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1. Review every page, menu, and visible link
Read the site as a first-time visitor, not only in the editor. Confirm the site title, logo, headings, page copy, contact details, dates, legal pages, menus, footer links, buttons, images, and downloads are final. Open every prominent link and check that it leads to the intended destination rather than a draft, placeholder, or staging URL.
2. Confirm the domain and account details
Decide which address is primary (for example, the version with or without www) and use it consistently. Check that the administrative email is correct and accessible.
On WordPress.com, a newly registered or connected domain may take 24–72 hours to become active, according to its launch guidance reviewed September 17, 2026. Treat that as an operational estimate, not a guarantee, and allow time for propagation before announcing the site.
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3. Check hosting compatibility (self-hosted WordPress)
For WordPress.org software, verify the provider’s current server capabilities before launch. The WordPress.org requirements page currently recommends:
| Component | Current recommendation | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.3 or greater | Recommendations can change; recheck the official requirements page before publishing. |
| Database | MariaDB 10.11+ or MySQL 8.0+ | Confirm the actual version assigned to your site. |
| Transport security | HTTPS | The certificate and WordPress URL settings must work together. |
These are not a comparison of hosting providers or a promise of performance. Ask the host how it handles updates, backups, PHP changes, database access, and support for your site’s plugins.
4. Verify HTTPS, canonical URLs, and redirects
Open the homepage, several internal pages, and the login page using https://. The browser should show no certificate warning, and HTTP requests should resolve consistently to your chosen HTTPS address. Check both the www and non-www forms if both exist.
HTTPS alone does not make a site secure. If SSL is terminated by a reverse proxy, CDN, or host-managed system, an incorrect proxy header or URL setting can create an HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect loop. Have the host verify the proxy and redirect configuration rather than repeatedly changing WordPress URLs at random.
5. Run WordPress Site Health
In the dashboard, go to Tools → Site Health. Review both Critical issues and Recommended improvements. Site Health checks areas such as updates, server software, scheduled maintenance, and security. Resolve critical items or record a deliberate reason for leaving a recommendation unresolved before launch.
6. Update deliberately, with a rollback path
Bring WordPress core, themes, and plugins up to date, but do not treat “Update all” as a substitute for testing. Take a restorable backup first, update in a controlled sequence, and then open the public site and its important workflows after each significant change. If an update breaks the site, use the backup or the host’s rollback procedure rather than making untracked production edits.
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7. Prove that your backup can restore the site
A backup is useful only if it contains what you need and can be restored. Confirm that your arrangement covers both the WordPress files (including uploads and configuration) and the database. Know where the backup is stored, who can access it, and how to request or perform a restoration. Retention and frequency should match how often the site changes and how much loss you can tolerate; there is no single schedule suitable for every site.
8. Test the public site while logged out
Use a private browser window or a separate browser where you are not an administrator. Then complete the journeys a normal visitor would take:
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- Use the main menu, footer navigation, search, buttons, and calls to action.
- Submit the contact or signup form and verify that the expected confirmation and notification arrive.
- Check images, downloads, embedded media, and error pages.
- Repeat the key checks on a phone, not only in a desktop admin preview.
Logged-out testing catches visibility rules, caching, permission errors, and styling problems that an administrator may not see.
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9. Test functions and external integrations your site actually uses
Make a checklist based on enabled features rather than installing tests you do not need.
- Payments: verify checkout, confirmation, tax or shipping behavior where applicable, and the handoff to the payment service using its permitted test process.
- Accounts or memberships: test registration, login, password reset, restricted content, and logout.
- Analytics: confirm the tag loads once and that a test visit appears in the intended property without collecting more data than your notices allow.
- Email and forms: check delivery, spam-folder behavior, reply addresses, and failure messages.
- Scheduled work: verify scheduled posts, backups, feeds, imports, and other automated tasks run at the expected time.
10. Review performance and basic accessibility
Load representative pages in more than one browser and on both desktop and phone. Where practical, repeat a check on a slower or lower-bandwidth connection. Look for oversized images, blocked scripts, layout shifts, and controls that are difficult to use. A performance score is a diagnostic, not a guarantee of a good experience.
Try the site with a keyboard: focus should be visible and menus, forms, dialogs, and buttons should be operable without a mouse. Check readable contrast, meaningful link text, form labels, heading order, alternative text for informative images, and sensible behavior with a screen reader if one is available. These checks improve access but do not certify formal accessibility conformance.
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11. Set the correct public launch state
WordPress.com
When the domain and content are ready, go to Settings → Reading → Site Visibility and choose Launch site. WordPress.com keeps a new site unavailable to the public until this control is used. Revisit the site in a logged-out window afterward. If a Coming Soon page remains, clear relevant caches and check again privately while domain or visibility changes propagate.
Self-hosted WordPress
Self-hosted WordPress does not use that WordPress.com launch button. Confirm instead that the domain’s DNS points to the intended host, the host serves the site over HTTPS, any staging or maintenance mode is disabled, and WordPress’s visibility settings are appropriate. Then perform the same logged-out phone and desktop checks against the public address.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before launching my WordPress site?
Check final content and navigation, domain and DNS, current hosting requirements, HTTPS and redirects, Site Health, updates and a restorable backup, logged-out mobile journeys, forms and integrations, accessibility, performance, and the correct public visibility state.
How do I launch a WordPress.com website?
Use Settings → Reading → Site Visibility and select Launch site, then verify the result in a logged-out browser. This control is specific to WordPress.com; self-hosted sites require correct host, DNS, HTTPS, and visibility configuration instead.
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