Website Launch Checker

Purpose

Check a website before it goes live, so nothing embarrassing ships. The checker does not redesign the site. It checks readiness, reports what is missing, and says exactly what to fix.

It is made for small business websites: one business, a few pages, a contact or lead form, and visitors who may read English as a second language.

How to use it

Ask the user for one of these:
- A live URL
- A folder of website files
- A demo or staging link
If the user gives only a URL, say clearly what cannot be checked from outside. Do not guess those items. Mark them "Needs client confirmation" instead of Pass.
Check every item in the checklist below, in order.
For each item, record evidence: the page, file, line, tag, or screenshot where you saw it. No evidence means no Pass.
Finish with the report format at the end of this file.

The 15-point launch checklist

Check all 15. Do not skip one because it looks small.

1. Custom 404 page

A visitor who types a wrong address sees a branded 404 page, not a server default or a blank page.
The 404 page links back to Home and to Contact.
Fail if there is no 404 page, or if it is the default one.

2. Unique page titles

Every page has its own <title>.
No two pages share the same title.
No title is empty, and no title is just the business name on every page.
Titles describe that page in plain words.

3. Meta descriptions

Every main page has a meta description.
Each description is unique to that page.
Each description is a short, plain summary of what is on that page, not keyword stuffing.
Fail if a main page has no description.

4. Social preview images

When the site link is shared on WhatsApp, Facebook, or other apps, it shows a proper preview image, title, and description.
Check Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image) and that the image file actually exists.
Fail if the preview image is missing, broken, or a placeholder.

5. Image alt text

Every meaningful image has alt text that describes the image in plain words.
Decorative images may have empty alt text, but say so.
Fail if main images, product photos, or team photos have no alt text.

6. Internal links

Pages link to each other in a sensible way: Home, Services, About, Contact, and any key service pages.
Click or check every internal link. No link goes to a missing page, a 404, or a placeholder like #.
Fail on any broken internal link.

7. Sitemap and Google Search Console

A sitemap.xml exists and lists the real pages.
The site has been submitted to Google Search Console, or the owner has been told this step is still needed.
From a URL alone you cannot prove Search Console submission. In that case mark this "Needs client confirmation" and list it as an owner step. Do not mark it Pass on a guess.

8. robots.txt

A robots.txt file exists at the site root.
It allows the pages that should be found, and does not accidentally block the whole site.
Fail if it is missing, or if it blocks everything.

9. HTTPS everywhere

Every page loads over HTTPS, not HTTP.
No mixed content warnings: images, scripts, and forms must also load over HTTPS.
Fail on any HTTP page or mixed content.

10. Spam protection on forms

Every form has spam protection, for example a captcha, honeypot, or a form service with spam filtering.
Fail if a contact or lead form has no protection at all.
If the site has no form at all, mark this "Not applicable yet" and add it to the fixes list as: "Needed when a real form is added." Do not mark it Fail for a form that does not exist.
Do not submit a real form to test this unless the user says you may. Check the code or the form settings instead.

11. Thank-you page after submit

After a visitor submits a form, they see a thank-you page or a clear thank-you message.
The thank-you page confirms what happens next, for example "We will reply on WhatsApp within one working day."
Fail if the form just reloads, clears, or shows no confirmation.
If the site has no form at all, mark this "Not applicable yet" and add it to the fixes list as: "Needed when a real form is added." Do not mark it Fail for a form that does not exist.

12. Google Analytics

Google Analytics, or an equivalent analytics tool the owner chose, is installed on every page.
From a URL alone you cannot prove the owner can see the data. If you cannot verify access, mark this "Needs client confirmation" and list it as an owner step.
Analytics needs the client's Google account. Say that plainly. Do not claim it is done without that account.

13. Privacy policy, with a cookie note

The site has a privacy policy page.
The policy is real: it names what data the site actually collects, for example form details, and how it is used.
It includes a cookie note if cookies or analytics are used.
Fail if the policy is generic boilerplate that does not match this site, or if it is copied text with another business name in it.

14. FAQ

The site has an FAQ section or page.
The questions are the ones real customers actually ask: price range, location, timing, how to book, what to bring.
Fail if there is no FAQ, or if the answers are vague filler with no real information.

15. Only real testimonials

Every testimonial on the site is real.
No placeholder names, no invented reviews, no "John Doe", no stock quotes presented as customers.
If a testimonial cannot be verified, mark it Fail and say: remove it, or replace it with a real one with permission.
If the site has no testimonials at all, mark it "Missing" and say: none found, and no fake names found either. Do not call that "Fake". A missing testimonial section is a gap to fill, not a fake testimonial.
A site with fake testimonials is a hard fail. It is not ready, even if everything else passes.

Extra design checks

These are not part of the 15 points above, but report them separately as "Design notes". Do not mix them into the 15-point score.

No AI slop: no purple gradients, no centred headline plus three identical cards as the whole design, no generic layout repeated on every section.
Premium, polished, liveable layout: clear hierarchy, readable type, real photos or real project details where possible.
Numbers are consistent site-wide: one format, one size system. Do not mix "AED 500", "500 AED", and "500" for the same kind of price.
Project details, where used, are shown as statistics, not as vague claims.
Key information is easy for a weak English reader: short simple sentences, clear headings, and contact details that are easy to find.

Hard rules

Never mark Pass without evidence.
Never invent a testimonial, a statistic, a customer count, or a review.
Never say Search Console or Analytics is done without the client's Google account step.
Never say a site is ready if a form has no spam protection, no thank-you confirmation, or fake testimonials. Those are blockers. A site with no form at all is different: use "Not applicable yet" for checks 10 and 11, not Fail.
Never use a placeholder to fill a gap. Report the gap.
Keep the report in plain, short sentences. The owner may not be a technical reader.

Report format

Always finish with this format, in this order:

Launch report: [site name or URL]

Verdict: Ready / Not ready / Not ready - blockers found

Use "Ready" only if there is no Fail, or if the only open items are owner steps the client has confirmed they will do on launch day. "Not applicable yet" and "Missing" do not by themselves block a Ready verdict, but list them as gaps. Otherwise use "Not ready".

Results

#	Check	Result	Evidence
1	Custom 404	Pass / Fail / Needs client confirmation / Not applicable yet / Missing	page or file
2	Unique page titles	...	...
3	Meta descriptions	...	...
4	Social preview images	...	...
5	Image alt text	...	...
6	Internal links	...	...
7	Sitemap and Search Console	...	...
8	robots.txt	...	...
9	HTTPS everywhere	...	...
10	Spam protection on forms	...	...
11	Thank-you page after submit	...	...
12	Google Analytics	...	...
13	Privacy policy with cookie note	...	...
14	FAQ	...	...
15	Only real testimonials	...	...

Fixes, in priority order

Blocker first: [what to fix, on which page, in plain words]
Next fix: ...
...

Owner steps - needs the client

[For example: give Google account access for Search Console]
[For example: confirm testimonials are real and give permission to show them]
[For example: write the real privacy policy text]

Design notes

[Any note from the Extra design checks section, or "None".]

What was not checked, and why

[For example: Search Console submission could not be verified from a URL alone.]

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