Check the essentials and publish

Check the site as a visitor

Open the site in a private browser window so you are not relying on administrator access or cached pages. Read every main page from top to bottom. Confirm that names, prices, dates, addresses, opening hours, and contact details are accurate.

On a phone and a desktop, test:

• the main navigation and logo link;
• buttons and links, including external links;
• headings, paragraphs, lists, images, and long words;
• contact information and maps;
• forms, validation messages, confirmation screens, and delivered email;
• the footer and any legal or policy links.

Use a keyboard to move through interactive elements. Focus should remain visible and follow a sensible order. Images that communicate information need useful alternative text; decorative images should not create noise. Check text zoom and color contrast rather than relying on appearance alone.

Review the technical essentials

Confirm that:

1. every public page uses HTTPS without browser warnings;
2. WordPress core, theme, and plugins are updated;
3. a current backup of files and database exists outside the live site;
4. broken internal links and missing images have been fixed;
5. unwanted sample content, draft pages, and unused administrator accounts are removed;
6. the site is not accidentally hidden behind maintenance mode or password protection.

If you used a staging copy, verify that staging URLs and noindex rules did not move into production unintentionally.

Privacy, forms, and analytics

Explain personal-data handling in a privacy notice appropriate to your location, audience, and tools. Only collect what you need. If a form or analytics tool sets cookies or shares data with another service, understand the consent and disclosure requirements that apply to the site. This guide cannot replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice.

Send test forms to each configured recipient and check spam folders. Decide who will respond and how long messages should be retained.

Search visibility and sitemap

In Settings → Reading, review “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.” It is useful during private development but should normally be off for a public site you want indexed.

Check page titles and descriptions, use one descriptive main heading per page, and make navigation understandable. WordPress provides an XML sitemap at a standard URL on current versions; SEO plugins may replace or extend it. Submit a sitemap through the relevant search-engine tools only after confirming it contains the pages you intend to publish.

Analytics is optional. If you use it, define a small purpose—such as checking which guide pages help visitors—rather than collecting data without a decision attached.

Launch, then maintain

Publish at a time when someone can monitor the site. Check the live domain from another device, test the main action again, and note the launch date. During the first week, watch form delivery, error reports, and visitor questions.

After launch, schedule updates, backups, content review, renewal checks, and occasional accessibility and link checks. A useful website is maintained through small corrections, not preserved unchanged.