Six checks before publishing a website
Six practical checks for a website that is ready to use, not only ready to look at.
A website can look finished and still fail the person using it. These six checks are about whether the site is ready to use, not whether it looks ready. Run them in order, and publish when the last one passes.
1. One page, one clear job
Choose the main action: enquire, book or buy. Then ask whether a visitor can find it without searching. If the page is trying to do three jobs, decide which one comes first.
2. Check every claim
Verify prices, names, links and contact details. Remove invented proof. A polished claim still needs evidence.
3. Use your phone
Read the headings. Open the menu. Tap the main button. Look for clipped text and tiny controls.
4. Go beyond the button
Send a test enquiry. Check the confirmation, then check the receiving inbox. For payments, use the test environment. A thank-you message proves the page accepted the action; it does not prove anyone received it.
5. Review the small details
Use clear page titles, helpful image descriptions and meaningful link text. Make every destination easy to understand.
6. Read it as a visitor
Start from the homepage. Follow the main journey. Fix the point that makes you pause. Then publish deliberately.
A good site works, too. For a durable record of these checks, use the free Website Launch & Handoff Toolkit.