pre-launch checklist SGEN — verify your site is ready for visitors

How to verify your SGEN site is launch-ready before going live

Every SGEN site ships with sensible defaults — but "sensible for building" is not the same as "ready for real visitors." Search indexing is off, the consent banner is off, the SMTP connection is untested, and draft pages exist that you never meant to show anyone. This checklist closes those gaps before the first visitor lands.

Work through the eight buckets in order. Each item names the pile doc that explains the setting in full — if you hit one you do not recognise, open that doc before ticking the box. The checklist takes most teams 45–90 minutes on a content-complete site.

What is this for?

This workflow doc is a single, sequential pre-launch runbook. Its job is to surface every configuration gap — the ones that are invisible during build but become obvious the moment a real visitor, search engine, or legal team looks at your site. Run it once per new site and once after any significant structural change (domain swap, theme change, new checkout flow).

Good use cases

Example 1: New site going live for the first time. your business finished building their site over a long weekend and is launching Monday morning. They run through all 40 items Saturday evening. Item 2.1 catches that the indexing toggle is still off. Item 5.1 catches that the contact form is sending notifications to a test inbox, not the real one. Both are fixed before a single visitor arrives.

Example 2: Migrating from a different platform. A photography studio is moving from a bespoke WordPress site to SGEN. They have 80 URLs on the old site. Bucket 4 (Redirects) is where they map every old path to its SGEN equivalent — otherwise, every Google result, every linked blog post, every pinned social share returns a 404 on launch day.

Example 3: Post-rebrand relaunch. your business changed their trading name and redesigned the site. Even though the site was already live, they run the full checklist again — identity fields updated to the new name, SEO titles refreshed, consent copy updated to reference the new brand name, all old-slug redirects pointing at new-slug equivalents.

What NOT to use this for

How this connects to other features

Each bucket maps to a pile doc that covers the full feature. The checklist items here are the launch-day subset — they tell you which specific setting to verify, not how every option in that panel works.

Before you start

Before running through this checklist:

1. Content is complete. Every page you plan to publish is written, reviewed, and in Published status. Pages that should stay hidden are in Draft.
2. Your domain is connected. Your custom domain is pointed at the SGEN nameservers and resolving. If you are still on the default SGEN subdomain, the redirect and HTTPS items below will not apply yet.
3. You have admin access. You can log in and reach every section listed below.
4. Create a pre-launch backup. Before any launch-day changes, open Migration → Backups, click Create Backup, and wait for the .sgen archive to appear. If anything goes wrong during your final configuration pass, you can restore to this point.

Where to go

Navigation always starts from your SGEN admin dashboard. The sidebar on the left groups areas by name. Each bucket heading below tells you exactly which panel to open.

Steps — Bucket 1: Identity and branding

Open Settings → Site Identity. Full reference: Configure site identity.

1. Site name is set to your actual business name

The Site Name field feeds browser tab titles, SEO title fallbacks, and transactional email headers. If it still reads "My SGEN Site," update it now.

Verification: open your public homepage. The browser tab reads your business name (e.g. "your business"), not the SGEN default.

2. Tagline is set

The Tagline feeds the Global SEO tagline and appears on the homepage tab title after the site name. If you intend to use a marketing line ("Fresh-roasted specialty coffee, shipped weekly"), set it here.

Verification: the browser tab on the homepage reads "Site Name | Tagline" (the separator character depends on your Global SEO setting).

3. Logo (light version) is uploaded

Under Logo → Light version, upload the brand logo for use on light backgrounds. An empty field renders a text fallback in place of the logo.

Verification: open the public homepage. The header shows your uploaded logo, not a text placeholder.

4. Logo (dark version) is uploaded

Under Logo → Dark version, upload the logo variant for dark header backgrounds and mobile menus. Leaving this blank on a dark header can make the logo invisible.

Verification: if your site uses a dark header, confirm the logo is visible on mobile.

5. Favicon is uploaded

The Favicon controls the small icon in browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile home-screen shortcuts. Upload a square PNG at 512 × 512 px minimum.

Verification: refresh any public page. The favicon appears in the browser tab alongside your site name.

Steps — Bucket 2: SEO basics

Open SEO → Global SEO. Full reference: Set site-wide Global SEO defaults. Also open SEO → SEO Manager for per-page checks.

