Before launching a WordPress website, review the settings that affect how visitors, search engines, forms, users, and browsers experience the site. Small settings can create big launch problems if they are missed.
Use this checklist before sending traffic to the new site.
General Settings
Go to Settings > General and check:
- Site title
- Tagline
- WordPress address
- Site address
- Admin email address
- Site language
- Time zone
- Date format
- User registration setting
- New user default role
Be careful with the WordPress address and site address fields. Changing them incorrectly can make the site hard to access.
If user registration is turned on, confirm that the site actually needs public accounts.
Reading Settings
Go to Settings > Reading and check what appears on the homepage.
For most small business websites, you may want a static homepage and a separate posts page if the site has a blog.
Also check search engine visibility. If the site was hidden from search engines during development, remove that setting before launch.
Search engines may choose whether to honor the setting, but leaving it enabled can still hurt discovery.
Permalink Settings
Go to Settings > Permalinks and choose the URL structure before launch.
Readable URLs are usually easier for visitors and easier to manage. For example:
yourbusiness.ca/servicesyourbusiness.ca/contact
Changing permalinks after launch can create broken links unless redirects are set up.
Discussion Settings
If the site has blog comments, review moderation settings, comment approval, spam handling, and notification options.
If the site does not need comments, disable them where appropriate. This can reduce spam and admin clutter.
User Accounts
Review Users before launch.
Check:
- Who has administrator access
- Whether old users should be removed
- Whether each person has their own account
- Whether roles match the job
- Whether passwords are strong
Do not give administrator access to someone who only needs to edit content.
Theme and Menus
Check the active theme, navigation menus, footer links, header layout, and mobile menu.
Open the site on a phone and test the menu as a visitor. Make sure the main pages are easy to reach.
Plugins
Review installed plugins.
Remove plugins that are inactive and no longer needed. Update active plugins after taking a backup. Test the site after updates.
Pay extra attention to plugins that affect forms, ecommerce, security, caching, SEO, redirects, or page layouts.
Forms and Notifications
Submit every public form before launch.
Check:
- Contact form recipient
- Confirmation message
- Reply-to address
- Spam protection
- Autoresponder, if used
- Whether submissions are stored anywhere
Forms are one of the easiest launch items to miss because they can look fine while email delivery fails.
SSL and HTTPS
The site should load with https://.
Test:
https://yourbusiness.cahttps://www.yourbusiness.ca
If the site loads but shows warnings, check for mixed content, missing SSL, old image URLs, or redirects that still use http://.
Backups
Take a backup before launch. A WordPress backup should include files and the database.
Also confirm that you know how restore works. A backup is more useful when someone knows where it is stored and how to use it.
Final Launch Test
Before announcing the site, test:
- Homepage
- Main service pages
- Contact page
- Forms
- Mobile navigation
- Footer links
- Search visibility
- SSL
- Page titles
- Analytics or tracking tools, if used
Tech Help Canada’s on-page SEO checklist can help you review page titles, headings, internal links, and page content before launch.
If your launch still needs secure HTTPS, you can explore SSL options through Tech Help Canada Hosting.
I can suggest related Tech Help Canada articles based on the topic you’re reading now.
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