analytics Setup

Once your technical foundation is in place, it's time to shift gears towards converting visitors into leads and tracking their behaviour. Without these tools, you're essentially guessing at what works after launch.

Set Up Lead Capture and Conversion Tools

Think of your website as a sales funnel, and every visitor as an opportunity. To make the most of it, you need effective tools to capture leads and drive conversions.

Start with contact forms, the most basic yet essential tool. Ensure they work flawlessly - test every field, validation message, and confirmation process. Before launch, double-check that all enquiries are being received properly.

Adding live chat widgets can significantly improve conversion rates by offering immediate assistance. Configure automated greetings to engage visitors and integrate the chat system with your customer management tools. Make sure enquiries are routed to the right team members during working hours.

For service-based businesses, a booking system is indispensable. Test the entire process, from selecting a time slot to receiving confirmation emails. Verify that calendar integrations work seamlessly and that both you and your customers get all the necessary details.

If you're using a CRM or email automation tools, test the data flow to ensure leads are captured accurately and follow-up emails are sent on time. Use live email addresses to confirm the timing, format, and content of these workflows.

Install Analytics and Tracking

Knowing how many people visit your site is just the beginning. To truly understand your website's performance and improve it, you need a robust analytics setup.

Start with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as your primary tracking tool. Create a GA4 property, install the tracking code across all pages, and set it to AEST/AEDT and AUD for local accuracy.

Define conversion tracking for your key goals, such as form submissions, phone calls, or purchases. You can also create custom events for actions like video plays, brochure downloads, or scroll depth to measure deeper engagement.

If you plan to run paid ads, install Facebook Pixel and Google Ads tracking codes - even if you're not advertising yet. This will allow you to gather historical data, which is incredibly useful when you do start campaigns. Align conversion tracking across platforms to maintain consistency.

For businesses targeting Australian customers, call tracking is a valuable addition. Tools like CallRail can assign unique phone numbers to different traffic sources, helping you identify which marketing channels are driving phone enquiries - often a sign of high-intent prospects.

Use heatmap tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg to see how visitors interact with your site. Set up tracking for key pages such as your homepage, service pages, and contact forms. This data can reveal areas for improvement and guide future updates.

Configure goal funnels in your analytics to map the customer journey from their first visit to conversion. Analysing where users drop off can help you pinpoint technical issues or areas that need optimisation.

Finally, create custom dashboards to focus on metrics that matter for your business. Instead of getting distracted by vanity metrics like page views, track qualified leads, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs. These are the numbers that truly impact your growth.

Before going live, test all tracking tools using Google Tag Assistant or similar tools. Run test conversions to ensure everything is working as expected and data is being captured accurately.

With your conversion tools and analytics in place, you're ready to move on to improving your search visibility and meeting compliance standards.

SEO and Compliance

Your website might look sleek and function perfectly, but without proper search engine optimisation (SEO) and legal compliance, you're likely missing out on opportunities and leaving yourself open to unnecessary risks. Getting these aspects right before launch lays the groundwork for long-term visibility and credibility.

Complete SEO Setup

SEO should be a priority from the start to improve local search visibility. By focusing on the basics, you can help Australian customers find your business online more easily.

Meta titles and descriptions are critical for making a strong first impression in search results. Keep titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160 characters, ensuring they include your primary keywords naturally. For example, instead of "Home - Smith Plumbing", a Melbourne-based plumbing business could use: "Emergency Plumber Melbourne | 24/7 Service | Smith Plumbing." This immediately tells both users and search engines what you offer and where you're located.

Structure your content with clear headings - H1 for titles, H2 for main sections, and H3 for subsections. This not only improves readability but also helps search engines understand your content's hierarchy, which is especially useful for accessibility tools like screen readers.

Local SEO is key for Australian businesses. Make sure your full business address, phone number (with the correct area code), and Australian Business Number (ABN) are consistent across your website. If you serve multiple areas, create location-specific pages. For instance, a Sydney accounting firm could have separate pages for "Tax Services Parramatta" and "Tax Services Chatswood."

