Checklist: 10 Essential Things to Check Before Launching Your Website in Georgia
Introduction
Launching a website is like opening a new storefront on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. You wouldn't open the doors to customers with wet paint on the walls, a broken cash register, and half-finished displays, would you? Yet this is exactly what many businesses do with their websites—rushing to go live with an unfinished, untested site that drives away their first and most valuable visitors.
A poorly launched website doesn't just waste money—it damages your brand reputation from day one. In Georgia's competitive business environment, where building trust with customers takes time, you can't afford to make a bad first impression. Studies show that 94% of first impressions are design-related, and you have just 3 seconds to capture a visitor's attention before they leave.
Whether you're an expat starting a business in Tbilisi, running an international company, or a local entrepreneur targeting global markets, your website is often the first touchpoint with potential customers. To ensure your launch is a success and your website development in Georgia investment starts paying off immediately, we've created this essential 10-point checklist. Follow these steps, and you'll launch with confidence, knowing your site is ready to impress customers and generate business from day one.
Quick Navigation: Your Pre-Launch Checklist
- Mobile Responsiveness: A Flawless Experience on Every Device
- Website Speed: How Fast is Fast Enough?
- Cross-Browser Compatibility: Perfect Performance Everywhere
- Basic SEO Setup: Your Digital Business Card in Google
- Security (SSL Certificate): Building Trust and Protecting Data
- Functional Forms & Buttons: Converting Visitors into Customers
- Content & Proofreading: Professional Communication Builds Trust
- Analytics Installation: Measuring Success and ROI
- Legal Pages: Building Trust and Compliance
- Favicon & 404 Page: Professional Touches That Matter
- Frequently Asked Questions
Checklist: 10 Essential Pre-Launch Checks
1. Mobile Responsiveness: A Flawless Experience on Every Device
Why it's crucial for your business? Over 60% of internet users in Georgia access websites through smartphones. If your site is difficult to navigate on mobile, you're literally turning away more than half of your potential customers. Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results, meaning poor mobile experience equals poor visibility.
What & how to check?
- Open your website on your smartphone and tablet.
- Ask friends and colleagues to test it on their devices (different brands and screen sizes).
- Check if text is easily readable without zooming.
- Ensure buttons and links are large enough to tap comfortably. You can easily check for compliance using Google's official Mobile-Friendly Test. And for a quick visual check, use a service that shows your site on multiple devices at once.
2. Website Speed: How Fast is Fast Enough?
Why it's crucial for your business? Every second counts online. Research shows that 40% of visitors abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. In Georgia, where internet speeds can vary, a slow website means lost customers, reduced Google rankings, and decreased sales. Speed directly impacts your bottom line.
What & how to check?
- Use Google PageSpeed Insights (a free tool) to test your site speed.
- Test loading times from different locations and internet connections.
- Check if your site loads within 3 seconds on both desktop and mobile.
- Identify large images that might be slowing down your pages.
3. Cross-Browser Compatibility: Perfect Performance Everywhere
Why it's crucial for your business? Your customers use different web browsers—Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. If your website breaks or looks unprofessional in any of these browsers, you're losing potential customers. This is especially important for expat businesses in Georgia targeting diverse international audiences.
What & how to check?
- Open your website in at least 4 major browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge).
- Check that all buttons, forms, and navigation menus work identically.
- Pay special attention to Safari on iPhones if you target international customers. Professional agencies use special services like BrowserStack to guarantee a perfect display everywhere.
4. Basic SEO Setup: Your Digital Business Card in Google
Why it's crucial for your business? Proper SEO setup is like having a professional business listing in the phone book—except this phone book is Google, and it's how 93% of online experiences begin. Without basic SEO, your web development in Tbilisi investment won't attract the organic traffic needed to grow your business.
What & how to check?
- Ensure every page has a unique, descriptive title tag (what appears in Google search results).
- Write compelling meta descriptions for each page (the preview text under your title). Here is a clear example of how this looks in a search.
- Include relevant keywords naturally in your content.
- Verify that your Google My Business listing links to your website correctly.
5. Security (SSL Certificate): Building Trust and Protecting Data
Why it's crucial for your business? Websites without SSL certificates display "Not Secure" warnings that immediately destroy customer trust. Google penalizes unsecured sites, and modern browsers warn users (see how on this example of an insecure site). For Georgia web design projects, SSL is non-negotiable.
What & how to check?
- Look for a padlock icon in your browser's address bar.
- Verify your website URL starts with "https://" (not "http://").
- Test that typing "http://yourwebsite.com" automatically redirects to the secure "https://" version.
6. Functional Forms & Buttons: Converting Visitors into Customers
Why it's crucial for your business? This is where potential customers become actual customers. A broken contact form or non-functional "Buy Now" button means losing ready-to-purchase visitors without even knowing it happened. Every broken form is money walking out the door.
What & how to check?
- Fill out and submit every form on your website (contact, newsletter, quote requests).
- Verify that form submissions reach your email and/or CRM system.
- Test that automatic confirmation emails are sent to customers.
- Ensure thank-you pages appear after successful form submissions.
7. Content & Proofreading: Professional Communication Builds Trust
Why it's crucial for your business? Spelling errors, outdated information, and broken links immediately signal unprofessionalism. Customers think: "If they can't maintain their website properly, how will they handle my business?" In Georgia's international business environment, perfect English is crucial for credibility.
What & how to check?
- Proofread all text for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
- Verify that all contact information (phone numbers, addresses, emails) is current and correct.
