Launch Checklist

1---
2name: launch-site-checklist
3description: >
4  Run a go-live check on a small business website before launch or after a redesign, and
5  report what passes, what fails and what the owner must do. Use this skill when the user
6  says launch, go live, ship the site, cut over DNS, replace the old site, pre-launch
7  checklist, or "is the site ready". Covers domain and HTTPS, redirects from the old site,
8  forms that deliver, analytics and consent, search basics, speed, accessibility, legal pages
9  and account ownership.
10---
11
12# Launch Checklist: Go Live Without Losing Leads or Rankings
13
14**RULE: Test every path a customer uses to reach the business, on the production domain,
15after DNS points at the new site. A check run on a preview URL proves nothing about launch.**
16
17The most expensive launch bugs are silent: a form that sends to nowhere, a `noindex` left
18from staging, old URLs that now return 404. Each one costs leads for weeks before anyone
19notices. This checklist finds them on day one.
20
21## How to run it
22
231. Work through the sections in order. Run the commands where shown.
242. Mark each item **PASS**, **FAIL** (with the fix) or **OWNER** (needs the owner's access or
25   decision).
263. Fix every FAIL before you call the launch done. Send the OWNER list to the owner.
27
28Set the domain once:
29
30```bash
31SITE=example.com
32```
33
34## 1. Domain and HTTPS
35
36```bash
37curl -sI "http://$SITE"       | grep -iE '^(HTTP|location)'
38curl -sI "http://www.$SITE"   | grep -iE '^(HTTP|location)'
39curl -sI "https://www.$SITE"  | grep -iE '^(HTTP|location)'
40curl -sI "https://$SITE"      | grep -iE '^(HTTP|strict-transport-security)'
41```
42
43- [ ] Every variant reaches **one** canonical origin (apex or www) with one 301/308 hop.
44- [ ] HTTPS works on both apex and www, and the certificate is valid.
45- [ ] `Strict-Transport-Security` is set on the canonical origin.
46- [ ] Email still works after the DNS change: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are unchanged
47  or deliberately moved. A DNS cut-over that drops MX records stops the owner's email.
48
49## 2. Redirects from the old site
50
51Old URLs carry the rankings and the links that other sites point at.
52
53- [ ] Get the old URL list: the old `sitemap.xml`, Search Console's indexed pages, and the top
54  landing pages in analytics for the last 12 months.
55- [ ] Map each old URL to the closest new page with a permanent redirect. Send a URL to the
56  home page only when no equivalent exists.
57- [ ] Check the map:
58
59```bash
60while read -r path; do