A website launch SEO checklist stops you suddenly losing visitors after your new site goes live. Most problems aren't caused by bad design, but by small forgotten settings: a tick box that shuts Google out, old pages that no longer lead anywhere or a sitemap nobody submits.
Below you'll find a practical checklist in three parts: the week before launch, the day itself and the first weeks after. Replacing an existing website with lots of visitors? Then also read our detailed piece on migrating a website without losing SEO.
Why SEO deserves so much attention at launch
Your old website has often built up years of history. Google knows your pages, other sites link to them and people have bookmarks. With a new website, URLs, copy and technology often all change at once. If something goes wrong, Google can temporarily lose its way. That usually recovers, but it costs you weeks or months of visibility. Good preparation prevents it.
SEO checklist: the week before launch
Do this while the new site is still on a test environment:
- Make a list of all URLs on your old site. A crawler or your old site's sitemap helps with this.
- Check in Google Search Console and Analytics which pages get the most visitors and links. Those deserve extra attention.
- Make a redirect plan: for each old URL, the new URL it should point to. Always choose the page whose content fits best, not the homepage by default.
- Check that every page has its own title, meta description and a single H1.
- Check that the most important copy from your old site hasn't been quietly shortened or dropped.
- Test the site on mobile and measure its speed. Google treats an LCP under 2.5 seconds, an INP under 200 milliseconds and a CLS under 0.1 as good.
- Check alt text on images and that photos have been resized properly.
Besides SEO, you'll also want to test forms, payments and integrations. We have a separate guide on testing before launch for that.
On launch day
On the day itself it comes down to a few settings that make all the difference. Go through them one by one, ideally right after the switch.
- Remove the block on search engines. Test environments are often set to noindex or blocked in robots.txt. If that stays, your site slowly disappears from Google.
- Put the redirects live and test a good number of old URLs by hand. Do they land on the right new page in a single step?
- Check that your site is only reachable on one version: with https and with or without www. The other variants redirect.
- Check the canonical tags. They must point to the live domain, not the test environment.
- Check that Google Analytics or your other tracking tool is receiving data.
- Put a new XML sitemap online, containing only the pages you want in Google.
- Update your Google Business Profile if your website address has changed.
Setting up Search Console for a new website
Google Search Console is your most important tool in the first weeks. It's free and shows how Google sees your site.
- Check that your domain is verified. For a new domain, add a new property.
- Submit your new sitemap under Sitemaps.
- Use URL inspection for your homepage and your most important service pages, and request indexing.
- If you're moving to a different domain, use the change of address tool.
- Keep the old property for a while, so you can compare how things develop.
The first weeks after launch
After launch, the watching begins. Schedule a few fixed check-ins, for example after a week, after a month and after three months.
- Look in Search Console under Pages for new errors, such as 404s or 'discovered, currently not indexed'.
- Fix 404s on important old URLs with an extra redirect.
- Compare impressions and clicks with the same period on your old site.
- Check that your most important keywords are still visible.
- Ask sites that link to you to update the link if the address has changed.
- Leave the redirects in place. Don't remove them after a few months, because old links and bookmarks will still exist.
A small dip in the first weeks is normal. Google has to crawl the new site again. If the drop persists after a month or two, look for the cause in the technology or in content that's gone missing.
Who does what at launch?
A launch often involves several parties: you, your web developer, sometimes a hosting company and a marketer. That's exactly where tasks fall through the cracks. So agree in advance who does what.
- Who makes the redirect plan and who checks it?
- Who switches the DNS settings, and when?
- Who has access to Google Search Console, Analytics and your Google Business Profile?
- Who keeps an eye on errors in the first weeks?
- Who is reachable if something goes wrong on the day itself?
Put those agreements in writing. A short list of names and tasks saves a lot of hassle. Read more about good agreements in our article on agreements with your web agency.
Common mistakes when launching a new website
- Forgetting the test environment's noindex setting.
- Redirecting all old URLs to the homepage.
- Leaving out pages that attracted lots of visitors because they looked 'old'.
- Redirect chains: from old to an in-between page to new.
- Launching on a Friday afternoon, so nobody spots the first problems.
- Not setting up tracking, so you can't compare.
How we handle launches at Violexa
Every custom website Violexa builds comes with this checklist at handover. We make a redirect plan, set up the SEO basics and Google Analytics properly, and check after launch that Google picks up the site correctly. A custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT), including design, development, a design that works on every screen, CMS connection and training. If you then want to keep working on your visibility, you can with our online marketing from €599 excl. VAT (€725 incl. VAT) per month, cancellable monthly with one month's notice.
Got a new website on the way? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your plans and your current site. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, no strings attached.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my new website showing up on Google?
Often the test environment's noindex setting is still on, or robots.txt is blocking search engines. Google may also simply need more time. Check in Google Search Console whether your pages are indexed and submit your sitemap.
How long does it take Google to index a new website?
It varies from a few days to a few weeks. You can speed it up by submitting your sitemap and requesting indexing for your most important pages in Google Search Console.
Will I lose my rankings if I launch a new website?
Not if you prepare properly. With redirects from old to new URLs, keeping good content and a technically clean site, any small dip usually recovers quickly. Without redirects, though, the risk is high.
How long should you keep redirects in place?
As long as possible, in practice ideally permanently. Old links on other websites and visitors' bookmarks will still exist. A redirect costs next to nothing and prevents error pages.
