The Complete WordPress Website Launch & Post-Launch Checklist

Before moving forward, make sure your domain is registered and configured properly. If it’s not set up yet, take care of this step now.

Make sure to choose a hosting provider that offers great support and scalability, suited to your site's future needs.

As mentioned in the pre-launch tutorial, it's essential to back up your site’s files and database on your staging site. If you haven’t already created a backup, you can use a plugin like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or All-in-One WP Migration. Ensure the backup is safely stored before proceeding with the migration.

Before making any public DNS changes, you can update your local hosts file to map your domain to the new server’s IP. This allows you to access the site on the new host for testing before it goes live. This method is commonly used by web developers and site owners to ensure the site works correctly on the new server, enabling you to troubleshoot any issues without impacting the live site. You can find a quick tutorial here.

Set up a MySQL database for your WordPress site through your hosting provider's control panel, and keep track of the database name, username, and password for future reference.

Set up a fresh WordPress installation on the new server to prepare for restoring the backup. Ensure it matches the same WordPress version used in the backup.

After setting up WordPress on the new server, install the same backup plugin you used to create the backup, such as UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or All-in-One WP Migration. Then, upload the backup file through the plugin’s restore option and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process. This will transfer your site’s files, database, and configurations automatically.

With the hosts file update in place, visit your site’s domain in a browser to verify that everything is working properly before updating public DNS records. Once testing is complete, remove the hosts file entry.

Once you've confirmed the site is functioning properly, update your domain’s DNS records to point to the new server. To point a domain to a new server, you can either update the A record to the new server’s IP address or change the nameservers to those provided by the new host. If you're using third-party email services, be sure to update the MX records to avoid disruptions in email delivery. These changes may take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate across the internet.

After launching your site, it's important to remove any leftover staging site data unless you plan to keep it for future development. This includes databases, files, or subdomains that may still be active. Keeping unnecessary staging data can lead to security risks or can cause confusion. If you don’t need the staging environment anymore, safely remove all related data to prevent it from affecting the performance or security of your live site.

Verify that all forms (contact, subscription, etc.) are functioning properly. Test submitting them yourself to ensure emails are being sent and received accurately. This is vital to ensure visitors can easily reach you or complete transactions.

Ensure all premium plugins, themes, and third-party services are properly licensed and active. Unlicensed software may lose access to critical updates, security patches, and support, which can leave your site vulnerable or cause functionality issues. Check for expired licenses, renew them if necessary, and verify that all integrations (such as payment gateways or API-based services) are functioning correctly.

If your site relies on email communication (e.g., form submissions, user registrations), configure an SMTP plugin to ensure reliable email delivery. Proper SMTP setup ensures that your emails don’t end up in spam folders and are correctly authenticated, which is critical for communications with visitors and customers.

Double-check that SSL is properly configured across all pages. Ensure the site shows "HTTPS" and there's a padlock icon in the browser. Mixed content warnings should be resolved to avoid security vulnerabilities and trust issues.

If your site processes payments, conduct a test transaction using a live payment method to ensure all steps (from cart to checkout) work smoothly, including email receipts and payment confirmations.

Ensure that the user registration, login, and password reset processes are functional. Test both as an administrator and a regular user to make sure there are no access issues.

Confirm that the site is fully optimized for mobile devices by testing it across multiple screen sizes, devices, and browsers.

Ensure your site is free of broken links. These can negatively affect user experience and SEO. Use tools like Google Search Console or the Broken Link Checker plugin to identify any URLs that no longer work and fix them promptly.

As I mentioned in my Pre-Launch Checklist, setting up 301 redirects is essential when changing, removing, or updating page URLs on your site, especially for pages already indexed in Google search results. This ensures both users and search engines are redirected to the correct locations, preserving SEO value and preventing broken links.

It's recommended to set up Google Tag Manager (GTM) before Google Analytics (GA). Once GTM is in place, you can then add Google Analytics as one of the tags within GTM. This allows you to manage all your tracking codes in one place and provides flexibility for future changes or additions to your site’s tracking needs without having to modify the code directly on your site.

Integrate Google Analytics to monitor user behavior, traffic sources, and other key metrics that will help you optimize site performance.

Link your site to Google Search Console to track how your site performs in search rankings, identify crawl errors, and enhance visibility on Google.

Ensure the XML sitemap is generated and submitted to search engines. Plugins like Rank Math will generate these automatically. The sitemap should then be uploaded to Google Search Console in the sitemap section.

Make sure the checkbox in your WordPress site under Settings > Reading is unchecked so search engines can crawl your live site and drive organic traffic.

A robots.txt file helps manage how search engines crawl your website. It’s a good practice to include your sitemap URL in the file to help search engines discover your content quickly. Additionally, you can block pages you don’t want indexed.

Use caching plugins like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache to store static files and reduce server load, speeding up page load times.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare to serve static content globally, reducing latency and improving site speed.

Minification reduces the size of files, speeding up your site. Plugins like Autoptimize or WP Rocket can help automate this.

Run tests on your website using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom. These tools provide insights and recommendations on where improvements can be made.

Install a comprehensive security plugin like Wordfence or Solid Security to safeguard your site from potential threats. These plugins provide firewall protection, malware scanning, and login protection to minimize vulnerabilities.

To protect your website from spam and malicious form submissions, integrate Google reCAPTCHA with your contact forms. This helps block automated bots from making submission.

Use a backup plugin or managed hosting solution to create regular backups of your website files and database. Tools like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy are great for this. Depending on your server size and storage capacity, consider off-site backup solutions like Amazon S3, Google Drive, or Dropbox to ensure redundancy.

Ensure that your WordPress admin password is strong and unique. Use a password manager like LastPass or Bitwarden to securely store it.

Regularly updating WordPress, themes, and plugins is crucial for security and performance. Outdated software can introduce vulnerabilities, so check for updates often and apply them manually to avoid conflicts. Remove unused plugins to reduce risks. For hassle-free maintenance, consider a WordPress Monthly Maintenance Plan.