6. Indexing toggle is ON

The Enable search engines from indexing this site? toggle ships off on every new SGEN site. Flip it on the day you launch.

Verification: open https://[your-domain]/robots.txt. It should read Allow: /. If it reads Disallow: /, the toggle is still off. This is the single most commonly missed step — a site launched without flipping it will not appear in Google for weeks.

7. Homepage SEO title is set

Open SEO Manager and find your homepage row. The SEO Title should be your intended headline (e.g. "your business — Fresh-roasted specialty coffee"). A blank field falls back to the Global SEO title setting.

Verification: open the homepage. The browser tab shows the title you intended.

8. Homepage meta description is set

In the same row, the Meta Description should be 120–160 characters summarising the page. A blank description means Google writes one for you, which it often gets wrong.

Verification: view the homepage source and search for meta name="description". The content value is your description.

9. Sitemap is accessible and populated

SGEN generates a sitemap automatically at [your-domain]/sitemap.xml.

Verification: open the sitemap URL. An XML file lists your published pages and posts. If it is empty, the indexing toggle (item 6) may still be off.

10. Robots.txt has no unintended Disallow rules

Open SEO → Robots.txt and confirm no Disallow rules are accidentally blocking key sections like /blog or /products.

Verification: the robots.txt shows Allow: / and a Sitemap: line. Every Disallow: line you see is intentional.

Steps — Bucket 3: Tracking and consent

Open Tracking Consent → Settings. Full reference: Configure the cookie consent banner.

11. Consent banner is enabled

The Enable Consent toggle is off on a fresh SGEN site. If your site is subject to GDPR, the UK PECR, or CCPA, this must be on before the first real visitor arrives.

Verification: open your public homepage in an incognito window. The consent banner appears before any tracking scripts load.

12. All four default-on gates are verified

The four tracking gates — Gate Google Tag Manager, Gate Microsoft Clarity, Gate Session Attributer, and Gate Draft Form Entries — are all on by default. Verify each is still on unless your legal review has signed off on running the corresponding script without consent.

Verification: in the Settings panel, all four checkboxes are ticked. Any that you have unticked require a documented legal reason.

13. Disclosure copy is present (not placeholder)

The Consent Message field should contain your actual privacy disclosure, not the SGEN default placeholder. Paste your legal team's approved copy here.

Verification: open the public homepage in incognito. The banner copy matches your legal team's approved text.

14. Privacy Policy page is published and linked

The consent banner copy should link to your Privacy Policy. Confirm that page is in Published status (not Draft) and its URL is correct.

Verification: click the Privacy Policy link in the banner. The page loads with your full policy.

15. Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy are in the Excluded Pages list

Add both policy pages to the Excluded Pages multi-select so the banner does not appear on the pages that explain your cookie use.

Verification: navigate directly to your Cookie Policy page. No consent banner appears.

Steps — Bucket 4: Redirects

Open Redirects. Full reference: Manage site redirects.

16. Old-site URL mapping is in place

If you are replacing an existing website, every URL that had inbound links, social shares, or Google rankings needs a 301 redirect to the equivalent new path. Without these, every old link becomes a 404.

Verification: pick three high-traffic URLs from your old site's analytics and open them in a browser. Each should land on the correct new page.

17. www-to-apex (or apex-to-www) is consistent

Your site should pick one canonical form — www.yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com — and redirect the other.

Verification: type both forms of your domain in a browser. Both land on the same canonical version.

18. HTTP redirects to HTTPS

All traffic should arrive over HTTPS. If your hosting or CDN does not enforce this automatically, add a catch-all redirect.

Verification: type http:// followed by your domain. The browser redirects to https:// automatically (padlock appears in the address bar).

19. Broken-link audit is done

Run a broken-link checker against your public site. Any internal link returning 404 needs either a corrected link or a redirect.

Verification: the audit returns zero 4xx errors for internal links.

20. Vanity slugs are live

If printed materials or ad campaigns reference short URLs like /sale or /menu, confirm those redirects exist in SGEN and point to the correct page.

Verification: open each vanity URL. Each lands on the intended destination.

Steps — Bucket 5: Forms

Open Forms. Full references: Build a form and View and manage submissions.

