WordPress Website Design Checklist
A practical pre-publish checklist for new websites.
Content
Check every headline, link, contact detail, image description and call to action.
Mobile and accessibility
Test keyboard navigation, visible focus, text contrast, zoom and common mobile screen sizes.
Technical basics
Verify HTTPS, backups, updates, metadata, canonical URLs and crawl settings.
Forms and transactions
Submit a test form and, if relevant, run a safe test purchase. Confirm messages reach the intended inbox.
Launch and monitor
Check live pages after deployment, connect Search Console and revisit issues reported by visitors.
Run a release rehearsal
On a staging site, open every primary navigation link, submit forms, inspect mobile layouts and confirm that your backup can be restored. Test the site as a visitor rather than only as a logged-in administrator.
After publishing
Check canonical URLs, robots rules, sitemap reachability and analytics consent where applicable. Review real user feedback and Search Console coverage instead of assuming deployment guarantees indexing.
Before you make a decision
- Read the section on content and note how it applies to your own website.
- Read the section on mobile and accessibility and note how it applies to your own website.
- Read the section on technical basics and note how it applies to your own website.
- Verify current product features and terms with the relevant vendor before making a purchase or changing a live website.
- Test a representative page or workflow on staging and keep a recoverable backup when changes could affect an existing site.