- Check that prices, services, and business hours are up-to-date.
- Test every link to ensure it goes to the correct destination.
8. Analytics Installation: Measuring Success and ROI
Why it's crucial for your business? You can't improve what you don't measure. Without analytics, you're flying blind—you won't know how many visitors you're getting, where they're from, or which pages are most effective. This data is essential for optimizing your SEO services in Tbilisi investment and improving business results.
What & how to check?
- Confirm Google Analytics is properly installed on all pages.
- Set up goal tracking for important actions (form submissions, phone calls, purchases).
- You can see what the control panel looks like in the official Google Analytics Demo Account.
9. Legal Pages: Building Trust and Compliance
Why it's crucial for your business? Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages aren't just legal requirements—they build customer trust and protect your business. With GDPR compliance affecting international businesses, having proper legal pages shows professionalism and protects you from potential legal issues.
What & how to check?
- Ensure you have a Privacy Policy page that's easily accessible.
- Include Terms of Service if you sell products or services online.
- A good example can be found in the footer of the Wolt website, which links to all legal documents.
10. Favicon & 404 Page: Professional Touches That Matter
Why it's crucial for your business? These small details separate professional websites from amateur ones. A favicon (the small icon in browser tabs) and a custom 404 error page show attention to detail and maintain your brand experience even when something goes wrong.
What & how to check?
- Look at your browser tab—does your logo or a custom icon appear next to your website name?
- Try visiting a non-existent page (like yourwebsite.com/this-page-does-not-exist).
- Check if you see a professional, branded 404 error page. Take a look at how creatively GitHub or Pixar handle this.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long before launch should I start this checklist?
Ideally, begin working through this checklist 1-2 weeks before your planned launch date. This gives you enough time to identify and fix issues without rushing. Many businesses make the mistake of checking these items the day before launch, only to discover critical problems that require days to resolve—like broken forms, slow loading speeds, or missing SSL certificates. If you're working with a website development agency in Tbilisi, they should be completing most of these checks as part of their standard process, but it's still wise to verify everything yourself. Think of it like a final walkthrough before moving into a new apartment—you want to catch any issues before you're committed. For complex websites with e-commerce functionality or custom features, start testing even earlier, perhaps 3-4 weeks out, to allow time for thorough quality assurance across all scenarios.
Can I launch without completing all 10 points on this checklist?
Technically yes, but practically speaking, you're setting yourself up for problems. Some items on this list are absolute must-haves before launch: mobile responsiveness (60% of your traffic), SSL certificate (security warnings kill trust), and functional forms (how customers contact you). Others, like analytics installation and legal pages, can technically be added shortly after launch, but you'll lose valuable data or expose yourself to legal risks during that gap. The real question isn't "Can I skip items?" but rather "What's the cost of launching incomplete?" A broken contact form could mean losing your first 10 customers without knowing why. A slow website could tank your Google rankings from day one. The time investment to complete this checklist—perhaps 8-10 hours total—is minuscule compared to the weeks or months needed to recover from a poor first impression. If you're genuinely pressed for time, prioritize items 1, 2, 5, and 6 as absolute must-haves, then add the rest within your first week live.
What's the most common mistake businesses make when launching websites?
The single most common and costly mistake is launching without thorough testing on real mobile devices. Many businesses test their website only on their computer, assuming the mobile version "must be fine." Then they launch and discover that their contact form doesn't work on iPhones, their menu is unusable on Android tablets, or images don't load properly on smaller screens. This is particularly problematic for businesses in Georgia where mobile usage is exceptionally high. The second most common mistake is launching without analytics installed—essentially flying blind from day one, unable to see which marketing efforts work or which pages convert visitors into customers. Third is neglecting the SSL certificate, which causes browsers to display scary "Not Secure" warnings that immediately destroy trust, especially problematic if you're collecting customer information or payments. These aren't minor oversights—they're business-critical errors that can cost thousands in lost revenue and months in recovery time.
Do I need a professional agency to complete this checklist, or can I do it myself?
You can absolutely work through this checklist yourself if you're reasonably tech-savvy and willing to invest the time. Most items require no technical expertise—testing your site on different devices, proofreading content, and checking forms are straightforward tasks anyone can do. Tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights guide you through the technical checks with clear pass/fail results. However, there's a significant difference between identifying problems and fixing them. You might discover your site loads slowly, but optimizing images, implementing caching, and configuring server settings requires technical knowledge. Similarly, you can identify that your site doesn't work in Safari, but fixing cross-browser compatibility issues requires development skills. This is where professional help becomes valuable—not just for completing the checklist, but for resolving the issues it reveals. Many businesses find a middle ground: they use this checklist to identify problems, then engage a developer for a focused "pre-launch cleanup" rather than starting from scratch with a full redesign.
Conclusion
Going through this website launch checklist ensures your website is a professional asset ready to welcome customers, not a liability that scares them away. Each item on this list protects your investment and guarantees that your website cost in Tbilisi will start generating returns from day one.
Remember: it's better to spend an extra week on these checks than months trying to recover from a poor first impression. In Georgia's growing digital marketplace, where competition increases daily, every detail matters.
Whether you're building a website in Georgia for a local audience or targeting international markets, these fundamentals remain the same. A properly launched website builds trust, generates leads, and supports your business growth objectives.
Does this checklist seem overwhelming? Want to be 100% confident that your new website is ready to generate profit from day one?
Contact us at Digital Craft. We offer a free, no-obligation express audit of your pre-launch website to ensure everything is done right and ready to impress your customers in Georgia and beyond.