At launch, attention goes to design, copy and making everything work, and SEO often ends up at the bottom of the list. But some mistakes made at exactly that moment stay invisible for weeks and cost traffic before you’ve even started. This SEO checklist is meant to be followed in order, before and after putting a site online.
Before launch
- No noindex and no full block During development the site is often hidden from search engines: on WordPress with the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” option, elsewhere with a
noindextag or withDisallow: /in robots.txt. Remove them before publishing. - Unique titles and meta descriptions Don’t leave the theme’s or CMS’s default values: write text on purpose for every important page.
- Headings in order One H1 per page, then H2 and H3 in logical sequence, with no skipped levels.
- Alt text on images Descriptive of what they show, not “image1.jpg”.
- Readable URLs No numeric IDs or cryptic parameters on your main pages.
On launch day
- robots.txt in production The test environment and the live one can be configured differently: open
yoursite.com/robots.txtright after publishing. - Sitemap in Search Console Add the site and submit the XML sitemap: Google discovers pages faster.
- HTTPS on every page A partly configured certificate leaves some pages on HTTP. Check that every
http://address leads to thehttps://version. - 301 redirects, if you’re migrating Every important old address must lead to its matching new one, not to a 404 page.
In the first week
- Lighthouse on mobile Spot major speed problems right away, when they’re easiest to fix. Real visitor data arrives after a few weeks of traffic.
- Structured data Check it with Google’s Rich Results Test: it should be read without errors.
- Coverage in Search Console In the Pages report, check how many pages Google has indexed and why it excluded the others.
For the details of each check, read our guides to the robots.txt file, on-page SEO mistakes, the Lighthouse score and structured data.
FAQ
How long before launch should I start the checklist?
During development: titles, meta descriptions, heading structure and alt text are much easier to fix before the site is online and indexed.
Leave for launch day only what depends on the published site, such as robots.txt in production, the sitemap and HTTPS.
What do I do if I find a mistake weeks after launch?
Fix it and republish: in most cases the only cost is the time during which Google saw the worse version of the site.
Technical mistakes of this kind don’t usually lead to a permanent penalty. After the fix, submit the sitemap again and request indexing of your main pages in Search Console.
Do I need to redo the checklist for every change to the site?
No: it’s meant for a launch or a major migration. For minor changes, targeted checks on the pages you touched are enough.
If you change theme, platform or URL structure, treat it as a small migration and go through at least the launch-day checks again.
How long does Google take to index a new site?
From a few days to a few weeks, with no guarantees. There is no fixed time.
A sitemap, Search Console, internal links between pages and a few links from other sites speed up discovery. With the URL Inspection tool you can request indexing of your main pages, but daily requests are limited.
What should I do if I change domain?
Redirect every old address to the new one with a 301 redirect and use Search Console’s Change of Address tool.
Keep the redirects in place for at least a year and update your sitemap and internal links so they all point to the new domain.
This article is for informational purposes. SEO results depend on many factors and timelines vary by site.