Let’s Get Started: Checklist of Tasks

General WordPress Checklist

This checklist is a sort of catch-all list with things you should double check.

checklist

This article originally appeared at ithemes blog.

  • Remove all Lorem Ipsum text
  • Test your website on all supported browsers.
  • Proofread site copy for grammar and spelling errors
  • All links are working correctly
  • 404 page is created or customized
  • Be sure all required licenses for images, fonts, plugins, etc. are on file
  • Confirm client Gravatars are set up for their email address
  • Change the site tagline
  • Images are correct and have been optimized for the web (resize all large images)
  • Responsive design tested at standard phone & tablet sizes
  • Website favicon is working
  • Header (or company logo) is linked to home page
  • Page load time is 3 seconds or less
  • All external hyperlinks open in a new tab
  • Social Media sharing and links are working
  • All forms are correct and submit to appropriate locations
  • Confirm admin email address is correct
  • Confirm time zone is correct

WordPress SEO Checklist

Don’t skip out on a good SEO strategy for your WordPress site. A website is only as good as its SEO strategy. Well-executed SEO is the difference between 500 and 10,000 daily visitors.

  • Install a WordPress SEO plugin: Yoast is the best.
  • If you’re new to SEO, review this free SEO training and basics of SEO for WordPress.
  • Make sure all pages and posts have a unique title, fewer than 70 characters
  • Make sure all pages and posts have unique meta descriptions, fewer than 156 characters
  • Make sure all pages and posts have fewer than 10 keywords that appear in page copy
  • Build first sitemap and ping search engines
  • Connect Google Analytics
  • Add Google Analytics Tracking ID to iThemes Builder settings
  • Activate Google Analytics Dashboard for WP and add Tracking ID
  • Connect Google and Bing Webmaster tools
  • Confirm permalink settings are not Default for SEO purposes
  • Make sure there is only one <h1> tag and that it contains the page keyword.
  • All images have alt tags with appropriate keywords.
  • Use external and internal links in the content.

WordPress Launch Checklist

Making a launch checklist allows us to offload the job of remembering a ton of tiny details (all those mental “notes”) and free up mental “RAM.”

  • Follow the previous checklists to make sure all setup, development, backup, security, SEO and general tasks have been completed.
  • Turn on Site Visibility in Settings > Reading
  • Check for broken links on links and redirections
  • Make sure default/Lorem Ipsum content has been deleted
  • Confirm contact form is working and notifications are set up
  • Share your site on social media
  • Need Email Marketing, too? Check this link out for recommendations.
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