Set up Google Search Console and submit your XML sitemap. This ensures Google knows which pages exist on your site and helps you identify any crawling issues early. Use a robots.txt file to guide search engine crawlers on which pages to index or ignore.

Optimise your images by compressing them for faster loading and using descriptive file names and alt text. For example, instead of "IMG_1234.jpg", rename the file to "commercial-office-cleaning-sydney-cbd.jpg" and use alt text like "Professional office cleaning team working in Sydney CBD building."

Add schema markup to help search engines understand your content better. Use local business schema for your contact pages, review schema for testimonials, and FAQ schema for commonly asked questions. This can enhance your search result listings with rich snippets, making them stand out and attract more clicks.

Once your SEO is in place, shift your focus to meeting accessibility and legal requirements.

Ensure Accessibility and Legal Compliance

After optimising your site for search engines, it's essential to ensure it meets accessibility and legal standards. Australian websites must comply with specific legal requirements, and accessibility isn't just good practice - it’s becoming a legal expectation.

Aim for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance as a minimum. This means your site should support keyboard navigation, have sufficient colour contrast (at least 4.5:1 for standard text), and follow proper heading structures. Test your site using a screen reader like NVDA to catch any accessibility issues.

Make sure your privacy policy aligns with the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Consumer Law. Clearly explain how you collect, use, and store personal information. If you’re collecting data like email addresses, outline how it will be used and for how long. Be transparent about third-party tools like Google Analytics that may also collect visitor data.

Add a cookie banner that allows visitors to accept or decline non-essential cookies. Keep it simple and clear, much like the cookie notices seen on sites like Bunnings or Woolworths, which explain cookie usage without overwhelming users with technical details.

Include terms of service that outline user responsibilities and your liability limitations. Service-based businesses should also add relevant disclaimers. For example, accountants might include disclaimers about tax advice, while fitness trainers could add health and safety warnings.

If your business operates in a regulated industry, ensure you meet industry-specific requirements. Financial services need to include AFSL disclosures, healthcare providers must adhere to privacy regulations for health data, and food businesses should provide allergen warnings.

Your contact information should be easy to find and include your registered business name, phone number (with area code), and other essential details. This not only builds trust but also supports local SEO.

Ensure all legal page links work and are easily accessible from every page, typically in the footer. This keeps your site organised without cluttering the main navigation.

Consider adding accessibility features like text resizing options, high contrast modes, or audio descriptions for videos. While not mandatory for all businesses, these features show a commitment to inclusivity and can help you reach a broader audience.

Finally, use tools like WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) to identify any lingering accessibility issues. If your business operates in a high-risk industry or handles sensitive data, have your legal pages reviewed by a solicitor to ensure compliance.

With SEO and legal compliance in place, you're ready to move on to securing and backing up your website.

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Security and Backup

Once technical testing is complete, it's time to focus on protecting your website and preparing for a quick recovery in case something goes wrong. Strong security measures and reliable backups are critical for maintaining user trust and ensuring your site operates smoothly. Cyberattacks and data loss can have severe consequences for any business, so being prepared is non-negotiable.

Apply Security Measures

Cyberattacks happen more often than you might think - about every 39 seconds, in fact, with over 2,200 incidents occurring daily worldwide. Australian businesses are no exception, so taking proactive steps to secure your website before launch is essential.

• Enable SSL/TLS encryption: Ensure your site uses HTTPS with a visible padlock icon on every page to secure data transmission.
• Set up two-factor authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security for critical accounts. Most Australian hosting providers offer 2FA, often linked to your mobile device for login verification.
• Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF filters out malicious traffic before it reaches your site. Many hosting plans include built-in firewall options to block common threats while allowing legitimate users.
• Keep everything updated: Regularly update your CMS, plugins, themes, and server software. Remove any unused components to reduce vulnerabilities.
• Use strong passwords: Create unique passwords with at least 12 characters, combining letters, numbers, and symbols. Use a password manager to keep track of them and assign user roles carefully to limit admin access.
• Implement security headers: Features like Content Security Policy (CSP) can protect against attacks like cross-site scripting (XSS). Your hosting provider or developer can help set this up.
• Automate malware scans: Use tools that continuously scan for suspicious files and alert you to potential issues.
• Restrict file permissions: Prevent unauthorised access by setting files to 644 and folders to 755 (or as advised by your hosting provider).
• Prepare an incident response plan: Document immediate actions to take during a breach, such as changing passwords and notifying affected users.
• Conduct penetration testing: If your site handles sensitive information or payments, test its defences against potential attacks before launch.

