Website relaunch
Website relaunch. Our checklist.
Is the big day just around the corner? This checklist will ensure your relaunch is a success. We use it to check all the key points both before and after going live – for websites and online shops alike. And we’re increasingly relying on AI to do so.
An overview of the checklist
01
Before the relaunch
Presentation, Technology, Data Protection, Performance, SEO, Conversion
02
Following the relaunch
All checks again – plus testing in the live system
03
For online shops
Data migration, purchasing process, order processing
04
Checks using AI
Faster, more thorough, covering all pages rather than just a sample
Definition relaunch
If a website has already been modernised, it is referred to as a Relaunch. But even if there wasn’t a website before, most of the points on the checklist still apply and should be checked before going live. Are you just starting out? Then our Model for tender documents.
01 / Why a checklist?
Unnecessary mistakes during the relaunch avoid.
As Agency for WordPress We have already published several hundred websites.
With our Checklist we check before and after the live walk all important aspects to avoid avoidable mistakes through the website relaunch. For us, the checklist is part of a professional approach. We recommend that our customers and clients test these points for themselves as well.
This is what the checklist prevents
- Optical display errors
- Functional errors
- Gaps in data protection
- Slow loading times
- Low search engine optimisation
- Risk of a lower Conversion rate
Hint: The following checklist has been drawn up for a website relaunch using WordPress. For an online shop, e.g. using WooCommerce, the checklist is a little more extensive. You can find the additional checks here.
02 / Before the go-live
Testing prior to the relaunch. In six areas.
The website relaunch is just round the corner. The content has been transferred and the agency (or the in-house IT team) has declared the website ready to go live.
Now is the right time to go through everything systematically – before visitors and Google get to see the new page.
Note
The right time for a relaunch
No matter how long it has taken, the day will eventually come when the old website is replaced by the new one. There are a few important things to bear in mind when choosing the right time. Very important: the relaunch should never take place on a Friday or before public holidays. It’s better to do it at the start of the week, as this leaves enough time to fix any undetected errors. If the predicted downtime is long and the website’s availability is critical, we recommend going live very early in the morning.
Visual representation
We test the relevant page types and elements, such as menus and forms, using various
- Browsers (at least Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
- Window sizes (responsive behaviour)
- Devices: desktop computers from 11 to 24 inches, tablets and smartphones
- Operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)
Technical role
- Do the forms work (sending, receiving)?
- Is the anti-spam protection on forms enabled?
- Are the active WordPress plugins and is the theme up to date?
- Are there any deactivated plugins installed?
- Is only a standard theme (fallback theme) installed?
- Is the PHP version up to date?
- Have all the demo pages and demo posts been deleted?
Data Protection (GDPR)
- Has an SSL certificate been installed, and are all URLs redirected from http to https?
- Are all cookies listed in the cookie consent tool?
- Are only essential cookies stored until the visitor gives their consent?
- Are scripts, such as those for Google Maps or YouTube, only loaded once consent has been given?
- Are Google Fonts loaded locally?
- Are no further scripts loaded without consent?
- Is the privacy policy linked to and complete?
Performance
Even though the website is not yet running on the production environment, we are checking:
- Is a caching plugin active and configured?
- Are the images compressed?
- Is the page speed in Lighthouse, e.g. via pagespeed.web.dev, within the safe range?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Have the 301 redirects been set up?
- Has an SEO plugin been installed and set up?
- Have the title tags and meta descriptions been copied over or adjusted correctly?
- Is the sitemap.xml file present and accessible?
- Are the headings (at least H1–H3) correctly marked up?
Conversion rate
- Are all the email addresses and telephone numbers correct?
- Are they stored as links?
- Has the tracking been installed correctly?
For visual inspection: Online services such as browserstack.com simulate the combination of browser, device and operating system. However, in our experience, the simulation not always 100 % That’s true, and there’s no substitute for a proper test covering the most important combinations. On top of that, there are different versions of browsers and operating systems – which means the possible combinations become very numerous.
03 / After the go-live
Review following the relaunch. In the live system.
Once the website has gone live, all the checks listed above should be carried out again.
This is particularly true if the development environment has previously on another server was. In addition, the following checks are advisable in the live system.
