During the first seven days, test every enquiry route, confirm analytics in Realtime, verify Search Console, submit the sitemap, inspect priority pages, check redirects and errors, review mobile speed, confirm backups and record a baseline. Do not judge SEO or lead performance from the first week. Use the week to prove that the website can be found, measured and contacted.
Launch day proves that the domain opens. It does not prove that the website can receive leads, collect useful data or reach search engines.
Use the first week to test the operating system around the pages.
Day 1: Test the customer routes
Start with the actions that can create revenue.
Test:
- every contact form;
- telephone links;
- WhatsApp links;
- email links;
- booking links;
- checkout or payment steps;
- downloadable documents.
Use a phone and a computer. Submit forms through mobile data and Wi-Fi. Confirm the inbox, spam folder and any CRM record.
Read the received notification. Check the reply address and every field.
Ask one person who did not work on the project to complete the main task without guidance. Watch where that person hesitates.
Record the result in a launch log. “Tested” should include the date, device, route and outcome.
Day 2: Confirm analytics
Open Google Analytics Realtime while you browse the site from another device.
Google says Realtime can confirm that the measurement code sends data. DebugView gives a developer a closer view of events.
Check:
| Action | Expected event |
|---|---|
| Page opens | page_view |
| Form starts | form_start |
| Form succeeds | generate_lead |
| Phone link opens | Custom contact event |
| WhatsApp link opens | Custom contact event |
| Document downloads | file_download |
Do not send names, email addresses, telephone numbers or form text to Google Analytics.
Set the business actions as key events after confirming that they fire once. A button click should not count as a lead when the form later fails.
Save a screenshot of the Realtime test and note the Analytics property owner.
Day 3: Verify Search Console and the sitemap
The business should have access to the Search Console property.
Use a Domain property where DNS access permits it. That property covers protocols and subdomains in one place.
Find the sitemap, often at /sitemap.xml. Open it in a browser and check that it:
- loads without an error;
- uses the live domain;
- lists canonical URLs;
- excludes staging pages and redirects;
- includes the pages you want indexed.
Submit the sitemap through Search Console.
Google describes sitemap submission as a hint. It does not guarantee crawling or indexing. A sitemap helps a new site because few external links may point to it during the first weeks.
Add the sitemap location to robots.txt as another discovery route.
Day 4: Inspect priority pages
Use URL Inspection for the homepage and the main service pages.
Run the live test and check:
- page fetch;
- indexing allowed;
- canonical URL;
- mobile rendering;
- structured data where relevant.
Request indexing after fixing a genuine issue or launching an important page. Do not submit every minor edit.
Search Console states that “URL is on Google” does not guarantee a visible ranking. Indexing means the page entered Google’s system.
Check the public page source too. A noindex tag left from staging can hide the whole site.
Day 5: Find broken paths
Crawl or click through the site.
Check:
- navigation;
- footer links;
- internal article links;
- old URLs;
- image paths;
- canonical tags;
- redirects;
- social preview images;
- favicon;
- policy pages.
If the new site replaced an old one, map each valuable old URL to the closest new page. Sending all old pages to the homepage wastes context and can frustrate visitors.
Open the website with both www and the root domain. Confirm one version redirects to the chosen canonical version over HTTPS.
Review the server or platform logs for 404 errors. Some may come from old bookmarks, search results or external links that the project team did not know existed.
Day 6: Test mobile performance and accessibility
Use a mid-range phone, not only the designer’s computer.
Check:
- text size;
- tap targets;
- menu access;
- sticky elements;
- form keyboard types;
- image loading;
- layout movement;
- contrast;
- focus states;
- reduced-motion behaviour.
Run PageSpeed Insights for a lab test and field data where available. Treat the report as diagnostic evidence. A perfect score is not the business goal.
Fix large images, blocked content and scripts that delay the first useful screen. Keep motion that helps orientation. Remove motion that blocks reading or form use.
Navigate with a keyboard. Label form fields. Add useful alt text to informative images. Decorative images should not repeat surrounding text.
Day 7: Secure the handover
Confirm that the business controls or can access:
- domain registration;
- DNS;
- hosting;
- source repository or CMS;
- Search Console;
- Analytics;
- business email;
- form service;
- backups;
- third-party licences.
Run a backup and document how to restore it.
Record the current versions of plugins, frameworks and important integrations. Store secrets in the hosting environment, not in a shared document or repository.
Set a review schedule for forms, updates, backups and content.
Create a launch baseline
The first week has too little data for a serious performance verdict.
Record a baseline instead:
| Measure | First-week record |
|---|---|
| Indexed priority pages | Count |
| Organic impressions | Count |
| Form tests passed | Count |
| Real enquiries | Count |
| Mobile performance | Key findings |
| 404 errors | Top paths |
| Analytics events | Pass or fail |
| Business Profile website link | Correct or incorrect |
Compare the baseline after 30 and 90 days.
A site can receive no organic leads in week one and still have a sound setup. Search systems need time to crawl, understand and test pages. The business may also need promotion, listings, links and useful content.
The first-week question is narrower: does the system work?
IDJOY includes launch testing, ownership handover and measurement setup in defined website scopes. Start a website enquiry if the project needs a launch plan rather than a page upload.