21. Contact form sends mail

Submit your contact form as a visitor (use a personal email address). Check that the notification email arrives at the configured recipient inbox.

Verification: within 5 minutes of submitting, the notification email arrives with the correct subject line and your submitted field values. If it does not arrive, work through Bucket 6 (Email) first.

22. Notification recipient is correct

Open Forms → [your form] → Edit and review the Mail To field in the Mail Settings card. Confirm it is the inbox you monitor.

Verification: the Mail To field shows the intended recipient. Your test submission from item 21 arrives in that inbox.

23. Submission record appears in SGEN

After the test submission from item 21, open Forms → Submissions. The test entry should appear as a row with the submitted field values and a green notification status.

Verification: the row is visible. The email notification column shows a green tick.

24. Spam protection is on

In the form builder, confirm the form has either a CAPTCHA field or the honeypot protection active. A contact form with no spam protection will fill with bot submissions within days of launch.

Verification: the form settings show spam protection is configured. SGEN enables the honeypot field by default — confirm it has not been disabled.

25. Success message is set to your copy

Open the form builder and check the Success Message field in the Settings card. Confirm it contains your actual confirmation copy, not a placeholder like "Form submitted."

Verification: submit the test form and observe the page. The success message appears in place of the form, with your copy.

Steps — Bucket 6: Email

Open Settings → Email Settings. Full reference: Configure SMTP and transactional email.

26. SMTP is connected (or shared mailer decision is documented)

If you have not connected a custom SMTP provider, SGEN uses its shared mailer. The shared mailer works but has lower deliverability. For a site sending more than a handful of transactional emails per day, connect SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, or another provider. The SMTP Configuration card is where you enter the host, port, username, and password.

Verification: the SMTP Configuration card shows your provider's host and username, or you have explicitly chosen the shared mailer and accepted the deliverability trade-off.

27. Test email succeeds

The Email Testing card in Email Settings has a Send Email button. Enter your personal address and click it. The email should arrive within 2 minutes.

Verification: the test email arrives in the inbox you typed. If it lands in spam, your SPF and DKIM DNS records need attention.

28. Each form uses the correct mail template

Each form can override the default mail template — subject line, body, reply-to. Open each form you plan to use at launch and confirm the Mail Subject and Mail Body contain your actual copy.

Verification: the subject line of your test submission email from item 21 matches the template set in the form builder.

29. Reply-to is set to the visitor's email field

In the form builder, the Reply To field controls where a reply goes when your admin team clicks Reply on a notification. Set it to the visitor's email field (typically {{email}}).

Verification: open the test notification email. Click Reply. The To field pre-fills with the visitor's email address, not your admin address.

30. Sender name is human-readable

In Email Settings, the From Name field sets the sender label in inboxes. Verify it reads your business name (e.g. "your business"), not a technical default like "SGEN Mailer."

Verification: the test email from item 27 shows your business name as the sender.

Steps — Bucket 7: Backups

Open Migration → Backups. Full reference: Manage site backups.

31. Pre-launch backup exists

A site with no backup is one bad deploy away from starting over. Click Create Backup and wait for the .sgen archive to appear.

Verification: at least one row appears in the Backups list. The filename follows the pattern sgen_yourdomain.com-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.sgen.

32. A restore has been tested at least once

The only backup that counts is one you have successfully restored. Create a staging backup, restore it to a staging instance, and confirm the site loads correctly. The process is covered in Import a backup.

Verification: you have completed at least one restore cycle before launch day.

33. Retention policy is decided

SGEN does not auto-delete old backups — you manage retention manually. A common pattern: keep daily backups for 7 days, weekly backups for 4 weeks, and one named pre-launch archive indefinitely.

Verification: you have a written retention decision. Old backups you no longer need are deleted via the Backups list (select rows, then Bulk Action: Delete).

34. Off-site copy exists

A backup stored only inside SGEN is vulnerable to the same platform issue that might affect your site. Download at least one recent backup to your computer or to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3).

Verification: a .sgen file exists outside the SGEN panel — on a local drive or in cloud storage.

35. Restore procedure is documented and known to your team

Someone on your team should know how to restore a backup without looking it up under pressure. Save or print the Import a backup doc and confirm at least one team member has read it.

