Website launch checklist: 12 checks to run before you publish
Launching a new page or site? These are the twelve on-page checks that most often slip through — the same checks LaunchForge runs when you scan a page. Work through the list manually, or scan an accessible public page and get the results automatically.
Before anything else: can visitors and crawlers reach the page?
1. The page loads with HTTP 200
Why it matters: A page that returns an error or a redirect chain can't be indexed or visited reliably.
How to fix it: Open the exact URL you plan to share and confirm it loads directly, without errors.
2. The site is served over HTTPS
Why it matters: Browsers warn visitors on plain HTTP, and Google prefers secure pages.
How to fix it: Use https:// everywhere and redirect http:// to https://.
What shows up in search results
3. A unique title tag — LaunchForge checks for 10–60 characters
Why it matters: The title is the clickable headline in search results. Too short says nothing; too long gets cut off. The 10–60 range is a LaunchForge heuristic, not a Google requirement.
How to fix it: Write one <title> per page that names the page's topic in plain words.
4. A meta description — LaunchForge checks for 50–155 characters
Why it matters: Google often shows this as the snippet under your title — it's your pitch for the click. The length range is a LaunchForge heuristic, not a Google rule.
How to fix it: Summarise what the page offers in one or two sentences.
5. Exactly one H1 heading
Why it matters: A single clear H1 states the page's main topic to readers. LaunchForge checks for exactly one as a clarity heuristic; Google does not require it.
How to fix it: Keep a single <h1> that matches what the page is about.
Technical basics that are easy to forget
6. Mobile viewport is set
Why it matters: Without it, phones render a shrunken desktop page — and Google indexes mobile-first.
How to fix it: Add <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">.
7. Page language is declared
Why it matters: The html lang attribute supports assistive technologies such as screen readers. Google itself determines a page's language from its visible content, not from the lang attribute.
How to fix it: Set it on the html tag, e.g. <html lang="en">.
8. A canonical URL points at the preferred address
Why it matters: If the same content is reachable at several URLs, the canonical tells Google which one you prefer. It's a signal — Google may still choose a different URL.
How to fix it: Add <link rel="canonical" href="..."> pointing at the page's own preferred URL.
9. Structured data (JSON-LD) matches the page type
Why it matters: Schema.org markup helps Google understand the page. LaunchForge only checks whether a JSON-LD block is present — it does not validate the schema or rich-result eligibility, and schema is optional for simple utility pages.
How to fix it: Add a JSON-LD block that truthfully describes the page.
Content and sharing
10. Social preview tags (Open Graph)
Why it matters: og:title, og:description and og:image shape link previews on platforms that honor them — not every platform does, and they don't affect Google rankings.
How to fix it: Add the three Open Graph tags with the same title and description as the page.
11. Meaningful images have alt text
Why it matters: Alt text is how screen readers and image search understand your images. Purely decorative images can use an empty alt attribute.
How to fix it: Give every meaningful image a short, descriptive alt attribute.
12. Substantial content — LaunchForge checks for at least ~300 words
Why it matters: Thin pages rarely answer a visitor's question. The 300-word threshold is a LaunchForge heuristic, not a Google requirement or a ranking guarantee.
How to fix it: Write enough helpful, original text to actually cover the page's topic.
Keep reading
- What a static HTML scan can and cannot tell you — how coverage and scores work when a page can't be fully observed.
- SEO checklist for Lovable sites — metadata, sitemaps, publishing and Search Console verification.
- Google's SEO starter guide — the official reference these heuristics are based on.
Check a page automatically
LaunchForge runs these twelve checks on accessible public pages over HTTPS and shows what passed, what failed, and how to fix each finding — with the observed evidence for each. When a page can't be fully observed, the affected checks are labelled unavailable instead of failed. No account needed.