Congratulations! After weeks, maybe even months of hard work, your website is finally live. It looks good. It’s responsive. It’s content-ready and SEO-optimized.
Now you might be tempted to sit back and wait for the traffic to roll in. Big mistake. You need a beginner SEO Website Checklist.
Launching your website is just the beginning. To make sure all your effort pays off, here are five crucial steps to take the minute your website goes live.
Beginner SEO Website Checklist #1: Test Everything Thoroughly
The first thing to do is test your website like your business depends on it, because it does.
Click through every link. Check for typos. Make sure the layout doesn’t break on mobile or tablet. Responsiveness across all devices is non-negotiable.
But don’t stop there. Send the link to your team (if you have one), a few trusted friends, or even family members. Ask them to explore your site like they’re first-time visitors.
5 to fifteen people is ideal. Collect the feedback and use it to fix anything clunky or confusing.
These small tweaks can significantly improve your site’s user experience, and that matters for SEO.
Beginner SEO Website Checklist #2: Index Your Website
Indexing your website means introducing it to search engines.
When your site is indexed, it’s officially on the radar. Search engines can now crawl your pages, evaluate your content, and determine where you belong in search results.
How to Index Your Website?
Google:
- Create a free account on Google Search Console. (Just follow the instructions of the onboarding process.)
- Depending on your platform (CMS, custom-built, or all-in-one builder), either link your domain or install a code snippet to verify ownership.
Bing:
- Use Bing Webmaster Tools. The process is similar to Google’s. Create an account using your email address, your Microsoft or your Google account.
Once your sitemap is submitted to both platforms, request indexing for each major page. Search engines will find your site eventually, but requesting indexing speeds things up, especially if your site is brand new.
Pro tip: After publishing important updates, like a new blog post, resubmit that specific page for indexing. Don’t wait for search engines to find it.
If your site isn’t showing up after a few weeks, it can be a backend issue like a “no-index” tag. In that case, you will need an in-depth SEO audit conducted by an SEO specialist or a web developer experienced in SEO.
Beginner SEO Website Checklist #3: Install SEO Tracking Tools
Having an SEO strategy is great. But what’s the point if you can’t measure what’s working?
Google Search Console gives you insights like the number of impressions and how your site is ranking. But to truly understand your traffic and user behavior, you’ll want to install two more tools:
Google Analytics (GA4):
Google Analytics helps you see how long visitors stay on your site, which pages they visit, and where they drop off. This data helps you tailor content and improve performance. If you have an e-commerce site, it can also help you track purchases.
How to Install Google Analytics:
Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account
- Go to analytics.google.com
- Click Start Measuring
- Fill in your account name (e.g., MyWebsiteAnalytics)
- Click Next and enter your property name (e.g., Amanda’s Blog)
- Set your time zone and currency
- Click Next and answer the setup questions
- Click Create
Step 2: Create a Data Stream
- Choose Web
- Enter your website URL (e.g., hiddenmegaphonecopywriter.com)
- Name it (e.g., “Main Website Stream”)
- Click Create Stream
You’ll now see a Measurement ID like “G-XXXXXXX.” Keep this open, you’ll need it!
Google Tag Manager (GTM):
Google Tag Manager helps you insert snippets of code (called “tags”) on your site without touching the source code. It’s especially useful for tracking specific events like form submissions or button clicks.
How to Install GTM:
Step 1: Create a GTM Account
- Go to tagmanager.google.com
- Click Create Account
- Add:
- Account Name (e.g., Amanda’s Website)
- Country
- Container Name (your domain)
- Target Platform: Web
- Click Create, then accept the terms
You’ll get two code snippets. Copy them, but don’t paste them yet.
Step 2: Add GTM to Your Website
For WordPress (without a plugin):
- Go to your Theme Editor
- Paste the first GTM code after the opening
<head>tag - Paste the second GTM code after the opening
<body>tag - Click Update File
Or use a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers:
- Install the plugin from your WordPress dashboard
- Go to Settings > Insert Headers and Footers
- Paste the codes in their respective sections
- Save
For Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace, look for the “Header Code Injection” area in your settings. If your site was built by a developer, ask them to insert the code snippets for you.
Step 3: Connect GA4 with GTM
- In Tag Manager, go to Tags > New
- Click Tag Configuration > Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration
- Paste your Measurement ID
- Under Triggering, choose All Pages
- Name the tag (e.g., “GA4 – Main Tracking”) and click Save
- Hit Submit and Publish your container
Step 4: Test Your Setup
- Visit your website in a new tab
- Go back to analytics.google.com
- Click Realtime under Reports
- You should see at least 1 active user (that’s you!)
There are many other SEO tracking tools available, some free, some paid with trials. But these are great to start with.
Beginner SEO Website Checklist #4: Create Your First Backlinks
If you read my post on SEO strategies for higher rankings, you already know your website lives in a digital ecosystem. The more quality connections it has, the more trustworthy it appears to search engines.
A backlink is simply a link from another website pointing to yours. For example, if you’re a travel agency and a travel magazine features your site in a “Top 30 Budget-Friendly Destinations” list with a link to your homepage, that’s a backlink.
How to Start Building Backlinks:
- Share your site on all your social media profiles
- Set up a Google Business Profile (especially if you’re a local business)
- Join niche communities and add your site to your profile
- Pitch yourself to blogs or podcasts in your industry
- Offer a guest post, quote, or interview in exchange for a link
While you can grow your site organically without backlinks, they help a lot. It’s up to you to decide, based on your niche and specific goals, if it’s something you want to prioritize or not. But don’t chase backlinks for your website just for the sake of it. One relevant backlink from a trusted site in your industry is far more valuable than ten random ones.
Beginner SEO Website Checklist #5: Keep Your Website Fresh
One of the biggest myths about SEO is thinking it’s a one-and-done job. Search engines love fresh content. If you forget about your website, search engines will too.
How to Keep Things Current:
- Refresh your homepage, About, and Contact page copy regularly.
- Add new content consistently (even once a month helps).
- Create a blog or news section on your site.
- Revisit older posts every 3–6 months to update stats, fix broken links, and improve clarity.
- Use your tracking tools to identify underperforming pages and optimize them.
You don’t need to update your site daily, but you do need to show signs of life.
Bonus: Be Patient
SEO is a long-term game. Most websites take 3–6 months to see consistent traffic. So if you just launched and don’t see results yet, don’t panic. That’s completely normal.
Think of your website like a newborn. You wouldn’t leave a baby alone and expect it to figure things out, right? Your site needs attention, nurturing, and consistent care to grow.
But that doesn’t mean you have to burn out. Give yourself grace and time.
If managing SEO, blogs, and tracking tools feels more like a full-time job than your actual job, let’s change that.
As a copywriter and strategist, I help busy entrepreneurs like you create sustainable, stress-free content systems that actually work.
Book your free strategy session here and let’s make your website work for you, not the other way around.
