Going Live

Website Review Process Before Going Live

 

I like to think of websites as public spaces that people enter, reconnoiter and interact with. In fact Google refers to websites as web “properties” making them more similar to office buildings that have an address (URL) that you can visit.

 

Using this building analogy, it’s important that your building be ready to open before the public arrives. This includes building inspections, all the legal requirements such as terms and conditions, use policies, copyright notices and contact information.

 

Below we have developed a “Go Live Punch List” for you to use to prepare your site for going live. Please review each item to see that it can be checked off the list before your site goes live.

 

And like a commercial building, it is important that you test everything on your website before announcing a grand opening or “website launch” to the public.  Arriving at a building that is not yet ready to be visited does not make a good impression on your audience; so please plan ahead and give yourself time to test everything first.  I recommend putting together a small “User Group” to conduct a “User Test” before launching any website. We can assist you with this process.

Go Live Punch List

 

  • All plugins up to date and compatible with current version of WordPress.
  • Remove any “unused” plugins on stand-alone sites or deactivate them on Multisite hosted sites.
  • Current version of WordPress installed.
  • Theme up to date and compatible with current version of WordPress.
  • Child theme installed if any parent theme code was altered (so theme updates will not break the site).
  • Time zone set to “CST”.
  • User accounts and roles properly set (Editors, Contributors).
  • User Activity Tracking installed and configured.
  • Permalinks properly set and navigation links work throughout the site.
  • Commenting Disabled.
  • Under “Reading Settings” the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” box is not checked.
  • Google Analytics account setup and tracking code installed and stakeholders added to be able to view reports.
  • Website checked and compatible with modern browsers (IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera).
  • Website checked for “Responsive” design and mobile usability. Test site here – Mobile-Friendly Test
  • Comment or other HTML forms tested. Form data sent and received by recipients without issue.
  • HTML forms to have spam prevention activated and in place via Honeypot or reCAPTCHA (V3).
  • No sensitive data is being collected, such as Credit Card numbers or Social Security Numbers (no PCI compliance issues).
  • Website proofed for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.
  • Images and videos checked for any copyright issues.
  • Images optimized so they download fast and size is small enough to accommodate mobile devices. All files under 450 KB.
  • Images optimized for use on the web.
  • All page content “Search Engine Optimized”.
  • Favicon displays correctly and is the appropriate brand.
  • Copyright notice in footer displays correctly and uses JavaScript to automatically display the correct year.
  • Company “Terms of Use” and “Privacy Policy” pages added and current.
  • Add GDPR footer pop-up for cookie compliance acceptance.
  • Security scan has been run.
  • DNS is correctly pointing the domain name or sub-domain name to the website.
  • Check both the “www” version of your URL and the “non-www” version (for Google Analytics).
  • Check HTTPS (SSL) in place and working.
  • A person for ongoing site maintenance and ongoing site monitoring has been selected.  This should be the same person designated in the Hosting Space Request Form.
  • Launch announcement planned and ready to implement.
  • Website speed tested at Pingdom and GTmetrix.
  • No outstanding 508 Compliance (usability and accessibility) issues are unresolved.
  • If the site is in Maintenance Mode (using the Maintenance Mode plugin and displaying a temporary message to the public on the Home page), please switch to off so the website can be seen by the public.
  • Please complete the NEW WEBSITE COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST below.

NEW WEBSITE COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST:

 

1- If the website uses the logo, marks or other IP of any third-party supplier, customer or partner, do you have permission from such third party to use their logo, mark or images?  If the answer is no, contact compliance@travelleaders.com

 

2- If required, has the third-party supplier, customer or partner, reviewed and approved the content of the website?  If the answer is no, get permission in writing.

 

3- Does the website link to the TLG Privacy Policy and Terms of Use?  If no, link Privacy Policy to https://www.travelleadersgroup.com/privacy-policy/ and Terms of Use to https://www.travelleadersgroup.com/terms-of-use/

 

4- Does the website include appropriate notice regarding use of cookies?  Visit www.travelleadersgroup.com and replicate the Cookie Disclaimer that appears at the bottom of the page.

 

5- Has Marketing/PR Department reviewed any content describing TLG or any of its brands referenced on the website to ensure it is consistent with internal policies?  If no, contact Marketing/PR.

 

6- Do you collect Personal Data of individuals visiting the website?  If the answer is YES, contact compliance@travelleaders.com with the answers to the below question.

  • If yes, what type of personal data do you collect?
  • Where and how is the data being stored?
  • What is the purpose of collecting such data?
  • If the website is collecting data for marketing purposes, does the site have the required opt-in consent?

Helpful Tips

 

  • Don’t go live on Fridays. If something needs to be fixed, no one will be around on the weekend to fix it.
  • Domain name records with SSL Certificate updating require a minimum of 24-48 hours to setup and propagate throughout the web. If you have a sales campaign or press release attached to a website, it would be best to have the site up and running a week before those dates so that any bugs can be worked out.