I’ve launched over 50 WordPress sites. The ones that went smoothly all had one thing in common: a checklist. The ones that didn’t? Someone forgot to uncheck “Discourage search engines” or left the staging URL hardcoded in the database.
Here’s the 30-point WordPress launch checklist I run through on every project.
Pre-Launch: Foundation (Items 1-10)
- SSL certificate installed and forcing HTTPS on all pages
- WordPress Address and Site Address both set to the production URL
- “Discourage search engines from indexing” unchecked in Settings > Reading
- Staging content removed (test posts, lorem ipsum, sample pages)
- Database search-and-replace for any leftover staging URLs
- Admin username changed from “admin” to something unique
- Strong passwords on every user account
- Two-factor authentication enabled for all admin users
- File permissions set correctly (755 for directories, 644 for files)
- wp-config.php security keys regenerated with fresh salts
Performance and SEO (Items 11-20)
- Caching plugin configured (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache)
- Image compression applied to every upload
- Lazy loading enabled for images below the fold
- Core Web Vitals passing on both mobile and desktop. Google uses these as a ranking signal, and 33% of sites fail the CLS threshold alone. For a deeper breakdown, read our Core Web Vitals guide.
- SEO plugin installed (RankMath or Yoast) with meta titles and descriptions on every page
- XML sitemap generated and submitted to Google Search Console
- Robots.txt reviewed and not blocking critical resources
- Open Graph tags set so social shares display correctly
- Canonical URLs configured to prevent duplicate content
- 301 redirects mapped for any old URLs that are changing. Broken links tank your SEO rankings fast.
Final Checks (Items 21-30)
- Contact forms tested with real submissions
- Email deliverability verified (SMTP plugin, not PHP mail)
- 404 page customized with navigation back to key pages
- Favicon and app icons uploaded
- Google Analytics or Plausible tracking confirmed
- Backup system running with off-site storage
- Security plugin active with login attempt limiting and file monitoring
- Legal pages published (Privacy Policy, Terms, Cookie Notice)
- Mobile navigation tested on actual devices, not just browser DevTools
- Speed test baseline recorded so you can measure drift over time
47% of users expect a page to load in under 2 seconds. If you skip the performance items on this list, you’re handing traffic to competitors before visitors even see your content.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a proper WordPress launch take?
I budget a full day for launch on most projects. The checklist itself takes 2-3 hours, but DNS propagation, SSL provisioning, and cache warming add buffer time. Rushing it leads to the exact mistakes this list exists to prevent.
Should I launch on a Friday?
No. Launch Tuesday through Thursday so you have business days on both sides to catch issues. Weekends and Mondays are the worst times to discover a broken contact form or missing redirect.
What’s the most commonly missed item?
The search engine visibility toggle. I’ve seen sites live for weeks with “Discourage search engines” still checked from staging. One checkbox can make your entire site invisible to Google.
Don’t Launch Without a Safety Net
A checklist keeps you from learning expensive lessons the hard way. If you want a team that runs this process every single time, get in touch and we’ll handle your next WordPress launch from staging to go-live.