--- title: "Go Live" canonical: "https://kb.uconn.edu/space/IKB/10749248496/Go%20Live" format: markdown --- > ⚠️ Before the site goes live, it will be reviewed by University Communications, the Department Communicators (if applicable) as well as ITS Accessibility to ensure the site is [Accessible](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkb.uconn.edu%2Fspace%2FIKB%2F10779852898%2FAccessibility&data=05%7C01%7Cmusa.jatkowski%40uconn.edu%7Ce4117ec2335c46fe810208dbbeb02cbc%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638313436094235741%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=F65iaLuz6jsjC3XpPOek8KC1xcDuOA4WW8RGfAiFSZs%3D&reserved=0) and following the [Standard Guidelines](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrand.uconn.edu%2Fguidelines-usage%2Fweb%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cmusa.jatkowski%40uconn.edu%7Ce4117ec2335c46fe810208dbbeb02cbc%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638313436094235741%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DSOSLMEalAdBauNTgtuttjJjiUc4qkPpKdjJUdUFjjc%3D&reserved=0).  > ⚠️ > ⚠️ **To avoid delays in the site going live**, please make sure you have addressed any [Standards](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbrand.uconn.edu%2Fguidelines-usage%2Fweb%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cmusa.jatkowski%40uconn.edu%7Ce4117ec2335c46fe810208dbbeb02cbc%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638313436094235741%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DSOSLMEalAdBauNTgtuttjJjiUc4qkPpKdjJUdUFjjc%3D&reserved=0) and [Accessibility](https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkb.uconn.edu%2Fspace%2FIKB%2F10779852898%2FAccessibility&data=05%7C01%7Cmusa.jatkowski%40uconn.edu%7Ce4117ec2335c46fe810208dbbeb02cbc%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638313436094235741%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=F65iaLuz6jsjC3XpPOek8KC1xcDuOA4WW8RGfAiFSZs%3D&reserved=0) issues before sending the [Site Review and Go Live Request](https://aurora.uconn.edu/site-review-and-go-live-request/).  > ⚠️ > ⚠️ *Sites **will NOT** go live until they have been approved, please allow time for this process (1-2 weeks). * > ℹ️ Documents that are linked to from a website also need to be accessible, see [how to make Documents accessible](https://accessibility.its.uconn.edu/documents/). If you have questions please contact the [ITS Accessibility Coordinator](mailto:ITAccessibility@uconn.edu). (See all [Aurora WordPress Training](https://aurora.uconn.edu/block-editor/training/)) ## **Going Live Checklist** ### 1) Check Admin Email Verify the Admin Email, it was set to the primary contacts email when the site was created. The Admin Email is listed under **Settings** > **General** > **Administration Email Address**. This email is used for a number of purposes and is the *default email *for any site using the **Gravity Forms** plugin. The admin email receives all form results and notifications pertaining to Gravity Forms unless the Gravity Forms Notification was set to a different email address. ![admin email address](media://d524a5dd-db2f-4cf4-a413-34690bc9c7ac) ### 2) Change Tag Line Be sure to change the Tag Line, which is listed under **Settings** > **General** > **Tagline**. This is used to enhance SEO (Search Engine Optimization). ### 3) Check for Broken Links Go to your Dashboard to check to see if there are any broken links. If there are, be sure to repair them before you go live. For more information, check out the [Broken Links](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IKB/pages/27620016158) article. ![broken link checker](media://e355deb3-1121-4f04-b5f5-9a4e683fa518) ### 4) Accessibility Check All sites must be ADA Compliant by 2026. Read through the [Accessibility Guidelines](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/x/YoCHggI), watch the [Accessibility Overview Training video](https://kaltura.uconn.edu/media/02-Accessibility/1_e4a85dbh), and go to the [IT Accessibility website](https://accessibility.its.uconn.edu/websites/) for more information and tools to check your site. ### 5) Request Live Site Address Submit the [Site Review and Go Live Request](https://aurora.uconn.edu/go-live-request/). We will remove the word “draft” from the URL which includes running a Search and Replace to update the links. Some links may not change so be prepared to do a manual review of the website. Any links that didn’t get updated will be listed under broken links once a scan of the site has been preformed. Once the change is made, you will be notified. Some will see the changes immediately, although it may take a few hours for everyone to see the new version of the site. You can reboot your computer to see the change immediately, or if you are comfortable in the command line, you can [clear your DNS cache](https://www.whatsmydns.net/flush-dns.html). ## **After Going Live Checklist** You will receive an email notifying you that the site is live. Now you should complete the following items: ### 1) Check for Broken Links Again #### Run Broken Link Checker Depending on how you made your site, it is possible that there could be broken links in the Navigation or Homepage after the site address changes. Run one more check to be sure everything is ok. a) Navigate to **Tools > Broken Links**. b) Click the **Search** button on the top right. c) Leave all the fields blank, and hit **Search**. #### Manually Check Any Widgets The Broken Link checker does not scan the contents of widgets like the Visual Editor and others. On your **homepage** and any other page that uses *sidebars*, check the links by clicking on them to make sure they work correctly. ### 2) Search Engine Visibility Go to the **Dashboard**, and go to **Settings** > **Reading**. Make sure the Site Visibility is set to **Public Access **to allow** **Google and other search engines to crawl and index your new website. ### 3) Google Analytics Setup *Optional, but recommended.* Aurora uses [Google Analytics](http://www.google.com/analytics/) to track site-specific traffic information. If you are interested in site traffic stats, please follow the [instructions to set up Google Analytics](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/x/q4TZggI) for your website. #### Crawling Google will eventually find your site and index it. With Google Webmaster Tools, you can speed up the process. This requires Analytics to have already been set up on your site. While verifying your ownership, use alternative methods: Google Analytics. You may have to clear the site cache under **Settings > WP Cache** in order to properly verify. [Requesting a Google Crawl of your site](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6065812?hl=en) ### 4) Remove Old Site It is always a good idea to de-activate the old site to prevent your visitors from accessing the old/incorrect information. Old sites can show up in Google search results even after you have moved your address to the new site. Send an email to [webdev@uconn.edu](mailto:webdev@uconn.edu). To remove old sites from other servers (Business, NEAG, Libraries, Law, Health, etc.), please contact the administrator of that server.