Wordpress
WordPress SEO Settings to Check Before Launch
A launch checklist for WordPress URL, visibility, template, and staging controls.
A launch checklist for WordPress URL, visibility, template, and staging controls.
Direct answer: Before a WordPress launch, verify the public URL, HTTPS, permalink structure, search visibility, comments and registration policy, canonical/indexation layer, robots policy, sitemap eligibility, and representative templates. Treat staging protection as an environment control and remove it only in a separately approved production release.
Settings checklist
- General: confirm WordPress Address and Site Address use the intended HTTPS domain.
- Reading: confirm search visibility matches the environment. A protected staging site should remain blocked.
- Discussion: disable comments if the publication does not operate a moderated comment system.
- Permalinks: verify the frozen topic-owned structure and test a representative post.
- Users: keep registration off and assign the least privilege needed for editorial work.
Template and response checks
Fetch the homepage, every topic hub, an evergreen article, a News item, a Tool record, search, and a 404. Record status, canonical, robots directives, JSON-LD count, headings, and key assets. A staging pass should prove that protection is still active; it should not be mistaken for production indexability.
Release sign-off
Pair the settings check with a coordinated backup and an isolated restore record. Before production authorization, confirm the final hostname, remove only the staging controls that are intentionally replaced, and run the regression suite again. The staging and rollback checklist explains the evidence chain.
This guide separates documented platform behavior from interpretation and identifies the source behind material claims.