Launch the website without the last-minute panic
Every task a website launch needs, from the first plan to a month after go-live, already in a spreadsheet. Set your launch date and every due date is worked out back from it. Overdue tasks go red, and the dashboard tells you when the must-haves are done.
Download the template
Excel .xlsx · 42 KB · free, no signup
| Task | Phase | Days from launch | Due date | Status | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collect brand assets: logo files, colours, fonts, photos | 1 Plan | -45 | 3 days ago | In progress | Overdue |
| Design the key pages: home, main service or product page, contact | 3 Design & build | -35 | in 7 days | In progress | Due in 7 days |
| Every form submitted with good and bad inputs | 6 Testing | -3 | in 39 days | Not started | |
| Write down the goal of the site and the one action you want visitors to take | 1 Plan | -49 | 7 days ago | Done | Done |
What's inside
- 49 tasks in eight phases: plan, content, design and build, technical and SEO, tracking, testing, launch day and after launch. They follow the same checks I use on client sites, including the ones most launches skip, like keeping the domain and logins in the business's name and testing that analytics actually records anything.
- Dates worked out from your launch day. Each task has a "days from launch" number: -14 is two weeks before, 0 is launch day, 7 is a week after. Move the launch and the whole plan moves. Need a task on a fixed day? Type it in the Fixed due date column.
- Priorities. Must, Should or Nice, so you know what can wait until after launch.
- Dashboard. Days until launch, a "ready to launch?" check, overall progress, overdue tasks, tasks due this week, tasks waiting on someone else, and progress by phase.
- Room for 300 tasks. Delete what doesn't apply to your site and add your own.
What the colours mean
- Red task: past its due date and not done.
- Amber flag: due in the next 7 days.
- Orange status: waiting on someone else. Chase it.
- Grey row: done or skipped.
"Ready to launch?"
The dashboard counts the Must tasks due on or before launch day that aren't done or skipped. When it says Yes, the essentials are covered: legal pages, HTTPS, forms that reach you, tracking that works, and a site that holds up on a phone. Should and Nice tasks can follow after launch.
Using it
- On Project, type the project name and your real launch date. Until you do, a sample date six weeks out is used and a red note reminds you.
- On Tasks, set the sample statuses back to Not started, add an owner to each task, and remove or skip anything that doesn't apply.
- Update the status as work gets done. Check the dashboard once or twice a week.
In Google Sheets: upload to Drive, right-click → Open with → Google Sheets, then File → Save as Google Sheets.
Related reading
- The reasoning behind the testing tasks: 20 things you should check before you launch a website.
- Before the plan: figure out what your business actually needs from a website.
- For the tracking phase: you installed GA4, now prove that it's actually tracking.
Website Launch Project Tracker
Excel .xlsx · 42 KB · Works with Google Sheets, Excel and LibreOffice