Post-Launch Monitoring: A Checklist for the First Eight Weeks
Launching a new website is not the finish. The first weeks after go-live are when most problems appear, and when they are cheapest to fix. A clinic that watches carefully catches broken redirects, missing tracking and lost pages before patients notice. One that does not may lose weeks of enquiries.
Here is a simple post-launch monitoring checklist for the first eight weeks.
Why the first weeks matter
A launch changes many things at once. Search engines need to recrawl, patients meet new pages and small errors that were invisible in testing can appear under real use. Watching closely means you find problems early, when they are simple to fix and have done little harm.
Day one: check the essentials
On launch day, confirm that the site loads, forms send, phone numbers work, booking routes complete and pages are not blocked from search. Test on a phone. Check that tracking is recording, and that key redirects work. A short, careful checklist on day one catches the worst errors.
Days two to seven: watch for errors
Check Search Console daily for crawl errors, missing pages and indexing warnings. Look at analytics for sudden drops. Test forms and calls again. Ask staff to report anything patients mention. The first week is when broken links and forgotten redirects tend to surface.
Post-launch monitoring includes the redirect map
Test a broader sample of old addresses, especially those with traffic or links. Fix any that lead to errors or the wrong page. Keep the redirect map handy, and add missing entries as you find them. Redirect problems are among the most common post-launch losses.
Weeks two to four: watch visibility
Track impressions, clicks and average position for your key pages and searches. Compare with your baseline. Some movement is normal. Look for a trend: is it settling, recovering or falling? Note any page that drops sharply, and investigate it.
Check enquiries as well as traffic
Compare calls, forms and bookings with the period before launch. Traffic can be steady while enquiries fall, if a page or form has a problem. Ask reception whether patients seem confused. Enquiries are what matter, so watch them as closely as visits.
Check speed and mobile experience
Test key pages on a real phone on mobile data. Look for slow loading, jumping layouts and awkward buttons. Use free tools to compare with your pre-launch scores. Performance problems can quietly reduce results, and are often quick to fix.
Weeks five to eight: refine
By now, the site should be settling. Review content that patients read most, and improve weaker pages. Add supporting content. Continue collecting reviews. Fix small issues you have logged. This stage turns a successful launch into a steadily improving site.
Keep a log
Record every issue found, when, what caused it and what fixed it. A simple shared document is enough. The log helps you see patterns, avoids repeated mistakes and gives you material for the next launch. It also helps anyone who takes over.
Assign responsibility
Name who checks what, and how often. Reception can report patient feedback, the web team can check technical health and the marketing lead can review visibility and enquiries. Clear roles prevent everyone assuming somebody else is watching.
Set alerts
Use Search Console and uptime monitoring to send alerts if the site goes down, or if serious issues appear. Automatic warnings catch problems out of hours. A small setup effort gives a lot of protection.
Hold a review at eight weeks
At the end of the period, review results with the whole team: visibility, enquiries, technical health, feedback and the log. Compare with your goals. Decide what to fix, what to grow and what to keep watching. Then move to a lighter, regular monitoring routine.
Use a simple dashboard
Collect the key numbers in one place: impressions, clicks, enquiries, errors and speed. Update it weekly. A simple view helps everyone see the trend at a glance, and makes it easy to spot a problem early without wading through several reports.
Plan the quiet phase after eight weeks
When the intensive monitoring ends, keep a lighter routine: a monthly check of errors, speed and key pages, and a quarterly review. Sites decay quietly when nobody looks. A short, regular habit protects the investment you made in the launch.
Test the patient journey again in week four
A month after launch, repeat the full journey: search, page, enquiry, reply. Note anything that has changed. Problems often appear after updates or plugin changes, and a second check catches issues that the launch-day test could not.
Talk to patients who used the site early
A few patients who booked in the first weeks can tell you what was easy and what was awkward. A brief, friendly question at the end of a call or in a follow-up message gives you insight that no report provides, and shows patients you care about their experience.
A quick checklist
- Check forms, calls, booking and tracking on day one.
- Watch Search Console for errors daily in week one.
- Test redirects on old addresses.
- Compare enquiries as well as traffic.
- Keep a log of every issue.
- Review with the team at eight weeks.
Our companion article on traffic dips after a launch helps you judge what you see, and our SEO performance reporting service explains how we track results. If you would like help, we are glad at Pulse Digital Health to talk.
Frequently asked questions
Why monitor a website after launch?
Because most problems appear in the first weeks, when they are cheapest to fix. Broken redirects, missing tracking and lost pages can cost enquiries if nobody is watching. Print the checklist and tick it off in front of the team. A printed checklist makes launch day calmer and more thorough.
What should I check on launch day?
That the site loads, forms send, phone numbers work, booking completes, tracking records, key redirects work and pages are not blocked from search. Test on a phone. Ask reception to report anything patients mention about the site. Patient comments reach reception before they reach the report, so ask them.
How often should I check Search Console?
Daily in the first week, then weekly. Look for crawl errors, missing pages, indexing warnings and changes in impressions and clicks. Sort Search Console errors by number of pages affected and fix the biggest first. Fixing errors by number of pages affected gets the most benefit first.
Why check enquiries as well as traffic?
Traffic can be steady while enquiries fall if a form or page has a problem. Enquiries are what matter, so compare calls, forms and bookings with the period before launch. Compare calls, forms and bookings with the weeks before launch. Enquiries tell you the truth even when traffic figures are unclear.
Who should be responsible for monitoring?
Name roles: reception for patient feedback, the web team for technical health and the marketing lead for visibility and enquiries. Clear roles stop everyone assuming someone else is watching. Name a person for each check, with a backup. Clear roles mean nobody assumes someone else is watching.
What should happen at eight weeks?
A team review of visibility, enquiries, technical health and the issue log against your goals, then a move to a lighter, regular monitoring routine. Write down what you would change for the next launch. A written lesson list is the most valuable output of any launch.
