Your business. Your website. One clear checklist.
Updated
You don't need to know how to build a website. You do need to know what it should do for your business. Start here, then give your crew a brief they can act on.
What do I need before I launch a small business website?
It depends on the job your website must do, but most small businesses need the same few things: one clear goal (calls, bookings, quotes, or sales), your real business details (services, hours, service area, prices where relevant, and photos you own), a short brief, a review on a phone and a computer, and working links and forms before go-live. Then decide who keeps the site updated. This checklist works whether you build the site yourself, hire someone, or use Lenexa.bot.
What this page is: a free, printable website-launch checklist from Lenexa.bot for small business owners. No email is required to read it.
1. Pick the one job your website must do.
- Write down who the site is for, in plain language.
- Choose a primary action: book, buy, call, request a quote, or sign up.
- List your main services or products and what makes them useful.
- Decide what a good first version needs. Save nice-to-haves for later.
2. Gather what only you can provide.
- Business name, contact details, service area, hours, and prices where relevant.
- Your logo, colors, and photos you own or have permission to use.
- Customer reviews you have permission to publish, with accurate attribution.
- Existing page and blog URLs if this is a rebuild.
- A domain and hosting account, or a list of what you still need.
Keep passwords and API keys out of your brief. Use your Studio's secure Connections area for access.
3. Give your crew a useful brief.
- Say what the visitor should do and why they should choose you.
- Point out anything the old site already does well.
- Set a budget for paid services, ad spend, and additional work.
- Ask for the design and launch plan before approving go-live.
4. Review it like a customer.
- Open the design on a phone and a computer.
- Check your business name, contact details, prices, and claims.
- Make sure the main button is easy to find and says what happens next.
- Read the copy aloud. Does it sound like your business?
- Check image permissions and make sure testimonials are genuine.
5. Check before you say “publish.”
- Test links, forms, email notifications, booking, and payment test flows.
- Check keyboard access, readable contrast, and meaningful image descriptions.
- Confirm the live domain, HTTPS, hosting access, and a rollback backup.
- Review page titles, descriptions, canonical URLs, sitemap, and crawler rules.
- For a rebuild, test old URLs and redirects before switching over.
- Approve go-live only when you understand what is changing.
6. Give the website a life after launch.
- Check the live site and test the important actions once more.
- Choose the next useful improvement based on real customer questions.
- Review usage and budgets before starting more work.
- Keep contact details, services, and offers current.
- Use measurement tools you have permission to use. Improve from evidence, not guesses.
You bring the idea. Your crew helps with the rest.
lenexa.bot brings design, content, development, marketing, and publishing into one conversation. Plans start at $59/month (as of October 2026), with 200 welcome credits in your first month. Hosting is separate.
Choose my website crew