In this episode Wes and Scott discuss their pre-launch checklists. They talk about performance, accessibility, compatibility, SEO, analytics, and more - all the things you should check before launching something to the world.
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Show Notes 1:45 - Overall
Let robots do the work for you - use auditing tools Lighthouse
SEO Checkers
Accessibility checkers like axe
2:58 - Performance
Compress those images Build process
Cloudinary
ImageOptim
imgIX
Minify
Code Splitting Smaller bundles where it makes sense
A future where it’s done for us
Run page speed tests like Google PageSpeed Insights
Don’t service worker on launch
Syntax Ep 50 - Progressive Web Apps
11:43 - Compatibility
Test on actual browsers that need to be supported
Ask people to check on their devices
Use a service like Browserstack
Browser resolution and ratios
Cache busters
16:00 - Sales / Credit Cards
Use package.lock
Have multiple people test your checkout
Make sure your company name is listed on customer’s credit card bills
Have a phone number listed for disputes
24:55 - Tips from the Trenches
Secure API endpoints
Scale up server just in case
Early access
Soft launch
Make sure URLs are correct - no “localhost:3000”, etc.
31:25 - Content
Check spelling and grammar
A working 404 page
Check for leftover placeholder text → launching with lorem ipsum is not good
34:39 - Accessibility
Alt text
Run color contrast checker
Run Lighthouse
Correct tab order Use the site with keyboard only and make sure it’s a good experience
37:35 - SEO
Sitemap created and uploaded to Google Webmaster Tools
SEO checkers
Meta tags
Correct heading hierarchy
41:55 - Analytics
Google analytics
Facebook tracking pixel
Drip
43:23 - Server config & access
.htaccess redirects where needed
robots.txt prevent indexing of some pages
Enable GZIP
Caching
Cloudflare or other CDN
46:12 - Company Processes
Make sure tests are passing
Git issues are closed
Merge pull requests
Write documentation on processes (readme, etc.)
Deploy to staging environment and test production build
No unwanted logs or errors left in production build
DNS Propagation
××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Swindled Podcast
Wes: FIFO Bottles
Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level Up Pro
Wes’ Advanced React Course - use the code SYNTAX for $10 off
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