Launching a new website should feel exciting — not stressful.
But even beautifully designed sites can fail on day one if they aren’t technically ready.
A pre-launch technical audit is how you make sure that doesn’t happen.
It’s the checklist that protects your team from broken redirects, lost SEO value, performance issues, accessibility failures, and unexpected downtime.
Below is the same audit process we use for every client launch.
1. Verify hosting, DNS, and SSL are configured correctly
Most launch issues happen before the site ever loads.
Confirm:
- your DNS records are correct and propagating
- the A/AAAA/CNAME records point to the right environment
- Cloudflare or your CDN is connected properly
- SSL certificates are active and auto-renew
- HSTS is configured
- redirects are planned and documented
If your hosting or DNS is misconfigured, everything that follows breaks by default.
2. Check for server-level caching conflicts
Before going live, confirm:
- object caching works
- page caching rules are correct
- logged-in users are excluded
- no-cache headers aren’t being added by plugins
- Cloudflare cache settings are correct
- WooCommerce or membership areas aren’t being cached
If you skip this step, your “launch day bug” is usually a cache issue, not a real problem.
3. Validate Core Web Vitals on real devices
Page builder previews are not performance tests.
Check:
- LCP stays stable on mobile
- CLS doesn’t shift during hero loads
- INP remains within Google’s threshold
- fonts load efficiently
- critical CSS is working
- images use modern formats and proper dimensions
If you wait until after launch to fix performance, you’re already losing SEO ground.
4. Run a full accessibility pass
Accessibility isn’t optional — and regressions often happen at the end of a build.
Check:
- heading hierarchy
- proper labeling
- alt text on all media
- keyboard navigation
- focus states
- color contrast
- ARIA roles
Even small issues (like missing labels or duplicate IDs) can harm both usability and SEO.
5. Validate the URL structure and redirects
This is one of the most important parts of a pre-launch audit.
Confirm:
- canonical URLs are correct
- trailing slash rules are consistent
- all internal links point to final URLs
- slugs match the new structure
- existing URLs have 301 redirects
- redirect chains are eliminated
- no 404s exist in your main navigation or footer
A sloppy URL launch can wipe out years of SEO value in minutes.
6. Review metadata, schema, and sitemap behavior
Before launch:
- titles and descriptions should follow consistent patterns
- JSON-LD must be valid
- canonical tags must point to canonical URLs
- Open Graph images should be tested
- sitemap should include all public URLs
- the sitemap index should be reachable
- robots.txt should allow crawling on live
If your metadata is inconsistent, search engines get confused — and rankings suffer.
7. Test all critical user workflows
Your site should behave exactly as expected before you go live.
Test:
- forms (contact, quote, lead gen, newsletter)
- search or filtering
- checkout (for ecommerce)
- login/register flows
- gated content
- API integrations
- CRM or marketing automations
If something needs to be fixed after launch, it should be because of new business requirements — not because something critical was missed.
8. Validate WordPress settings and plugin configurations
Often overlooked but extremely important.
Check:
- permalinks
- timezone
- media upload sizes
- discussion settings
- plugin licenses
- security plugins
- SMTP configuration
- backup schedules
- cron health
A missing license key can silently break your page builder; a misconfigured SMTP can tank your lead volume.
9. Back up the staging site before promoting to live
Before flipping any switches:
- take a full file + database backup
- confirm backup restoration works
- confirm your rollback plan
- document the final state
If anything goes wrong during launch, you should be able to revert in minutes — not hours.
What to do next
A pre-launch audit isn’t just a checklist — it’s risk management.
When done correctly, it ensures your new site launches:
- without downtime
- without SEO losses
- without performance surprises
- without broken user flows
The goal is simple:
Your launch should feel smooth, predictable, and uneventful — exactly the way a professional launch should feel.