A checklist for all projects that are going live

This checklist is used whenever a project is going live at https://spatie.be

1. Browserstack tests

  • Desktop: test on latest versions of Chrome, IE/Edge, Firefox, Safari
  • Mobile: test on latest versions of Mobile Safari, Android

2. Front end checklist

Assets

  • Search sources for http://. Replace by https://
  • Lint (s)css sources
  • Webfonts: is the live domain configured in services like Typekit, Fonts.com etc.?
  • Is the browserlist properly configured for autoprefixer and babel-preset-env?
  • When using PurgeCSS: check if layout is preserved.

Scripts

  • Is yarn.lock present?
  • Check JS lint errors. Remove all console.log lines in scripts
  • Check for console errors

Page weight

  • Evaluate total weight of at least homepage
  • Open Inspector network/timeline tab to identify heavy assets
  • Check if heavy assets are cached

Audits

  • Use the Chrome DevTools (in incognito mode) and perform a mobile audit (with throttling) to fix common problems.
  • Repeat with a desktop audit.

3. Check content (with an open console)

  • Are all strings / images present (and translated)?
  • Does menu/submenu have a correct active state on every page?
  • Are 404, 500 and 503 pages provided? Do they provide useful content like 'back to home', search or a navigation tree?
  • Check all pages for n+1 problems

Meta

  • Check page titles / descriptions
  • Test Facebook sharing. Provide og-tags if needed
  • Does Favicon load? Pin the tab in Safari to check pinned icon

Repeat this section for all languages

Components

  • Google Maps
    • API key needed/configured?
    • Check info windows
    • Prevent zoom out beyond 1x world
    • Try clicking on markers
  • Forms: fill out with wrong/right values
  • Video: check with sound on
  • Try subscribing to a newsletter with incorrect & correct email (use correct mail twice to get 'already subscribed' message)
  • Check layout of emails
  • Check structured data for news, events, products,... https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/

4. Back end checklist

  • Open up /blender
  • Remove unused modules from main menu
  • Configure Analytics dashboard
  • Create a new admin and try to log in
  • Try the password reset flow for existing user
  • Try saving article / news / ...
  • Verify all e-mail recipients are correct
  • Scan database for urls to development domain
  • Check client's logo in header

5. Server, DNS & Services

Google Search Console

  • Submit all www/non-www http/https variations
  • Set up non-www https as the preferred domain
  • Crawl > Fetch as Google > Submit to index to kickstart index

Server

  • Are DigitalOcean backups enabled?
  • Are Amazon backups enabled?
  • Is the output of artisan task backup:run ok?
  • Is artisan scheduled on Forge?
  • Is Horizon configured in Supervisor on Forge? Command should be php artisan horizon. Path should be /home/forge/my-new-site.com/current
  • Is the url being monitored by Oh Dear!?
  • Is the server being monitored by our server-monitor?

Github

  • Remove develop branch or other stale branches

About Spatie

Spatie is a webdesign agency based in Antwerp, Belgium. You'll find an overview of all our open source projects on our website.