Usability Testing Checklist: What to Test Before Your Website Goes Live
Launching a website without usability testing is risky. This comprehensive pre-launch checklist covers visual hierarchy, navigation, forms, mobile experience, performance, and SEO—so you can catch costly mistakes before going live.
You’re about to launch. The design is finished. The content is uploaded. The developers say everything works.
Time to go live?
Not yet.
Every website launch carries risk. Broken forms, confusing navigation, invisible CTAs, slow loading, mobile layout issues — these problems are often invisible to the team that built the page but immediately obvious to first-time visitors.
This checklist is your safety net. Run through it before every launch — whether it’s a full website, a landing page, or a major update. It takes less than an hour and can prevent weeks of lost conversions.
How to Use This Checklist
Mark each item as:
✅ Pass — No issue
⚠️ Warning — Minor issue, fix soon
❌ Fail — Must fix before launch
Launch rule: Zero ❌ items before going live.
1. Visual Hierarchy & First Impression
The Blur Test
Headline remains visible when blurred
CTA stands out clearly
Decorative elements do not overpower functional elements
Mobile version also passes blur test
Visual Hierarchy
Clear size difference between headline, subheadline, and body
CTA uses a unique color
Generous white space around CTA
Only one main focal point per viewport
Consistent visual patterns across sections
First Impression
Page purpose clear within 5 seconds
Target audience obvious
Value proposition above the fold
No visual clutter
2. Navigation & Structure
Main navigation under 7 items
Current page highlighted
Logo links to homepage
Landing pages minimize navigation
Breadcrumbs exist when needed
All links work
No “click here” links
Important pages reachable within 3 clicks
3. Content & Readability
Text
Headlines clear and specific
Body text scannable
No spelling errors
Consistent tone
No placeholder text
Readability
Minimum 16px body text
Line length under 75 characters
Strong contrast
Proper heading structure
Media
Alt text added
Images meaningful
No broken images
Videos include captions if needed
4. Forms & Conversion Points
Forms tested end-to-end
Only essential fields included
Helpful error messages
Error messages appear near fields
Form preserves data on error
Clear success confirmation
Primary CTA visible above the fold
CTA repeated on long pages
Only one primary CTA style
Trust signals near forms
Privacy policy linked
Pricing transparent
5. Mobile Experience
No horizontal scrolling
Headline visible without scrolling
CTA visible or sticky
Touch targets at least 44x44px
Spacing prevents accidental taps
Text readable without zoom
Forms use correct mobile keyboards
Tested on real devices
6. Performance & Technical
PageSpeed score above 80
LCP under 2.5s
FID under 100ms
CLS under 0.1
Images compressed
No render-blocking scripts
Tested in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge
No console errors
SSL certificate valid
7. SEO & Tracking
Unique title tag
Compelling meta description
One H1 per page
Clean URL
Canonical set
Open Graph tags added
Analytics installed
Conversion tracking tested
Quick 10-Minute Version
If short on time, check:
Blur test
5-second clarity test
CTA visibility
Mobile usability
Form functionality
Page speed
Broken links
Readability
Trust signals
Analytics tracking
Conclusion
Checklists aren’t glamorous. But they prevent costly mistakes.
Run through this list before every launch. It’s faster than explaining why conversions are low after going live.