What to check before a WordPress theme goes live

A theme that looks right in the browser can still let you down after launch: pages that load slowly, an editor nobody dares to touch, a plugin update that breaks the layout. This is the list we go through before a WordPress theme goes live.

The editor

• Can the people who run the site change what they need without touching code? Block patterns and block styles give them ready-made layouts, and in a block theme theme.json sets the colours, fonts and spacing they can choose from.
• Are the blocks they should not use switched off, so a page cannot drift away from the design?

Speed

• Images. WordPress makes several sizes of every upload and lets the browser pick one. It also lazy-loads images, so check that the large image at the top of the page loads straight away.
• Plugins. Each one can add scripts, styles and database queries to every page. Keep the ones that earn their place.
• Caching. Page caching on the server or at the host makes repeat visits fast.

Accessibility

• Headings in order, text alternatives on images, enough colour contrast, a visible focus state and a skip link.
• Every menu, form and slider can be used with a keyboard alone.

WordPress’s requirements for themes tagged “accessibility-ready” make a good checklist, even for a theme built for one site.

Updates and safety

• Changes live in a child theme or a theme of your own, never in the files of a theme you installed: an update would wipe them out.
• WordPress, the plugins and the theme are up to date, and there are backups that you have restored at least once.
• Updates are tested on a staging copy before they reach the live site.

Search basics

• Every page has a clear title and description.
• The sitemap WordPress builds at /wp-sitemap.xml lists the pages you want found, and only those.
• Any address that changed redirects to its new page.

Handover

• A short guide for editors: how to add a page, a post and an image.
• Admin accounts that give each person only the access they need.

We build WordPress themes from your design with this list in mind, and we can run it over a theme you already have.