Launching a website? A checklist for one people will trust
You've built the site. Before you share the link, a few minutes of checks can make the difference between someone staying and someone hitting back. None of these need a developer, and every one of them is something visitors notice, even if they couldn't tell you why.
The checklist
- Use https. Browsers warn people away from sites without it. Most hosts turn it on for free.
- Test it on a phone. Most visits are on phones. Make sure the page has a mobile viewport tag, the text is readable without zooming, and the buttons are big enough to tap.
- Make it fast. Aim for the first page to load in about a second. Shrink big images, and avoid loading things you don't use.
- Give every page a real title. It's what shows in the browser tab, in search results and in bookmarks. "Home" isn't a title; "Kauri Coffee Roasters: small-batch beans in Whangārei" is.
- Write a description. The meta description is the line under your title in search results. One or two plain sentences about what the site is for.
- Add a share image. When someone pastes your link into a message or post, the og:image is the picture that shows. Without one, your link looks bare next to everyone else's.
- Add an icon. A favicon makes your tab recognisable and your bookmark findable.
- Set the page language. A lang attribute on the page helps screen readers and translation tools.
- Turn on HSTS if your host offers it. It tells browsers to always use the secure version of your site.
- Check it loads with nothing cached. Open it in a private window, on a different network if you can. What a first-time visitor sees is what matters.
How this shows up on URL Cards
When a site is added to URL Cards, its home page is measured once: response time, page size, https, HSTS, a CDN, caching, the mobile viewport, the title, the language, the description and the technology it's built with. Those feed the card's usability and scalability stats.
Your share image and icon matter too. Some sites don't allow themselves to be shown inside other sites (they send a header called X-Frame-Options). Those sites still get a card, but instead of a live preview, the card shows a preview made from the site's own share image, icon, title and description. A good share image makes that preview look as good as the real thing.
Then share it
When you're happy, add your site to URL Cards. It gets a player card straight away, in a pool where people browse new sites on purpose. Claim the card with a DNS record and you can add your own image and bio, and put a badge on your site that links back to it.