Create Backup and Recovery Plan

Even with top-notch security, unforeseen issues like hardware failures, human mistakes, or successful cyberattacks can lead to data loss. A solid backup strategy ensures you can recover quickly and minimise downtime.

• Automate backups: Use backup solutions provided by your hosting provider or a dedicated plugin to regularly save your site’s data.
• Store backups in multiple locations: Keep copies on your server, in Australian cloud storage (to meet data sovereignty requirements), and on an external drive. For e-commerce sites, daily backups are crucial due to constantly changing inventory and order data.
• Test your backups: Regularly restore backups in a staging environment to ensure they work correctly.
• Document recovery procedures: Clearly outline steps for restoring your site, including login details, file locations, and instructions. Store this documentation separately so multiple team members can access it if needed.
• Back up everything: Ensure your backups include all files, databases, and configurations. This will allow you to fully rebuild your site on a new server if necessary.
• Set up alerts: Use monitoring tools to notify you immediately if a backup fails. This helps you address problems before they disrupt your recovery process.
• Plan for different scenarios: Prepare for restoring single pages, specific data, or the entire site, depending on the situation.

Before launching your site, test your backup and recovery process. Create a backup and restore it in a test environment to identify and resolve any issues now, while there's still time to make adjustments.

Post-Launch Verification

Once your website is live, it's crucial to keep a close eye on it to catch any issues that might have slipped through testing. This ongoing vigilance lays the groundwork for maintaining your site's health and performance over time.

Monitor Uptime and Errors

Website downtime can be costly - just a few minutes of unavailability can lead to lost sales, a damaged reputation, and frustrated users. Keeping a constant watch ensures you can address problems before they escalate.

• Set up uptime monitoring tools like Pingdom, UptimeRobot, or StatusCake to keep tabs on your site. These tools check your website at regular intervals and alert you immediately if any issues arise. Also, configure alerts for slow page load times, especially if they exceed five seconds.
• Review error logs regularly through your hosting control panel or server tools. Pay attention to issues like 404 errors (broken links) and 500 errors (server problems). Tools like Google Search Console can help you track crawl errors that might affect your site's visibility in search engines.
• Test critical conversion paths daily during the first week after launch. For e-commerce sites, simulate purchases to confirm payment systems, inventory updates, and email confirmations are working as expected.
• Use real user monitoring (RUM) tools such as Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Crazy Egg to understand how visitors interact with your site. These tools can highlight areas where users encounter obstacles, pages with high bounce rates, or points where they abandon conversion processes.
• Continuously check website speed with tools like GTmetrix, PageSpeed Insights, or Pingdom's speed test. Over time, factors like new content, plugins, or increased traffic can slow your site. Automated weekly speed tests can help you spot and address performance dips quickly.

Once you're confident that your site is running smoothly, establish a regular maintenance routine to keep it that way.

Plan Regular Maintenance

Routine maintenance is essential to prevent minor issues from turning into major headaches. A structured schedule ensures your site continues to meet your business needs.

• Conduct weekly content reviews to identify outdated information, broken links, or areas for improvement. Update details like contact information, business hours, pricing, and product descriptions. Keeping content accurate and current not only enhances user experience but also signals to search engines that your site is active and relevant.
• Schedule monthly technical updates for your content management system, plugins, themes, and security patches. Cybersecurity is particularly important for Australian businesses, as threats are constantly evolving. Use a staging environment to test updates before applying them to your live site, reducing the risk of unexpected issues.
• Perform quarterly audits of your site's performance, backup systems, and security. Analyse your website data to identify trends, successful content, and areas that need attention.
• Assign clear roles for maintenance tasks. Determine who will handle content updates, technical upkeep, customer inquiries, and emergency responses. Maintain a shared calendar to track schedules and include contact details for hosting providers, developers, and other key services.
• Keep a maintenance log to document updates, changes, and any issues. This record helps you identify recurring problems and ensures consistency when multiple people are involved in managing your site. Store important information like login credentials and hosting details securely but accessibly.
• Plan for growth by monitoring hosting resources, bandwidth, and storage usage. Australian hosting providers often offer scalable solutions, so upgrade your plan before hitting limits to avoid disruptions. Review analytics monthly to anticipate traffic increases and adjust accordingly.
• Stay updated on industry developments that might affect your site, such as new privacy laws, search engine algorithm changes, or emerging security risks. Subscribing to newsletters, following industry blogs, and maintaining contact with your hosting provider and developers can help you stay informed.

