A practical checklist for service businesses

Website launch & inquiry delivery checklist

A website is ready when customers can understand your offer, use it on their phone, and reach a real person. Work through these checks before launch—and after changes to your contact form or hosting.

Start with the contact form. A successful submission is only the first step. Confirm that the message arrives in the intended inbox and that someone can reply.

Tick each item as you verify it. Progress stays in this browser when local storage is available; the checklist sends no form entries. You can also print it or save it as a PDF.

Checklist progress

0 of 19 checks complete

01Make the next step clear

A visitor can explain what you do after reading the first screen.Name the service, who it helps, and where you work. Replace vague promises with a specific outcome you can support.
Your proof is real and easy to check.Use relevant work, accurate client credits, and permissioned testimonials. Check that project descriptions match what you actually delivered.
Each main service page has an obvious next step.Open the contact or booking link from that page. Make the destination match the offer and explain what happens after an inquiry.

02Use the website like a customer

The important pages work on a real phone.Read the home, service, work, and contact pages in portrait and landscape. Check small text, clipped content, buttons, and loading images.
Navigation stays available and works with a keyboard.Open and close the mobile menu. Tab through links and buttons. Check that focus is visible and section links land below the pinned header.
Form fields have clear labels and useful error messages.Do not rely on placeholder text alone. Leave required fields empty, then correct them. Confirm that your message remains available after an error.

03Prove that inquiries reach a person

You know the destination inbox and who monitors it.Confirm delivery addresses privately with the website owner. Use a contact form instead of publishing the business email in page text or source.
A clearly labeled test reaches the actual business inbox.Agree on the test with the inbox owner. Submit “TEST ONLY — website delivery verification” with a unique reference. A thank-you screen alone does not prove email delivery.
The recipient confirms receipt and can reply.Check inbox and spam folders. Match the reference, inspect the full message, and verify that replying reaches the test sender. Record the result privately.
Failed submissions give visitors a useful way forward.Ask your provider how delivery failures are logged and detected. Check that errors do not expose private addresses or technical details. Avoid repeatedly submitting the same inquiry.
Tests and spam are kept out of genuine lead counts.Record each test reference. Reconcile accepted submissions, delivered inquiries, and qualified leads separately; they are different stages.

04Help people and search engines find the right pages

Each important page has a clear, distinct title.Use the service or topic people will recognize. Make headings and page descriptions accurately describe the content; avoid lists of repeated place names.
Your preferred address and moved pages work consistently.Check HTTPS, the preferred www or non-www address, and important old links. Each old page should lead to the relevant replacement, and missing pages should give a helpful error.
Important pages are linked from the site and can be indexed.Have your provider check for accidental search blocking, correct canonical URLs, and an up-to-date sitemap. A sitemap helps discovery; it does not guarantee indexing or ranking.
Business profiles match the website.Check your business name, service area, website address, and contact route on the profiles customers actually use. Keep a private home address hidden where supported.

05Know who owns the launch afterward

You have a recent backup and a usable recovery plan.Confirm where the private backup lives, who can restore it, and how to return to the previous release. A backup you cannot access is not a launch plan.
The owner can access the domain, hosting, and reporting.Record account ownership and renewal responsibilities privately. Use individual access where supported; never put credentials in a public handover document.
Your reporting measures the actions you care about.Check inquiry and booking events, distinguish them from page views, and exclude internal tests. Confirm the site’s privacy notice matches the tools actually in use.
Someone is responsible for the next review.Assign an owner for broken links, form failures, updates, and inquiry follow-up. Repeat the delivery test after changes to forms, hosting, or mail routing.

Decide what can wait

Pause a launch if customers cannot contact you, key pages fail on mobile, private information is exposed, or you cannot recover from a failed release. Record smaller improvements with an owner and a target date. Nineteen checked boxes are a working record, not a security, accessibility, or SEO certification.

Useful references

Google’s SEO Starter Guide explains how to make content easier to discover and understand. The W3C’s form-label guidance explains why labels need to be associated with their controls.