26+1 tips to check when taking over a finished website
With acceptance, the hours of our ant-like work on creating the website come to an end. We are now handing over the final result to you, the client. How can you be sure that everything is in order? We have compiled a list of things you should check before taking over the website.
A significant milestone for any project: the website is finally completed and ready for launch! The last step is its official handover. To ensure satisfaction on both sides, we recommend clients check a few things.
Grab a pencil and check off with us:
1. Check your redirects
This applies to products, categories, and all pages. In the case of an e-shop, also consider mandatory pages – such as terms and conditions. Historical redirects created on the original website should now be transferred and set up. We perform redirects via HTTP 301.
2. Verify the connection to the inventory and invoicing system
Conduct a quick check to ensure the connection is functioning properly.
3. Is the website follow and index allowed?
During the development of each page, we always set the noindex directive for search engines. After launch, however, visibility in search engines is desirable.
4. Verify the presence of all XML feeds, sitemap, and robots.txt file
The website should have a robots.txt file that provides instructions to web crawlers and bots. Additionally, it should include a link to the sitemap.xml file to help search engines find it.
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5. Verify the submission of the sitemap to Search Console and Seznam
The new sitemap.xml file, which provides search engines with information about your pages, needs to be submitted to Google Search Console. It is also advisable to submit it for reindexing to Seznam.
6. Update all website content
You need to check the quality of the content transferred from the old website. Is it current? Are the conveyed messages outdated? We often see on other newly launched websites that the original text is simply copied blindly. However, there is no room left for subsequent revision.
7. Gather feedback from users
Do visitors like the new website? Is everything working as it should? Are there any features missing during the purchase, or is something even deterring them? Find out in the first few months how visitors to your site behave and how they perceive the new website or e-shop. Tools like Hotjar can help analyze visitor behavior.
8. Change the URL
Update your URL everywhere you previously used the old one: in advertising campaigns, in email signatures, or in your company profile on various portals.
9. Check pagination
Are you using pagination on your website or e-shop? Then also check if all other pages are correctly canonicalized to the first page.
10. Ensure proper implementation of language versions
If you are using language versions, it is necessary to verify their correct implementation. Also, consider translating all URLs. Additionally, make sure that the correct currency is displayed in your e-commerce tracking.
11. Verify event tracking
If you are accustomed to using events in Google Analytics – that is, custom measurements of user interactions – verify its correct implementation on the new website as well. Use a similar approach for e-commerce tracking.
12. Is the reverse charge application working correctly?
If you manage an e-shop that allows purchases from abroad, also check whether the reverse charge (0% VAT) is being applied correctly.
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13. Check the favicon
Make sure the favicon image is displayed. You can quickly check this using a Favicon generator.
14. Verify website accessibility on mobile phones and tablets
Take a moment, grab your mobile phone, and navigate through the entire website. This will easily reveal any responsiveness issues.
15. Ensure using tools as well
In addition to manually navigating the website, we recommend checking with Google Page Speed and Google Mobile Friendly tools. They may uncover issues that you might not have noticed.
16. Setting up heading structure
Verify that the H1–6 heading structure is correctly set on the main pages.
17. Check landing pages
Did your old website use different landing pages for various keywords and campaigns? Check if both have been preserved and are correctly redirected to the new pages?
18. Test the accuracy of microdata
If you use microdata on your website, remember to check them as well – ensure they are used correctly. A tool that makes this easier is called Google Structured Data.
19. Ensure metadata is filled out
If there is no SEO requirement agreed upon with the client, we usually set metadata to automatically generate titles and descriptions. Otherwise, verify that the meta title and meta description are filled out.
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20. Do you have compressed photos?
Check the size of all the photos you have or want to have on the website. If their size is too large (around 0.5 MB and above), compress them. Otherwise, you risk significant page slowdown. It's hard to believe, but we even encounter header images that are as large as 30 MB.
21. Test the functionality of buttons and forms
Do the buttons lead where they should? Can the forms be submitted? Make sure everything works.
22. Check access permissions
Recall who has access to the new website and with what permissions.
23. Do you want the website with www or without?
Don't forget to check whether the URL of the page includes www or not. It depends on your preferences.
24. Trailing slash
Again, you have a choice – the URL can end with a slash or without it (for example www.puxdesign.cz/)
25. HTTP or HTTPS?
A similar case is the choice between the HTTP protocol or the encrypted HTTPS. Here, however, our advice is clear – always choose the HTTPS protocol for secure communication.
26. Check all mandatory information
Ensure that you have correctly filled out the terms and conditions (if you are selling), privacy policy (if you process personal data), company identification number, tax identification number, and information about registration in the commercial register. All this information is mandatory. You should also provide a phone number and email address. Remember, you are responsible for the content of your website.
27. Postpone Friday work to Monday
And finally, one more recommendation – never plan the launch of a website or e-shop for Friday. Instead, let it sit for another two days and launch it ceremoniously on Monday. If any problems arise (and believe me, there are almost always some), it will be difficult to get a quick resolution over the weekend.
Do you have any other tips on what to check before accepting the new completed website? Write to us at info@puxdesign.cz and we will add them.
