Publisher launch checklist

A publisher launch is not complete when the homepage loads. The site also needs to be reachable consistently, understandable to search systems and transparent enough for users to know who operates it.

Reachability

• The primary domain resolves publicly.
• HTTPS works without certificate warnings.
• HTTP redirects consistently to the preferred HTTPS URL.
• Important pages return successful responses.

Discoverability

• robots.txt does not block production pages by mistake.
• sitemap.xml is publicly reachable.
• Production pages do not contain accidental noindex directives.
• Titles, descriptions and canonical links match the real content.

Trust

• About, Contact and Privacy information is easy to find.
• Published contact methods actually work.
• Legal pages describe the services the site really uses.

Monetization

• The intended publisher code is present.
• ads.txt is published at the correct root URL when required.
• Consent and privacy configuration fits the audiences being served.

Performance and mobile usability

• Test the primary pages on a narrow mobile viewport.
• Compress oversized images and remove scripts that are not providing measurable value.
• Check that buttons remain tappable and that no content requires horizontal scrolling.
• Measure the server response separately from front-end rendering so you know where a delay originates.

Operational readiness

• Create the email address published on the Contact page before launch.
• Enable multi-factor authentication on registrar, hosting and email accounts where available.
• Know how the site is backed up and how a backup would be restored.
• Record the production DNS and hosting configuration before making later migrations.

Analytics and monetization

If analytics or advertising is installed, verify that the privacy disclosures match the technology actually running on the site. Avoid declaring services you do not use and avoid omitting services that do process visitor information.

After launch: establish a baseline

Save a record of the healthy state: canonical domain, SSL expiry, robots.txt, sitemap, publisher ID, ads.txt and key response headers. The value of monitoring comes from comparing future states against a known-good baseline, not from repeatedly generating isolated scores.

Do not confuse launch with completion

A website is an operating system for a business, not a one-time file upload. After launch, watch support messages, search-indexing feedback, monetization status, uptime and real user behavior. Change only what evidence shows needs improvement.