Website launch checklist for small businesses

Use this website launch checklist whether you build your website yourself, hire someone or work with us. Tick each item off as you go; anything you cannot tick is worth a second look before customers see the site. Our content worksheet helps with the first section.

Before you start: gather your details

• Your business name, exactly as customers know it, and your logo if you have one.
• A one-sentence description of what you do, in your customers' words.
• The list of services you want customers to hire you for, with a sentence or two on each.
• The towns or neighborhoods you serve.
• Your hours, including how you handle evenings, weekends and emergencies.
• Your phone number, email address and how you prefer to be contacted.
• Photos of your own work, vehicles or team, in the largest size you have.
• Licences and insurance you hold, if you want to mention them.
• Links to reviews customers left for you on Google or another review site.
• Your domain name, registered in your own name, and the login for your registrar account.

Before launch: check every page

• Open the site on a phone. Can you tell what the business does, where it works and how to call, without scrolling?
• Tap the phone number. Does it start a call to the right number?
• Tap the email address. Does it open a message to the right address?
• Read every page out loud once. Fix anything that sounds unlike you, and every typo.
• Check every link and every button, on a phone and on a computer.
• Check that every photo loads and looks sharp, and that each one has a short description (alt text).
• Look at the browser tab: does each page have its own clear title?
• Make sure the address starts with https and shows no security warning.
• Remove placeholder text, sample photos and pages you do not need.
• Confirm that every claim on the site is true today: prices, hours, licences and service area.

Launch week

• Add the website address to your Google Business Profile, invoices, vehicles and email signature.
• Ask a friend or a regular customer to look the site over on their phone and tell you what is confusing.
• Search for your business name and check how the result looks.
• Note a date to review the site again in three months.

Every few months

• Update hours, holiday closures and services.
• Add a few new photos of recent work.
• Check that the phone link, email link and any forms still work.
• Make sure your domain is set to renew and your contact details at the registrar are current.

Want the whole list handled for you? Every Sites by Digit plan includes the technical checks, hosting and upkeep: see our plans and pricing.