Launching a new website can be exciting—but it’s easy to overlook key details that affect how your site performs, looks, or even gets found in search engines. I recently launched a site and was reminded how critical a launch checklist really is.
Here are five important things to check before your website goes live.
1. Double-Check the Mobile Breakpoint
One of the first things I always check is the mobile breakpoint. This ensures your navigation doesn’t break or wrap awkwardly on smaller screens.
How to Check:
- Open your site in Google Chrome, right-click anywhere, and choose Inspect.
- Click the responsive toggle icon and make sure the dropdown at the top is set to Responsive.
- Resize the window and look for where your nav starts to overlap or wrap—note the pixel width.
- In GeneratePress, go to Customizer > Layout > Primary Navigation and set your Mobile Menu Breakpointjust before that overlap begins.
For example, if your nav starts breaking at 823px, set your breakpoint to something like 850px for a clean transition.
Keep in mind: The more items in your menu, the larger this breakpoint will need to be.
2. Uncheck “Discourage Search Engines” Setting
This one’s critical. Go to Settings > Reading in WordPress and make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked.
If left on, WordPress will insert a tag that tells search engines not to show your site in results. Make sure to uncheck and save changes before launch.
3. Remove Dummy Posts and Pages
A fresh WordPress install often includes placeholder content like:
- The “Hello World” blog post
- A “Sample Page”
Before going live, always check your Posts and Pages and delete or draft anything you’re not actually using.
You don’t want these dummy pages showing up in search results or confusing your visitors.
4. Check Your Mobile Menu
Your desktop nav may look great, but don’t forget to inspect your mobile menu too.
In GeneratePress, I like to use an off-canvas mobile menu that includes:
- A logo
- Social icons
- Navigation links
Make sure:
- The menu matches your desktop structure
- All links (including social) are correct
- The right menu is assigned to Primary and Off-Canvas under Appearance > Menus
Many users will access your site from a phone—don’t skip this step.
5. Add a Social Share Graphic
When someone shares your site on social media, what image appears?
If you don’t define one, platforms will often grab the first image on your page—like your logo or a random thumbnail—which can look messy.
What to Do:
- Create a clean, branded image to use as your default social share graphic
- Use a plugin like Slim SEO
- Under the Social tab, upload your image:
- Facebook: 1200×630
- Twitter (X): 1200×600
This image will show on platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, BlueSky, and LinkedIn when your site link is shared.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the core things I make sure to check before launching a new site. They affect how your website looks, performs, and gets discovered. Make sure these five items are part of your launch checklist.
