A launch is a system spanning three sequenced phases, not a single event. Pre-Launch (2–4 weeks before go-live) establishes the foundation: technical infrastructure (HTTPS, robots.txt, XML sitemap, canonical tags, Core Web Vitals targets), site architecture and content (a pillar-cluster map, keyword-intent mapping, clean URLs), on-page and structured data, and a staging audit. Launch Day is for execution verified within 24 hours — removing staging noindex tags (a critical failure point), submitting sitemaps to Search Console and Bing, requesting indexing, confirming analytics fire, testing schema, and checking mobile rendering. Post-Launch (days 1–90) validates: monitor crawling and impressions in GSC, fix 404s, then begin regular publishing, link building, and CTR optimization.
Full guide → SOP: New Site Launch SEO Checklist
More Guides
Run disciplined SEO A/B tests in seven steps — one metric, two variations, randomized segments, run to significance, track, analyze the winner, and iterate.
Build a topic cluster in seven steps — select and score a pillar, validate it, map subtopics, align to intent, architect internal links, publish, and measure.
Prepare your site for AI search in five steps — content architecture, entity consistency, E-E-A-T, structured data, and machine-readable structure.
Get your content cited by AI in seven steps — answer capsules, link-free extraction, original data, digital PR, community presence, consistent messaging, and tracking.
A seven-step walkthrough for setting up Google Search Console on a new site — property type, DNS verification, sitemap, GA4 link, users, URL checks, and a monitoring routine.