Website Launch Checklist for Small Business: Every Step from Domain to Go-Live

Cover of the Website Launch Checklist for Small Business, a free checklist by Frank Deardurff

Free 4-page checklist · every step from domain name to go-live

Most website problems start before the first page is built. A domain registered in the wrong name, a platform you outgrow in a year, a contact form nobody tested. Work through these five phases in order and you’ll avoid the mistakes that cost small businesses time, money and sometimes the whole website.

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The five phases

Do them in order. Each one sets up the next.

Plan

Goal, customer, keywords, pages

Foundation

Domain, hosting, email, logins

Build

Platform and who builds it

Pre-launch

Legal, analytics, testing

Launch

Get found, then the first 30 days

Phase 1: Plan before you spend a dime

A website without a plan is just an expensive brochure. Answer these first.

Define the one main goalCalls, bookings, sales or leads. Every page should move visitors toward it.
Describe your ideal customerWho they are, what problem they have and what they need to hear to trust you.
List 5–10 target keywordsThe words customers actually type into Google, not industry jargon. Add your city if you serve a local area.
Map your pagesStart with Home, About, Services and Contact. Add only what your goal needs.
Decide who writes the contentMissing content is the number one reason website launches stall.
Gather your brand assetsLogo, colors, fonts and real photos of you, your team and your work.

Phase 2: Own the land and the building

Your domain is the address and your hosting is the building. Make sure both are yours outright.

Choose a domain nameShort, easy to spell and easy to say out loud. Get the .com if you can. Just Ask Domains can help.
Register it in the business owner’s nameNot your webmaster’s, not your designer’s, not your nephew’s. Whoever’s name is on it owns it.
Choose your hostingConfirm it includes an SSL certificate, daily backups, email and real human support.
Set up a professional emailyou@yourbusiness.com builds more trust than a free email address on your business card.
Store every login in a password managerRecord the registrar, hosting, email and website admin, plus who has access to each.

Before you go on

Which email did you use to sign up for your domain and hosting? If it ends in your new domain name, read the next section before you go any further.

Don’t lock your keys in the car

This is the mistake I see most. Someone registers a domain, then uses an email on that same domain to sign up for everything else. One failed card or missed renewal and it all falls like dominoes.

1The domain lapses

2Its email stops working

3Password resets go nowhere

4A stranger buys it and gets your resets

The fix

Use an outside email (Gmail, Outlook or another domain) for your registrar and hosting
Make it the recovery email on Google, Facebook and other key accounts
Turn on auto-renew and keep a backup payment method on file
Register for multiple years and turn on the registrar lock
Use an authenticator app for two-factor login, not just email codes

Phase 3: Choose for where you’re going

Pick your platform

Use the comparison below.

Decide who builds it

DIY, a freelancer or done-for-you.

Get it in writing

Cost, timeline, revisions and who owns the site.

	WordPress	Wix / Squarespace	Custom HTML
Best for	Businesses that plan to grow	Very simple sites	One-page or static sites
You own it	Yes, move it to any host	No, it stays on their platform	Yes
Design freedom	Nearly unlimited	Limited to their templates	Unlimited, needs a developer
SEO control	Full	Basic	Full, set by hand
Ongoing cost	Hosting + optional plugins	Monthly fee that rises with features	Hosting only
Upkeep	Updates, or managed hosting handles them	Handled, but you’re locked in	Every change needs a developer

3 questions to ask any webmaster

Will the domain, hosting and site be in my name, with my own logins?
What happens to my site if we stop working together?
Who handles updates, backups and security after launch, and what does it cost?

Phase 4: Check it all before anyone sees it

Add your legal pagesPrivacy policy, terms, and a cookie notice if you use tracking or ads.
Install analyticsSo you can see what’s working from day one.
Cover the SEO basicsA unique title and description per page, alt text on images.
Test on a real phoneMost visitors are on mobile. A resized browser isn’t the same.
Submit every form yourselfConfirm the message lands in the right inbox.
Run a speed testUse Google PageSpeed Insights. Compress large images.
Check the small detailsFavicon, a helpful 404 page and a social share image.
Click every link and buttonMenus, footer, phone numbers and email links included.
Proofread out loudTypos and wrong phone numbers cost trust and customers.

Phase 5: Launch day is the starting line

Connect Google Search ConsoleSubmit your sitemap so Google finds your pages.
Claim your Google Business ProfileLocal customers often see it before your site. Link the two.
Update every listingSocial profiles, directories, email signatures and print.
Confirm backups are runningFind the latest one and know how to restore it.
Set an update schedulePlugins, themes and content need regular attention.
Review analytics at day 30Which pages get visits, and is your main goal being met?

New to Google Business Profile? The free Google Business Profile Playbook walks you through claiming, verifying and setting it up.

Keep it by your desk

Get the free 4-page checklist

All five phases with tick boxes, the domino diagram, the platform comparison and the three questions to ask any webmaster.