The Ultimate 25-Point Website Launch Checklist I Followed While Building Simply Sansu

While developing the idea of creating my website, I thought that all that was needed was just a domain name, a template, and a couple of pages published on the site. But then I started implementing my idea and understood that behind the scenes there is much more that you need to think about while making your website.

Starting from branding and SEO, continuing with hosting, and all the rest of the technical questions, including indexing, plugins, and various other issues related to design choices, all these aspects played an essential role in shaping up my website’s final form.

Moreover, all the decisions I made were influenced by the budget I considered appropriate for this project.

Over time, while building Simply Sansu along with Sansu Blogs and iClick Stories, I ended up learning far more than I initially expected.

Website Launch Checklist Before Going Live

Here’s the complete 25-point website launch checklist I personally followed while creating my website.

1. I First Defined the Purpose of My Website

Before anything else, I asked myself why I wanted a website in the first place.

For me, the goal was not just to “have a website.” I wanted a space where I could:

• showcase my passion for SEO,
• talk about digital marketing,
• share personal thoughts and experiences,
• highlight the services I am proficient in,
• and slowly build my personal brand online.

That clarity helped me make better decisions later.

2. I Thought About My Brand Message and Values

I wanted the site to be an actual representation of me.

Some values I wanted the website to communicate were:

• simplicity,
• authenticity,
• creativity,
• storytelling,
• learning,
• and ethical SEO.

I realized people connect more with personality than perfection.

3. I Chose a Website Name That Felt Personal

Since this website was more about personal branding, I wanted the name to feel natural and memorable.

That is why I went with: Simply Sansu

It felt simple, personal, and aligned with the type of content and identity I wanted to build online.

4. I Carefully Selected My Domain Name

I wanted a domain that was

• easy to remember,
• simple to type,
• and clean.

I also preferred using a .com extension because it feels more universal and trustworthy.

5. Budget Was a Major Factor While Selecting Hosting

While selecting hosting, I had to balance the following:

• performance,
• affordability,
• and future scalability.

I opted for Hostinger because they were offering good rates then, which easily worked with my budget.

That decision eventually helped me host multiple websites, including:

• Simply Sansu
• Sansu Blogs
• iClick Stories

6. I Selected WordPress.org Over WordPress.com

The main decision I had to make was whether I should choose WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

I selected WordPress.org because I needed the following:

• flexibility,
• customization,
• plugin freedom,
• SEO control,
• and monetization freedom.

I did not want limitations later as the website grew.

7. I Followed WordPress Setup Checklist Correctly

When I installed WordPress, I followed the setup checklist offered by WordPress to make sure I did not forget any crucial steps.

I configured:

• SSL,
• permalinks,
• timezone,
• favicon,
• admin email,
• and basic security settings.

Doing things properly initially saves a lot of troubleshooting later.

8. Theme Selection Required More Time Than I Thought It Would

In the beginning, I did not realize the importance of theme selection.

A theme affects:

• speed,
• readability,
• user experience,
• mobile responsiveness,
• and even SEO performance.

I wanted something:

• clean,
• lightweight,
• professional,
• and easy to customize.

9. Elementor Helped Me Design Pages Easily

I also used Elementor extensively while building pages.

It made designing layouts much easier without needing coding knowledge.

That flexibility helped me experiment with the following:

• sections,
• layouts,
• spacing,
• banners,
• and overall page structure.

10. I Used Canva and ChatGPT for Most Visuals and Content Ideas

For design and visuals, I mainly relied on:

• Canva
• and ChatGPT

Canva helped me create:

• featured images,
• graphics,
• banners,
• logos,
• and social media creatives.

ChatGPT helped me brainstorm:

• content ideas,
• SEO,
• page structure,
• and writing improvements.

11. I Planned My Website Pages Before Launching

Before going live, I already had clarity on the pages I wanted initially.

Some pages included:

• Home
• About
• Contact
• Blog
• Services
• Certifications
• Educational Qualifications
• Professional Experience
• Privacy Policy
• Accessibility Statement

I also knew I would continue adding more pages later depending on future requirements.

12. I Planned My Homepage Content Carefully

I wanted visitors to immediately understand the following:

• who I am,
• what I do,
• and what my website is about.

That is why homepage messaging became very important for me

13. SEO Was One of My Biggest Priorities

Since I genuinely enjoy SEO, I wanted the website to be optimized properly from the beginning.

I focused on:

• meta descriptions,
• heading structure,
• internal linking,
• image alt text,
• keyword placement,
• and SEO-friendly URLs.

14. I Added Yoast SEO

The first plugin that I added was Yoast SEO.

It helped me manage:

• SEO titles,
• meta descriptions,
• XML sitemaps,
• readability,
• and indexing settings.

15. I Connected Google Search Console

My website was linked to Google Search Console in order to be able to:

• monitor indexing,
• submit sitemaps,
• check impressions,
• and identify SEO issues.

This is one of the most important things every website owner should configure early.

16. I Submitted My XML Sitemap

Once the SEO plugins were set up, I submitted my sitemap to Google.

The sitemap can normally be accessed here:

yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

It allows search engines to crawl the website more easily.

17. I Set Up Google Analytics

I also integrated Google Analytics to track:

• traffic,
• user behavior,
• sessions,
• and engagement.

Without analytics, it is harder to know what works and what doesn’t.

18. I Configured Google Tag Manager

I configured Google Tag Manager because it simplifies the following:

• script management,
• analytics tracking,
• event setup,
• and future integrations.

19. I Installed Header/Footer Plugins for Tracking Scripts

To avoid manually editing theme files repeatedly, I installed header/footer plugins for the following:

• Google Analytics scripts,
• Google AdSense code,
• verification tags,
• and tracking integrations.

This made managing scripts much easier.

20. I Optimized the Website for Mobile Devices

Since most users browse through phones today, I constantly checked:

• responsiveness,
• spacing,
• readability,
• button placement,
• and mobile speed.

21. I Worked on Website Speed Optimization

A slow website immediately affects user experience.

So I focused on:

• image optimization,
• caching,
• reducing unnecessary plugins,
• and improving overall loading speed.

22. I Configured Security and Backups

I made sure the website had:

• SSL,
• backups,
• security plugins,
• spam protection,
• and strong passwords.

These things feel unimportant initially until something goes wrong.

23. I Understood the Importance of Accessibility

I also realized accessibility matters much more than people think.

Simple things like:

• readable fonts,
• proper contrast,
• image alt text,
• and clear navigation

can improve the experience for many users.

24. I Enabled Basic Monetization

At present, for my ebooks and digital offerings, I have direct bank transfer enabled as part of my monetization setup.

As the website grows, monetization can gradually expand further.

25. I Realized Websites Are Never Truly “Finished.”

This was probably my biggest learning.

A website keeps evolving continuously.

New pages get added.
Designs improve.
SEO changes.
Content grows.
Branding changes

Starting the website is only the first step.

Conclusion

Creating my own website showed me that websites aren’t only technical things.

They are a combination of:

• creativity,
• branding,
• storytelling,
• SEO,
• strategy,
• and personal identity.

For me, websites like Simply Sansu became much more than online platforms. They became spaces where I could combine my passion for SEO, digital marketing, storytelling, learning, and creativity into one experience.

And honestly, the process taught me as much about patience and problem-solving as it did about websites themselves.