Website acceptance checklist to run before launch.

Here is a reusable acceptance checklist, organized by area, to turn into an acceptance test plan for your project. Copy the groups that apply to you, add a status column and an owner, and you have a usable plan in minutes. No download, no email to leave: it is right on this page, take what you need.

How to use this template

Each group below is a test area; each row is a case to verify. Pull them into a spreadsheet, and for each case add three columns: expected result (what must happen), status (pass / fail / not tested) and owner. During acceptance, you tick. A fail opens a defect: that is where a feedback widget like Couac avoids retyping, the tester clicks the problem and the ticket leaves with the URL, the browser, the console and the screenshot. This list is deliberately generic: remove what does not apply, add your business cases.

Before launch: the blockers never to skip

Four checks sink a launch if they slip: is the site accidentally indexable on staging (or wrongly blocked on production)? Do critical forms actually send their emails in real conditions? Does payment, if any, pass a real end-to-end test? Are the HTTPS certificate and redirects in place? These four are not cosmetic: one miss and the site is live but broken where it counts. Treat them as blocking cases in your plan, at the top of the list.

Navigation and links

No dead links

Every internal and external link responds, no unexpected 404.

Menu and breadcrumb

The menu reflects the final structure, the breadcrumb is consistent on every page.

Custom 404 page

A non-existent URL returns a real 404 page with a way back home.

Redirects

Old URLs 301-redirect to the new ones, no loop and no chain.

Forms and submissions

Valid submission

Correct data: confirmation shown, email received on target, fields cleared.

Error validation

Empty required field or malformed email: clear error message, no submission.

Anti-spam protection

Captcha or honeypot active, and a legitimate submission is not wrongly blocked.

Recipient and receipt

The email reaches the right address, the sender is readable, any receipt arrives.

Content and media

Spelling and consistency

Copy proofread, no leftover Lorem ipsum, consistent tone and casing.

Images and weight

Visuals sharp, well framed, compressed, correctly sized, alt text filled.

Legal notices up to date

Notices, privacy policy and terms reflect the correct entity.

Responsive and mobile

Breakpoints

Correct display from mobile to desktop, no overflow or clipped text.

Touch targets

Buttons and links large and spaced enough for a finger, at least 44 px.

Mobile menu

The burger menu opens, closes and navigates without trapping focus.

Browser compatibility

Target browsers

Rendering verified on recent Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.

Safari iOS

Special case: check forms, video and viewport heights on iPhone.

Performance

Load time

First useful paint is fast, even on a throttled mobile connection.

Core Web Vitals

LCP, CLS and INP in the green on key pages, measured on mobile.

Optimized images

Modern formats, explicit dimensions, lazy loading below the fold.

Technical SEO

Title and meta description

Unique per page, sensible length, clear intent.

Controlled indexing

robots.txt and meta robots consistent, staging not indexable, production indexable.

Sitemap and canonical

Up-to-date sitemap.xml submitted, correct canonical tags, no duplication.

Structured data

Relevant Schema.org in place and valid where it helps.

Accessibility

Contrast

Text readable, contrast ratio meeting AA level.

Keyboard navigation

Everything reachable and operable by keyboard, visible focus.

Text alternatives

Meaningful images described, form fields labeled.

Privacy compliance

Cookie banner

Real consent: no non-essential tracker before acceptance.

HTTPS everywhere

Whole site on HTTPS, no mixed content, redirect from HTTP.

Data and forms

Purpose stated, consent box where needed, rights explained.

Frequently asked questions

Does this template replace a real acceptance test plan?

It is the raw material for one. A checklist becomes an acceptance test plan when you add, for each row, a verifiable expected result, a pass/fail status kept during acceptance and an owner. Pull these groups into a spreadsheet, fill those three columns, and you have a usable plan. To go further, also see website acceptance testing end to end.

Do you have to test everything at every launch?

No. On a big rebuild, you run the whole checklist. On a small update, you target the affected areas plus the blockers (critical forms, payment, indexing, HTTPS). The point of a checklist by areas is exactly that: replaying only part of it knowingly, without redoing everything or missing anything essential.

How do you turn a failed case into a ticket without retyping everything?

That is exactly what a visual feedback widget is for. When a case fails, instead of copying the URL, the browser and the steps into a spreadsheet, you click the problem from the page: Couac creates the ticket with the screenshot, the console, the network and the exact target, and files it on a board where you track progress to the fix then re-verify the row.

Run acceptance with a real tool

Request access, drop the widget on your staging environment and turn every acceptance report into a reproducible ticket, tracked on a board.