Tip
Identifying missing 301 redirects
Enter site:your-domain.de into Google Search. The results will show only those relating to your existing website. Click on 5–10 links at random. Are the new pages displayed correctly everywhere, or do many links lead to a 404 error? If you see a 404 page, the redirects have not been set up correctly – in which case you should take urgent action to avoid losing valuable visibility.
Additional checks in the live system
- Is the website indexable by search engines?
- Are all 301 redirects correct (see tip)?
- Are all emails, e.g. those sent via the contact form, being sent?
- Does the registration process work, for example, for the newsletter?
- Are there any errors in Search Console (Core Web Vitals)? It usually takes 2–3 days for these to appear.
- Is the spam protection adequate?
04 / For online shops
Additional checks, when an online shop goes live.
When relaunching a shop, for example using WooCommerce, there are three further areas in addition to the website checks.
This is all about data, money and orders – mistakes are quickly spotted and directly cost you revenue.
Note
Seamless data migration
When relaunching a shop, it is important to ensure that no data gaps arise. However, closing any such gaps is not entirely straightforward. Shortly before the relaunch, the current data from the live shop must therefore be migrated to the development environment. To ensure that no new discrepancies arise between the live and development environments, the live shop must be switched to maintenance mode from this point onwards.
Data migration
- Is all the data – such as orders, customers, vouchers and products – complete?
- Are the order numbers sequential?
- Are the countries and delivery options listed correctly?
- Is the VAT rate set correctly for all countries?
Purchasing process
- Have all the required payment methods been set up correctly? (Place some test orders)
- Are old and new vouchers taken into account correctly?
- Are the attachments (Terms and Conditions, Cancellation Policy) included correctly?
Order processing
- Can the order be processed further, even in other systems?
- Can parcel labels be printed – even for different delivery companies?
- Does the refund work, for example, if I cancel?
05 / Checks using AI
Check more in less time. With AI.
Until now, many items on the checklist have been done entirely by hand: clicking through pages, comparing screenshots, and cross-checking lists of URLs. Today, artificial intelligence handles a large part of this work.
AI agents navigate the website just like a real visitor, comparing the old and new versions page by page and identifying anomalies that are easily overlooked during manual testing. This makes it possible to all pages rather than just a sample Test – before and after the go-live.
Important
AI complements the test – it does not replace it
AI identifies a large number of potential errors very quickly. We then assess for ourselves whether a finding actually constitutes a problem. Test orders, payment methods and final approval therefore remain in human hands. Furthermore, personal data – for example, from forms or orders – should only be processed by AI tools where a suitable data processing agreement is in place.
Visual comparison
- Automatic screenshots of all pages in a range of window sizes
- AI detects misaligned elements, overlaps and truncated text
- Comparison of the old and new websites: Is any content or any images missing?
Functional tests using AI agents
- Agents fill in forms and submit them
- Menus, pop-ups and links are clicked through
- For online shops: shopping basket and checkout up to the point just before payment
- Analysis of error logs and the browser console
Content and texts
- Spelling and grammar on every page
- Forgotten placeholders such as „Lorem ipsum“ or demo text
- Out-of-date information, e.g. prices, addresses or opening hours
- Missing or meaningless alt text for images
SEO and redirects
- AI matches old URLs to the corresponding new pages – as a suggestion for 301 redirects
- Checking title tags, meta descriptions and headings
- Duplicate or very similar content
Data Protection and Accessibility
- Which services are loaded before cookie consent is given?
- Contrast, keyboard navigation and form labels
- Guidance on a accessible website in accordance with the BFSG
Visibility in AI search
New on the checklist – as more and more visitors are coming via ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google’s AI summaries:
- Are AI crawlers allowed to read the website (robots.txt)?
- Has structured data (Schema.org) been implemented?
- Is the content still readable without JavaScript?
06 / Get some no-obligation advice
Is your website relaunch just around the corner? We check beforehand.
We’d be happy to review your website or online shop before it goes live – using this very checklist.
Our relaunch checklist
- Display on all devices and browsers
- Forms and technical features
- Data Protection under the GDPR
- Loading time and performance
- SEO and 301 redirects
- For shops: data, purchasing process, orders
- In addition: AI-powered checks of all pages
The next step is a meeting.
Your new look. Let’s get started.
Do you already have a specific idea? Or do you simply feel that your website could do more? Tell us about it.
No obligation · personalised · direct
Tobias Ebert
Managing Director · laOlaWeb