Recently, while launching a website, I was reminded just how important it is to have a go-live checklist. Without one, it’s way too easy to overlook small but critical details.
As you know by now, I preach about consistency in design on a regular basis, and having processes to be consistent in how you work should be no exception.
Today, I want to walk you through 5 things you should always check before making a website live.
1. Check Your Mobile Menu Breakpoint
One of the first things I always double-check is the mobile breakpoint — where your navigation switches to the condensed hamburger menu.
In Google Chrome, you can inspect your site responsively and watch when your navigation starts to break to two lines. Find the pixel width where it starts to overlap, and then set your mobile menu breakpoint just before that happens.
For example, if things start looking rough around 825px, I might set the breakpoint to 850px to give a little extra room. (In GeneratePress, you’ll find this under Customizer > Layout > Primary Navigation.)
Every site will vary depending on how many menu items you have, so always test!
2. Double-Check Search Engine Visibility
This one is super important.
In WordPress, go to Settings > Reading and check the Search Engine Visibility setting (at the bottom).
If “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is checked, your site is telling Google not to list it.
Before you launch, make sure that box is unchecked and click Save Changes — otherwise, people won’t be able to find your site.
3. Remove Dummy Posts and Pages
Fresh WordPress installs often come with dummy content like “Hello World” blog posts and “Sample Page” pages.
Before going live, always double-check your Posts and Pages and either delete or draft any of this dummy content. You don’t want those showing up in search results or giving your site an unfinished feel.
4. Review Your Mobile Menu
Don’t forget to review your mobile menu setup. Make sure:
- Your navigation mirrors the desktop version.
- Social icons (if you have them) are linked correctly.
- Your logo looks good at mobile size.
- The correct menus are assigned to both the Primary and Off-Canvas mobile settings (for GeneratePress).
A huge number of users will visit on mobile — you want their experience to be seamless.
5. Add a Social Share Graphic
This step isn’t required, but it can make a huge difference in how professional your website looks.
A social share graphic is the image that appears when your link is shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky, X (Twitter), and others. If you don’t set one, the platform will usually grab a random image from your page (which often doesn’t look good).
I use the Slim SEO plugin to upload my default social graphics. Recommended sizes are:
- 1200×630 for Facebook
- 1200×600 for Twitter/X
Taking a few minutes to design and upload a custom image really polishes the final presentation when people share your site.
Ready to go live?
These five checks only scratch the surface, but I thought were worth mentioning as ones that may get easily overlooked.
If you don’t already, definitely add these to your checklist!
Talk soon,