Verification: the restoration doc link is saved somewhere your team can reach it in an emergency.

Pre-launch backup naming — your business example
sgen_acmecoffee.com-backup-20260505-090000.sgen ← pre-launch snapshot (keep permanently)
sgen_acmecoffee.com-backup-20260506-090000.sgen ← day 1 post-launch
sgen_acmecoffee.com-backup-20260507-090000.sgen ← day 2 post-launch
sgen_acmecoffee.com-backup-20260512-090000.sgen ← end of week 1
Retention rule: keep the pre-launch snapshot permanently.
Keep daily backups for 7 days, then weekly snapshots. Delete older dailies manually.

Steps — Bucket 8: Public site verification

These items require you to open the actual public site — not the SGEN admin — and observe what visitors see.

36. Homepage renders correctly for an anonymous visitor

Open your domain in a browser you have never used to visit the admin panel, or use incognito mode. The page should load with your header, hero, and content — not a blank page, a maintenance screen, or the SGEN default template.

Verification: the homepage loads fully. No error banners, no unstyled content, no broken layout.

37. Key interior pages render

Visit your About page, a blog post, and a product page (if applicable) as an anonymous visitor.

Verification: three interior pages load with correct content and navigation. No page redirects to the homepage or shows an error.

38. Draft pages return a real 404

Any page still in Draft status should not be visible at its public URL. Navigate to a URL you know is still in draft status. You should see a proper 404 page, not the draft content.

Verification: the draft page URL returns a 404. The browser shows the 404 URL. This is correct — it means draft content is not leaking to visitors.

Note on blog post drafts. Blog posts in Draft status currently behave differently from Pages. A drafted Page returns a clean 404 (correct). A drafted Blog post may return a 200 response with a soft-error body rather than a true 404. This is a known platform inconsistency — blog draft URLs may be discoverable by anyone who guesses the slug. If you have blog posts in Draft that should not be public, check their public URLs individually and either publish or permanently delete them.

39. Broken-link sweep on published content

Run a link-checker against the public site one final time. Any 404 that was not there in item 19 has appeared since — usually a last-minute page deletion or slug change.

Verification: zero internal 4xx links on the final crawl.

40. Mobile view is usable

Open the homepage on a phone or use browser DevTools at a 375 px viewport. Navigation should be accessible, text should not overflow, and the consent banner should not cover the entire screen.

Verification: the mobile homepage is usable. Navigation opens and closes. The consent banner occupies a reasonable strip, not the full viewport.

What success looks like

What to do if it does not work

Indexing toggle appears on but robots.txt still shows Disallow: /. Wait 2 minutes and reload. SGEN regenerates robots.txt on save — an immediate reload may hit a cached version. If still blocked after 5 minutes, open Global SEO, confirm the success banner appeared after your save, and reload.

Test email does not arrive. Check your spam folder first. If the email is there, your SPF and DKIM DNS records need attention — your email provider's documentation covers adding these records. If the email is nowhere, verify the SMTP host and port in Email Settings match your provider's requirements. SendGrid uses smtp.sendgrid.net:587; Mailgun uses smtp.mailgun.org:587.

Form submission appears in SGEN but the notification email did not arrive. The row in Forms → Submissions will show a red X in the notification column. Common causes: incorrect SMTP credentials, the sending address is not authorised in your email service provider, or your SPF record does not cover your SMTP provider. Fix the SMTP settings and use Re-dispatch on the failed row to retry delivery.

A Published page still shows a 404. Confirm the page is in Published status (not Draft). Then confirm the URL slug in the admin matches the URL you are testing. SGEN does not automatically create redirects when you rename a slug after publishing — add a redirect manually for the old path.

The consent banner covers my mobile content. Open Tracking Consent → Settings and change Position to Bottom. The bottom-strip banner takes far less vertical space than the center-modal variant and is the recommended default for mobile-heavy sites.

Go / no-go decision table

Mark each bucket Pass or Fail. A single Fail in a required bucket is a no-go — resolve it before launch.

Go. All required buckets pass. Proceed with DNS cutover or domain activation.

No-go. One or more required buckets have open items. Do not launch until the failing items are resolved.

After launch, move to the Post-launch 30-day rhythm to monitor traffic, form submissions, and search-engine indexing during the first month.