Webflow site launch production checklist
Launching a website can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. With Webflow’s powerful, no-code platform, you have the tools to create a stunning, responsive website—without needing a team of developers. But before you hit "publish," it's essential to ensure that everything is optimized and functioning smoothly. To help you with a successful Webflow site launch, we’ve compiled a comprehensive checklist to follow. From design polish to SEO tweaks, let’s make sure your site is ready for the world!
1. Double check design and layout
Before anything else, double-check the design. Consistency and professionalism are key to making a strong first impression.
Check fonts and spacing
Ensure font sizes, styles, and line spacing are consistent across all pages.
Review color schemes
Verify that colors align with your brand guidelines and contrast for readability.
Test across devices
Ensure that your site is responsive and looks great on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Cross-browser testing
Check compatibility on different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
2. Review your site content
Your content is what will engage visitors and guide them through the site. A final review can avoid simple but costly mistakes.
Check spelling and grammar
Run a spell-check or use a proofreading tool to catch any typos.
Update placeholder content
Ensure all temporary or placeholder text is replaced with final copy.
Optimize imagery
Check image sizes to ensure quick load times and proper display. Compress images without losing quality.
Alt-text for images
Every image should have descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO purposes.
3. SEO optimization
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential to ensure your site ranks well on Google and other search engines.
Page titles and meta descriptions
Ensure every page has a unique, relevant title and meta description.
Set up meta tags
Optimize meta tags such as Open Graph (for social sharing).
SEO-friendly URLs
Clean up your URLs to ensure they’re short, descriptive, and easy to understand.
Alt-text for images
Alt attributes help search engines understand what an image is about.
Structured data
Add schema markup to help search engines better understand your content.
4. Check all your forms and interactivity
A broken form or interactive feature can frustrate users and cost you leads. Trust me, we've been there!
Test forms
Submit test forms to ensure they’re functioning properly, sending emails, and storing data.
ReCAPTCHA
Add a reCAPTCHA to prevent spam submissions through your forms. It's actually fairly easy to setup using Webflow in the Site Settings.
Check interactive elements
Test all buttons, hover effects, carousels, and animations.
5. Double check performance scores
Your website needs to load fast and perform well to keep visitors engaged.
Image compression
Use tools like TinyPNG or Webflow's built-in compressor to optimize images. Ideally you only use webp, avif and svg images.
Minify CSS and JavaScript
Make sure you have turned on CSS and JS minify option in Webflow site settings.
Set up lazy loading
Ensure images and videos only load as users scroll, reducing initial page load time. Make sure video preload attribute is set to false.
Page speed test
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site's speed and get suggestions for improvement.
Avoid render blocking resources
Make sure you do not add too many external javascript libraries that is blocking your webpage load.
Use defer whenever possible.
6. Setup analytics and tracking
You need to track how users interact with your site to make informed decisions.
Set up Google Analytics
Make sure Google Analytics is installed and tracking visitors across all pages.
Install Facebook Pixel (if applicable)
If you’re running social media ads, make sure your Facebook Pixel is ready to go.
Set up Google Search Console
Register your site with Google Search Console to track search performance.
Add UTM parameters
Use UTM tracking codes for external links to monitor campaigns.
7. Verify security and accessibility
A secure and accessible website is crucial for user trust and inclusivity.
Enable SSL
Make sure your site is secured with SSL (HTTPS), which boosts SEO and user trust. With Webflow it's usually done by default, however we've seen also Webflow sites with wrong DNS setup that do not have SSL setup correctly.
Set up 301 redirects (if applicable)
If this is not completely new website, ensure all old URLs are redirected to the new ones to avoid broken links.
Review accessibility
Use Webflow’s audit panel or external tools to ensure your site meets accessibility standards (e.g., contrast, screen reader compatibility etc).
8. Review your dynamic content (CMS)
If you’re using Webflow’s CMS, double-check that everything is properly set up for launch.
Test dynamic content
Check if all CMS-driven pages are pulling the correct content.
Check CMS filters
Ensure any filters or categories for blog posts or product pages are functioning properly.
Review CMS collection structure
Confirm that your collection items are well-organized and consistent.
9. Final checks
We’re almost there! A few final checks can prevent last-minute hiccups.
Proof of final updates
Confirm all requested client changes and updates have been made.
Backup your site
Use Webflow’s backup feature to save the latest version of your site.
Test 404 page
Ensure your custom 404 page is working in case of broken links.
10. Post-launch monitoring
Once your site is live, the work doesn’t stop. Continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.
Track performance
Monitor Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see how users are engaging with your site.
Check for bugs
Keep an eye out for any issues that may arise post-launch and fix them quickly.
Test site speed again
Post-launch, check the site’s performance to ensure nothing has slowed down. Most importantly check Page Speed Insights when you have enough data for Core Web Vitals. This will show true user experience and you will see wether you need any improvements.
Update content regularly
Keep your content fresh and relevant to engage visitors and improve SEO.
Wrapping Up
Launching a Webflow website is a big achievement, but ensuring it’s fully optimized and ready to perform is equally important. This checklist helps you cover all your bases—from design and SEO to security and performance — so that you can confidently hit "publish."
Follow this checklist, and you’ll have a website that not only looks stunning but also functions smoothly, ranks well on search engines, and offers a seamless experience for your visitors. Happy launching!
