Pre-launch check

Launch checklist for a site built with AI tools

Published 2026-10-02

Sites built with AI tools look finished before the operational parts are. Before going public, click through each item below yourself and mark anything you cannot verify as "unknown". The unknowns are your upgrade scope.

1. Domain and HTTPS

Open the real domain and confirm the padlock shows, and that the www and non-www addresses end up in one place.
Write down which account owns the domain and where DNS is managed. Turn on expiry reminders.
Decide whether the platform default address (for example *.vercel.app or *.lovable.app) may stay exposed.

2. Login and permissions

With a test account, confirm sign-up, login, and password-reset emails actually arrive.
Try changing the number or ID in a URL and confirm you cannot see another user’s data.
Confirm the admin area does not open without login and that only one person holds the admin account.

3. Payments and integrations

Confirm payments switched from test mode to live mode, then run one small real payment and a refund.
Check that a failed payment, a double click, or a page refresh does not create two orders.
List every external service (booking, email, maps, analytics), which account holds its key, and whether it has a free quota.

4. Data and backups

Know where the database lives (service and region) and confirm automatic backups are on.
Delete the fake data you created while testing and confirm the delete feature really removes records.
List the personal data fields you store and make the privacy policy match them.

5. Secrets and keys

Search the repository and the browser-visible JavaScript for API keys, passwords, and tokens.
If a key was exposed, rotate it rather than deleting it. Revoke the old one.
Confirm environment variables are set on the hosting platform and that local .env files are not committed.

6. Mobile and accessibility

On a real phone, tap through the first screen, menu, every form field, and every button.
Note screens where text is cut off, horizontal scrolling appears, or the keyboard hides an input.
Confirm images have alt text and buttons work with the keyboard (Tab, Enter).

7. Performance and errors

Time the first screen on mobile data and shrink large images and videos.
Open a URL that does not exist and confirm your own 404 page shows, and that errors never leave a blank white screen.
Connect at least one error-reporting tool (logs or alerts). Without it, users find out before you do.

8. Support contact and legal pages

Confirm the contact email or form really reaches someone, and decide who answers within how many hours.
Check that terms, privacy policy, and business details match what the service does (payments, data collected).
Prepare a one-line description and a share image for the launch announcement.

You can launch without passing everything. The items left as "unknown" are the first to break after launch, so paste that list into your upgrade request and the scope check will go faster.