Website Launch SEO Checklist: before, at and after launch
Tick off the SEO jobs before, at and after a website launch, each with its Google source or our reason.
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Runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on this device.
Each item says whether it comes from Google's own documentation (with a link) or from our checklist. Google does not guarantee that it will crawl or index any page. For a launch that moves an online shop, also see the Online Shop Launch Checklist.
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About the Website Launch SEO Checklist
Launching a new website, or replacing an old one? Work through the SEO jobs in three groups: before launch (a private test site, HTTPS, one version of your address, titles, mobile pages, alt text, a real 404 and analytics), at launch (remove the blocks, robots.txt, sitemap, Search Console, Business Profile and structured data) and after launch (the Page indexing report, redirects from the old site, speed and backups). Each item says whether it comes from Google's own documentation, with a link, or from our checklist, and links to the tool that does the job. Your ticks stay in your browser.
How it works
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Step 1
Say whether this is a new website or one that replaces an old site, and whether you serve customers in a local area.
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Step 2
Tick each job as you finish it. The do-these-first list and the progress for each group update as you go.
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Step 3
Copy the list as a to-do list for your developer, or print it, and open the linked tools to check each job.
Problems this list helps you avoid
A test site left open to Google, a noindex tag or robots.txt block copied to the live site, old addresses with no redirects, and the same site on both http and https. Google's site move guide asks you to check the robots.txt and noindex blocks used while building the new site, and to redirect each old URL to its new page with a permanent redirect.
Google's rules and our checklist
Items marked "From Google" link to Google Search Central, Search Console Help, Google Business Profile Help or web.dev. Items marked "Our checklist" are good practice we suggest, such as backups and a friendly 404 page. Google does not guarantee that it will crawl or index any page, even when everything here is done.
What this tool cannot do
It does not open or test your website: your ticks are your own record. Use the linked tools, such as the Indexability Checker and the Website SEO Audit, to check your pages. It is not legal advice on consent and privacy: check what the DPDP Act means for your site with your lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Should I block my test site with robots.txt?
Not on its own. Google says robots.txt is not a way to keep a page out of Google: a blocked address can still be indexed if another page links to it. Password protection keeps Googlebot and other crawlers out, and a noindex rule works only when crawlers can reach the page and see it.
When should I submit my sitemap to Google?
On launch day, once the password, noindex and robots.txt blocks are gone. Submit it in the Sitemaps report in Search Console, or add a Sitemap: line with its full address to robots.txt. One sitemap file can list up to 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed.
Which Search Console property should I add?
A Domain property covers every subdomain and both http and https, and is verified with a DNS record that you must keep in place. A URL-prefix property covers one address, such as https://www.example.com/, and can also be verified with an HTML file or tag, Google Analytics or Tag Manager.
How long should I keep redirects from my old website?
Google's site move guide says as long as possible, generally at least one year, so Google can pass the old pages' signals to the new ones. Redirect each old page to its closest new page, not everything to the home page.
How soon will my new website show in Google?
Google gives no date and does not guarantee indexing. You can ask it to crawl important pages with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console; crawling can take from a few days to a few weeks, and asking again does not make it faster.
Sources and checks
Rules last checked
The Website Launch SEO Checklist follows these official pages:
- Control the Content You Share on Search (developers.google.com)
- Site Moves and Migrations (developers.google.com)
- Build and Submit a Sitemap (developers.google.com)
- Add a website or platform property to Search Console (support.google.com)
Each item marked "From Google" links to its own Google page in the checklist; items marked "Our checklist" are our suggestions.
Scores, limits and suggestions marked "our checklist", "our measure" or "our suggestion" are ours, not Google's or the platform's. How our tools work
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