The Pre-Launch Website Checklist: 15 Things to Fix Before You List
Before you submit anywhere, spend an hour on these. They're the difference between a listing that converts and one people bounce from.
Before you submit anywhere, fix the essentials: a clear above-the-fold headline and CTA, fast mobile load, and analytics installed. Then work through the SEO and trust layers, unique meta tags, a social share image, a privacy page, a custom 404, so a live product with a clear CTA beats a perfect page that never ships.
What are the essentials to fix first?
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Clear headline above the fold | Says what it is and who it's for in one line |
| One obvious call to action | Hard to miss, one primary action |
| Fast load | A slow page loses people before they read a word |
| Mobile layout | Most launch traffic is mobile |
| Analytics installed | You can't improve what you can't see |
What's in the SEO and sharing layer?
- Unique page titles and meta descriptions on every page.
- A social share image (Open Graph) so shared links look credible.
- Alt text on meaningful images.
- A sitemap and robots.txt so search engines can crawl you.
- Descriptive, readable URLs.
What's in the trust and polish layer?
- A privacy page (and terms, if you collect data or payments).
- A custom 404 page so broken links don't dump people on a dead end.
- A thank-you or confirmation state after sign-up, so people know it worked.
- A visible way to contact you. Even just an email builds trust.
- A response-time promise if you offer support ("we reply within a day").
Don't let the list paralyze you. Nail the five essentials, launch, then work down the rest. A live product with a clear CTA beats a perfect page that never ships.
What should you do once the checklist is done?
Once the page is ready, the next step is discovery. Line up your free launch channels, and give your product a permanent, indexed listing so the work you just did keeps paying off. List free on LaunchFree.io when the checklist's done.