Insights/ Hosting

Website Hosting Launch Checklist for New Zealand Businesses

Launching a website involves more than uploading files. This checklist covers domain settings, DNS, SSL, redirects, contact forms and backups to help you prepare a website for launch.

Website hosting server setup
  1. Upload the site to public_html (or a subfolder if you are testing).
  2. Confirm the correct homepage file or hosting document root is configured for your website.
  3. Point the domain’s A record. Wait for DNS. Do not rush SSL before the domain resolves.
  4. Issue SSL and force HTTPS.
  5. Add both www and apex redirects so Google sees one version.
  6. Test the contact form to a real inbox.
  7. Confirm that suitable website backups are configured and that you know how to restore them.
  8. Set a 404 page so broken links do not look abandoned.

Keep a text file of nameservers and the old host login for two weeks. Rollbacks are cheaper than heroics.

Hosting with Trinity