Web Development Checklist
Work through strategy, design, development, SEO, content, and launch, and find what's holding your website back from generating real business.
Discovery & Strategy
- ✓
Define primary business goals for the site (leads, sales, bookings) before any design work starts.
- ✓
Choose your platform (WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Webflow, custom) based on business model, not ease of build.
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Map out page structure and user journey before wireframing.
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Research three to five competitor sites for structure, messaging, and conversion paths.
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Set a measurable conversion goal for every key page.
Design & User Experience
- ✓
Confirm the layout is designed mobile-first, not scaled down from desktop.
- ✓
Place the primary call to action above the fold on every key page.
- ✓
Limit navigation to essential items, avoid overwhelming menus.
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Keep typography and brand colors consistent across every page.
- ✓
Check color contrast and font sizing for accessibility.
- ✓
Get high-fidelity mockups approved before a line of code is written.
Development & Performance
- ✓
Build with clean, lightweight code instead of bloated page-builder output.
- ✓
Test page load speed and target a Google PageSpeed score of 90 or above.
- ✓
Compress and optimize every image before upload.
- ✓
Confirm the site passes Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP).
- ✓
Test responsiveness on real devices, not just browser emulators.
- ✓
Set up SSL, automated backups, and basic security hardening.
SEO & Technical Foundations
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Use clean, descriptive URL structures site-wide.
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Add schema markup for relevant page types.
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Submit an XML sitemap and configure robots.txt correctly.
- ✓
Confirm proper heading hierarchy, one H1 with a logical H2/H3 structure.
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Write unique meta titles and descriptions for every page.
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Connect Google Analytics and Search Console before launch.
Content & Conversion Elements
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Write page copy around visitor needs, not just company history.
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Keep contact information and CTAs visible on every page, not buried in a menu.
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Add trust signals: testimonials, certifications, case studies, or reviews.
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Keep forms short, ask only for what's necessary to follow up.
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Confirm every page has one clear next step for the visitor.
Launch & Post-Launch
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QA every page across major browsers and devices before going live.
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Test all forms and confirm submissions route to the right inbox.
- ✓
Set up 301 redirects for any URLs that changed from an old site.
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Confirm analytics and conversion tracking are firing correctly post-launch.
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Provide CMS training so the client isn't locked out of their own site.
- ✓
Schedule a 30-day and 90-day performance check after launch.
Questions About the Web Development Checklist
It's a free resource that walks through building or auditing a business website, covering discovery and strategy, design and UX, development and performance, SEO and technical foundations, content and conversion elements, and launch and post-launch, to help identify what's holding a site back from generating leads.
It has 6 sections and 34 total checklist points, meant to be run through fully before launching a new site or redesign, then referenced again for any future site update.
It has you define business goals for the site, choose the right platform for your business model, map page structure and user journey, research competitor sites, and set a measurable conversion goal for each key page.
This covers clean code over bloated page builders, page speed targets, image compression, Core Web Vitals, real-device testing, and baseline security like SSL and backups.
It covers URL structure, schema markup, XML sitemaps and robots.txt, proper heading hierarchy, unique meta titles and descriptions, and connecting analytics and Search Console before launch.
Slow sites lose visitors and get penalized in search rankings. A PageSpeed score in the 90s is a reasonable target for most business sites, and it's achievable with clean code and optimized images.
Before. Schema markup, clean URLs, and crawlable structure are far easier to build in from the start than to retrofit on a live site.
Once before any new site launch, then again for any full redesign or platform migration.
Yes, it's offered as a free resource, no strings attached.
The page offers a free strategy call and consultation via the contact form or a Calendly booking link, if you'd rather have someone walk through this list against your actual site.
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