15 Essential Checks Before Launching Your Website

In this article, we are creating a checklist of all the basic but essential tasks which should be done and tested before launching any new website.

1. Loading time. It should be optimal. Check everything from video, flash, image to html, css, javascript.

2. Favicon. It shows on the left side of the url in browser window. It plays a important role in branding. Code for favicon:    <link rel=”icon” href=”/favicon.ico” />

3. Website Title. It’s the first thing that shows on the top of a browser window. It is important from SEO point of view also. Code for Title:    <title>This Is My Website Title</title>

4. Meta tags. Search engines take their data from meta tags. So they play a crucial role in SEO. Code for Meta tags:   <meta name=”description” content=”this is my meta description” />

5. Proofread all the content. Always double check the content. Make sure that everything is correct including spelling, grammar and punctuation.

6. Links. You can use this http://validator.w3.org/checklink to check if your website has any broken link.

7. Forms. Test contact/order or any other form(s) you have on the website. User should get proper feedback upon successful/failed submission of the form.

8. Email Address. All the email addresses provided within the site must be created already.

9. Copyright statement. Always double check the copyright statement.

10. Analytics. To measure success of your website and to see if it is meeting the expected goal, check the detailed behavior of users. It is mandatory to have some analytical application installed on the website.  Common analytics tool are google analytics, Clicky, Mint and stat counter.

11. Sitemap. This helps a lot from SEO point of view.  You should also submit the sitemap to Yahoo,Google and MSN/Bing. Sitemap also helps a user find the right page.

12. W3C validation. To make standard compliant website, I always validate my markup and CSS on w3C.
http://validator.w3.org/ – Validating markup
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ – Validating CSS

13. Cross browser compatibility. Just to ensure that website is accessible across all major browsers I check my websites on Internet explorer 6/7/8, Firefox, Safari, Opera and chrome.

14. Cross operating system compatibility. I always check my website on Mac, linux and windows.

15. Downtime & Server Speed. Downtime and slow server speed not only adversely effect the search engine ranking but also create a negative impact on visitors. Investment in fast and reliable hosting is always worthwhile.



SEO Expert India

SEO Expert having expertise in consultation, execution and maintenance of web & SEO services providing online success to businesses across the globe.

Starting from domain booking, website hosting to website designing, search engine optimization/search engine marketing/social media optimization (SEO/SEM/SMO) to search engine submission & web stats analysis.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important website marketing scheme that enables a web site to appear in the top search results of search engines, whenever a user types a keyword related to the website. It has been found that generally web users take their results from the first two or three pages of search engine listings therefore it will be wise to have your web site optimized for search engines in such a way that it appears in first 10-30 results, that’s the basic idea behind Search Engine Optimization i.e. SEO.
In other words Search engine optimization (SEO) is termed as the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it “ranks”, the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

The term “Search Engine Marketing” was proposed by Danny Sullivan in 2001 to cover the spectrum of activities involved in performing SEO, managing paid listings (PPC) at the search engines, submitting sites to directories, and developing online marketing strategies for businesses, organizations, and individuals.
Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is a form of Internet Marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in the Search Engine result pages (SERPs). According to SEMPO – Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, SEM services include: Search Engine Optimization (or SEO), paid placement, and paid inclusion. Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM Services as the practice of buying paid search listings with the goal of obtaining better free search listings.