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Seven checks before launching a small-business website

Writer: TW Web Design
TW Web Design
Dec 31, 2022
2 min read

Updated: Oct 21

A practical launch checklist for service content, mobile layouts, navigation, forms, search settings, performance and ownership.

Illustration accompanying seven checks before launching a small-business website

1. Service details and evidence

Check names, services, contact details, coverage and appointment information. Proofread important pages and confirm permission to use photographs and testimonials. Remove placeholder text and claims that lack supporting records.

2. Navigation and links

Follow the main routes from the homepage to services, examples and contact. Check menu items, buttons, telephone links and external destinations. If old URLs changed, test their redirects to relevant replacements.

3. Mobile layouts and keyboard access

Review narrow screens as well as desktop. Check headings, reading order, image crops and menus. Use the keyboard to reach important links and form controls, and make sure focused elements remain visible.

4. Forms and confirmations

Test required fields, invalid entries and the success state. Confirm that the enquiry reaches the intended destination. Avoid collecting information that is unnecessary for the initial conversation.

5. Search settings

Review page titles, descriptions, canonical URLs and indexing settings. Remove temporary launch restrictions only from pages intended to be public. Check that important pages are internally linked and the sitemap is available.

6. Images and performance

Use appropriately sized images and meaningful alternative text. Test representative pages and record the page, tool, device and date. Investigate slow or unstable journeys rather than treating a single lab score as the whole experience.

7. Ownership and ongoing care

Confirm domain and platform access, subscription renewals, editing guidance and maintenance responsibilities. Keep a record of the final scope and unresolved items. A launch is a checked handover, followed by monitoring and agreed support.

Reviewed and updated 21 October 2026. The original publication date is retained.

 
 
 

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Clear steps. Agreed deliverables.

From first conversation to a website you can use.

Work directly with Roland Daniells in Reigate. We agree the work, responsibilities, costs and launch plan before development starts, with consultations and business visits by appointment.

  1. 01 / DISCOVER

    Understand your business

    Review your current website, customers, services, content and the enquiries you want to attract.

  2. 02 / AGREE

    Define the scope

    Your written proposal sets out pages, features, platform, content responsibilities, revisions, costs and timing.

  3. 03 / DESIGN

    Review the direction

    Shape the layout, copy and imagery around real customer questions. Review the design at agreed stages.

  4. 04 / BUILD & TEST

    Check the journey

    Build the agreed features and check navigation, links, forms and layouts on desktop, tablet and mobile.

  5. 05 / LAUNCH

    Hand over clearly

    Check the published site, agree the editing handover and confirm any ongoing maintenance separately.

The platform follows the brief.

Wix suits businesses that want visual editing and managed website tools. WordPress supports a flexible content-led website, with hosting, plugins and maintenance agreed around the setup.

Custom development can support business-specific workflows, databases and integrations. We assess API access, licensing and ongoing responsibilities before recommending a solution.

WordPress development · Bespoke websites and web apps

SEO work you can account for.

An SEO proposal identifies the pages to review and the deliverables that apply to your project:

  • Page titles, descriptions, headings and relevant service content.
  • Internal links, indexing checks and sitemap review.
  • Accurate local business information and enquiry routes.
  • A baseline, an agreed reporting schedule and a record of changes.

Ongoing SEO is scoped separately from a website build. Explore local SEO.

Measure the useful changes.

Where data is available, compare Search Console impressions, clicks and relevant queries over stated periods. Review enquiries alongside search traffic, rather than treating rankings as the only result.

For performance work, record the tested page, device, date and tool, then compare before and after. Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed tests can identify improvements; a lab score is not the same as real visitor performance.

Targets, access requirements and reporting frequency are agreed in the proposal. No ranking, traffic increase or perfect performance score is guaranteed.

Content and care after launch.

Agree who supplies copy, photographs, legal text and product information, and what editing handover is needed. Original photography and copywriting can be scoped alongside the website.

Confirm hosting, domains, subscriptions, renewals and ongoing support before you commit. Explore website maintenance or business photography.

Real projects. Considered solutions.

Built around
the business.

From original photography to a custom database, the right website starts with understanding what a business needs.

Design, content & photography

BPM Bathrooms

The brief: overhaul three existing websites.
The work: website design, original photography, customer interviews and search marketing, planned together in January 2024.

  • Website design
  • Photography
  • Search marketing
Explore the client website

Custom development & client control

Rogue’s Gallery Racing

The brief: bring racing information into one manageable website.
The work: a relational database connecting horses, shares, videos, trainers and jockeys, with a client editing interface. Delivered December 2021.

  • Web development
  • Relational database
  • Client-managed updates
Explore the client website

These examples describe the agreed work, not independently measured traffic or revenue gains. Read the full project stories in the portfolio below.

Discuss your project

Know what you are comparing

A starting price. A clearly agreed scope.

The cards above describe three starting points. Your written proposal confirms exactly what is included, which optional features you have chosen and the total cost before work starts.

Package
Starting price
Published features
Starter
From £499
Core business presence: headline, enquiry button, optimised images, navigation, opt-in offer, testimonials, About, Contact and FAQ content.
Medium
From £699
Starter features plus a portfolio, blog and social media setup, with training and support defined in the proposal.
Max
From £999
Bespoke scope. Optional features can include an online store, galleries, newsletter signup, social feeds, portfolios, a blog or event bookings. The selected features and their costs are confirmed in the proposal.

Pages, revisions and timing

Page count, content volume, revision rounds, milestones and target launch date are confirmed in your written proposal. The starting price does not mean unlimited pages or revisions.

Copy and photography

The proposal states which content you supply and whether copywriting, editing or original photography is included. These services are available to scope alongside the website.

Fees, VAT and support

Hosting, domains, platform subscriptions, paid tools, payment-provider fees and ongoing support are identified where applicable. Your proposal confirms recurring costs, VAT treatment and the total payable; do not assume these are included in the starting price.

New features, additional pages and work outside the agreed brief are discussed and quoted before proceeding. Ask for a proposal if you need a complete price for your project.

Practical advice on websites, local SEO and business photography, plus stories from the TW Web Design project archive. Written for independent businesses in Reigate, Redhill, Dorking and across Surrey.