6 Things Webdesigners Should Check Before a Site Goes Live

Photo: Phillie Casablanca

Before a website goes live, there’s a long laundry list of things to double check and go over. We’re only human, and we all forget a few of them from time to time. To help combat this, I’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of frequently forgotten items.

• 1. Have you set your Favicon? Favicons are one of the easiest things to forget. Since so much focus in web design is on the center of the screen, I often forget to give this little .ico files some love.
• 2. Have you Spell Checked your Content? This one’s a bit of a ‘duh’, after all re-reading, editing, and spell checking are a given. But if you’re like most people (myself included), you like to skip this step. Clients may not know web design, but they certainly understand spelling and grammar. A misspelling or blatant grammar mistake, especially on the index page, is a big no-no. Don’t be that guy, check it.
• 3. Have you run it through the W3C HTML and CSS Validators? Whether you believe in standards or make a great argument for breaking them, the W3C validators are still a great way to catch minor errors in your code. We designers are human after all, and coding mistakes happen to the best of us. Just remember, breaking standards is about innovation, not about sweeping the dirt under the rug.
• 4. Have you checked it in other browsers? Even in IE6? Believe me, I feel your pain. No designer likes IE 6 (if you think you do, go see a doctor, you must be running a high grade fever). Consciously deciding to not support IE6 for your own sites is one thing, but checking for IE6 Compliance on a client’s website is a must. Like it or not, there’s still a good deal of people using archaic technology. And unless the client explicitly frees you of this burden, you’re going to have to do battle with IE7’s little brother.
• 5. Have you checked Basic SEO practices? If you’re not sure what this entails, check out Search Engine Optimization - Part 1: The Basics. Any well coded site takes only a few minutes to get it up to SEO snuff. Basic SEO is a gimme, and a great way to insure your work doesn’t go unnoticed. Its a win-win for both the designer and the client.
• 6. Have you checked accessibility standards? Making the internet accessible for everyone is a responsibility web-designers shouldn’t take lightly. Basic 508 Accessibility standards are incredibly easy to implement, so if you’re unfamiliar with the standards head on over to the W3 School’s page on Accessibility and read up.

So there you have it. A quick and dirty rundown of things webdesigners should check before going live. As always, I encourage your feedback. Tell me what things you forget from time to time, maybe this list will expand.