5 tips for a smooth launch of your new website 

The heavy lifting is done, your new website is ready to go live. You have a logical structure, a clear design and all the pages are filled with content. But before you press that button, there are a few important things to check. These 5 tips will help you launch smoothly and avoid common mistakes.

1. Set up redirects

If your new website has a different URL structure than your old one, you need to set up 301 redirects. These redirect old URLs to the new ones, so visitors who click on an old link (from Google, a saved bookmark or a backlink) still end up in the right place.

Without proper redirects you will lose SEO value and visitors will land on 404 error pages. Use a tool like Screaming Frog to map all old URLs and create a complete redirect list.

2. Check access and crawlability

Make sure search engines can actually access your new website. Check:

• Is your robots.txt file set up correctly? Is nothing accidentally blocked?
• Is your sitemap.xml submitted to Google Search Console?
• Are all important pages indexable (no "noindex" meta tag)?
• Does your website load without errors?

Also check that your staging environment (test environment) is blocked from search engines. You don't want Google indexing test pages.

3. Check your content

Go through every page one more time:

• Are all texts free of spelling errors?
• Do all links work? (Use a link checker)
• Are all images loaded and do they have an alt tag?
• Are forms working correctly and do submissions arrive?
• Are all page titles and meta descriptions filled in?

Take the time for this — typos and broken links make a bad impression on new visitors.

4. Choose the right moment

Don't launch on a Friday afternoon. If something goes wrong, you want your full team available to fix it. Ideally launch on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning when:

• Your team is fully present
• You still have enough time in the week to fix any issues
• There is no major event or holiday that distracts your target audience

Also communicate the launch date to relevant stakeholders — your sales team, customer service and partners.

5. Test everything thoroughly

Before going live, test on all devices and browsers:

• Desktop (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Mobile (iOS and Android)
• Tablet

Check loading time with Google PageSpeed Insights. A slow website has a negative impact on both user experience and SEO.

Also test all conversion points: contact forms, checkout flows, newsletter sign-ups. The worst thing that can happen is that potential customers can't convert because of a technical issue.

Conclusion

A successful website launch is all about preparation. Take the time to check everything, choose the right moment and make sure your team is ready. With these 5 tips you give your new website the best possible start.

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