While regular maintenance might seem like a lot of work, it’s far easier and cheaper than dealing with major issues down the line. A well-maintained website not only provides a better experience for users but also performs better in search rankings and supports your business goals more effectively over time.

Conclusion

Launching a website successfully requires careful attention to every aspect, from the initial planning stages to ongoing maintenance. This 12-step checklist offers a solid framework to ensure your website performs well and supports your business growth.

The technical setup and testing phase lays the groundwork for a reliable online presence. By addressing domain configuration, SSL certificates, mobile responsiveness, and performance optimisation, you can avoid issues that could affect your users. These steps not only improve search rankings but also enhance the overall experience for Australian businesses and their customers.

Next, conversion and analytics implementation transforms your website into a tool for growth. By integrating lead capture features and analytics, you can better understand visitor behaviour and make data-driven improvements. For businesses in Australia, this step is key to maximising returns on digital marketing efforts.

To make your site discoverable and compliant, SEO and legal measures are critical. Proper SEO ensures your business can compete in local search results, while accessibility and privacy compliance help you meet legal standards and demonstrate inclusivity - an important consideration in today’s market.

Once live, your site needs protection. Security measures and regular backups safeguard against data breaches and cyber threats, which are growing concerns for Australian businesses. These precautions help maintain customer trust and protect your investment.

Finally, the post-launch monitoring and maintenance phase ensures your site remains at peak performance. Regular checks for uptime, performance, and updates can prevent minor issues from escalating into major problems. This ongoing care is essential to staying competitive in Australia’s ever-changing digital landscape.

FAQs

What legal requirements should I consider when launching a website in Australia?

When launching a website in Australia, it’s crucial to make sure it meets all the necessary legal standards. For starters, your site must comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). This includes following the WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines (or higher) to ensure your website is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

You’ll also need to adhere to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which requires accurate representation of your products, services, and pricing. Misleading information can lead to legal trouble, so transparency is key. If your website collects personal information, the Privacy Act 1988 comes into play. This means you must have a clear privacy policy and ensure secure handling of any data you collect.

By meeting these legal obligations, you’ll not only stay on the right side of the law but also build a site that’s inclusive and reliable for Australian users.

How can I make sure my website works smoothly on both mobile and desktop before launching?

When preparing your website for both mobile and desktop users, focus on responsive design. This ensures your layout adapts smoothly to different screen sizes and devices. Equally important is maintaining fast loading speeds - a slow-loading site can drive visitors away. Make sure navigation is simple and works well, even on smaller screens.

Pay attention to details like font sizes, ensuring text is easy to read. Optimise images and videos to load quickly without sacrificing quality. Also, make interactive elements, such as buttons, large enough to be easily tapped. Before launching, test your site on a variety of devices and screen sizes to identify and fix any display problems.

What are the best tools and strategies to track and maintain my website’s performance after launch?

Once your website is up and running, keeping an eye on its performance is crucial to ensure it aligns with both user needs and your business objectives. Start by leveraging Google Analytics to gain insights into visitor behaviour, traffic sources, and how users interact with your site. Pair this with Google Search Console to track search performance, fix indexing problems, and boost your site's visibility in search results.

Don’t forget to regularly check your website’s loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and uptime. Tools like online speed testers and monitoring services can help you spot and address issues early. Staying on top of updates, applying security patches, and maintaining backups will go a long way in keeping your site functional and secure from potential threats.