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Website Polish Checklist

A priority ordered list of the small things that make a site feel finished, from favicons to empty states.

By Aman Kumar2024-11-29less than a minute read
Website Polish Checklist

The Ultimate Priority-Based Guide to Perfecting Your Website

Created using Dall-E

Created using Dall-E

  1. Caching: Crucial for performance and repeat visits.

  2. Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop): Ensure device usability.

  3. At least 16px font size for all inputs: Avoid accessibility and usability issues.

  4. Test for accessibility (ARIA roles, alt attributes, contrast): Inclusive design is critical.

  5. Set accent color: Enhance the user experience with a cohesive visual identity.

  6. Prefetching and preloads: Improve perceived performance by loading resources early.

  7. Optimize page load speed (use tools like Lighthouse): Faster pages improve user satisfaction and SEO.

  8. Reduced motion (respect prefers-reduced-motion): Avoid overwhelming users with animations.

  9. Meta theme-color: Customize the browser UI for branding and polish.

  10. HTML/body background color: Prevent white flashes during page loads.

  11. Validate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: Catch errors before they impact users.

  12. Lazy loading for images and videos: Reduce unnecessary bandwidth usage.

  13. Inputs have correct type or inputmode: Improve input usability on touch devices.

  14. Focus rings: Ensure keyboard accessibility.

  15. Check on Safari: Safari often behaves differently; verify functionality.

  16. OG (Open Graph) title, image, description: Vital for sharing links on social platforms.

  17. No dead areas around labels/inputs: Prevent usability issues on touch devices.

  18. Replace default iOS tap highlight: Make the touch experience cleaner.

  19. Selection color: Subtle polish for user experience.

  20. Minify CSS, JS, and images: Essential for faster page loads.

  21. Favicon and touch icons set: Adds professionalism and polish.

  22. Cross-browser compatibility (Chrome, Edge, Firefox): Avoid functionality issues.

  23. Verify proper 404 and error pages: Ensure fallback pages are helpful and branded.

  24. Text wrapping and ellipsis for long content: Avoid broken UI on smaller screens.

  25. Check on low power mode: Test that the app works well under constrained conditions.

Explanation of Priority:

1-5: Critical for usability, accessibility, and basic functionality.

6-15: High-priority enhancements for performance and polished UX.

16-25: Nice-to-have features that add refinement and prevent edge-case issues.

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