The Elementor V4 quality checklist before any handoff

How to use this checklist

Go through this checklist before handing off any Elementor V4 site to a client. Some items take 30 seconds to verify. Others take 5 minutes. The entire checklist takes 2-3 hours for a typical site. That is a small investment compared to the cost of fixing issues after the client has seen them.

Items are grouped by category. If you are short on time, prioritize Functionality and Performance first. A site that works and loads fast covers 80% of client satisfaction. Design consistency and SEO can be refined after launch if needed.

Functionality (12 items)

1. Every link works

Click every button, menu item, and text link on the site. Run a broken link checker (Screaming Frog free version handles up to 500 URLs). Fix or remove dead links. This includes footer links, social icons, and any call-to-action buttons.

2. All forms submit correctly

Submit a test entry through every form on the site. Verify: the success message displays, the email notification arrives at the correct address, webhook integrations fire (if configured), redirect works (if configured). Check the form submission entry in Elementor > Submissions.

3. Navigation works at all breakpoints

Test the main navigation on desktop (full menu), tablet (check if it collapses or stays full), and mobile (hamburger menu). Open and close the mobile menu. Navigate to every top-level and dropdown item. Verify the active state highlights the current page.

4. Popups trigger correctly

If the site has popups (cookie consent, newsletter signup, exit intent, button-triggered), verify each one triggers at the right moment. Test the close button. Verify the popup does not reappear after dismissal (if that is the intended behavior). Check popup display on mobile.

5. Search works (if implemented)

If the site has a search function, test it. Search for a term that should return results. Search for a term that should return nothing. Verify the results page renders correctly and links to the correct pages.

6. WooCommerce functions (if applicable)

Add a product to cart. View cart. Proceed to checkout (use test mode if Stripe/PayPal is configured). Verify product pages display correctly: images, price, description, add-to-cart button. Check the shop archive page for proper grid layout.

7. Blog functionality

Open the blog archive page. Click into a single post. Verify the post template renders correctly: featured image, title, date, categories, content, comments section (if enabled). Navigate back to the archive. Check pagination.

8. Contact information is correct

Verify the phone number, email address, physical address, and business hours displayed on the site match the client's actual information. Check header, footer, contact page, and any sidebar widgets. Wrong contact info is the most embarrassing handoff mistake.

9. Social media links point to correct profiles

Click every social icon. Verify they open in a new tab and point to the client's actual profiles, not placeholder URLs or your own agency profiles.

10. 404 page exists and works

Navigate to a URL that does not exist (e.g., /this-page-does-not-exist). Verify a styled 404 page appears, not the default WordPress or server error page. The 404 page should include navigation or a link back to the homepage.

11. Redirects configured

If the site replaces an older version, verify that old URLs redirect to the corresponding new URLs. Check the 5-10 most-trafficked pages from Google Analytics to ensure they do not return 404 errors.

12. Favicon set

Check that a favicon appears in the browser tab. Verify it at different sizes: browser tab (16x16), bookmark bar (32x32), and app icon on mobile (180x180). Set this in WordPress > Appearance > Customize > Site Identity.

Design consistency (10 items)

13. Typography is consistent

H1, H2, H3 headings should look the same across all pages. Body text should be the same size and weight everywhere. Check 10 random pages and compare heading sizes visually. If you set up V4 Classes, this should be automatic. If you did not, check manually.

14. Colors are consistent

Primary colors, secondary colors, text colors, and background colors should be identical across pages. If you used Variables, this is handled. If not, spot-check buttons, headings, and links on different pages for color consistency.

15. Spacing is consistent

Section padding should be the same on every page. Card padding should be the same on every card. The gap between elements within sections should follow a consistent pattern. Eyeball 10 pages. Inconsistent spacing is the most visible design quality indicator.

16. Button styles match

Primary buttons should look identical everywhere. Secondary buttons should look identical everywhere. No orphan buttons with custom colors or sizes that do not match the design system.

17. Images are consistent in quality

No mix of blurry and sharp images. No stretched or squished images. No obviously different photography styles (stock photos mixed with custom photography with different lighting and color treatment).

18. Hover states work

Buttons, links, and cards with hover effects should respond consistently. If primary buttons darken on hover, all primary buttons should darken on hover. Test 5-10 interactive elements across different pages.

19. Animations are intentional

If elements have entrance animations, they should be consistent: same animation type, same duration, same easing. If different pages use different animation styles (fade on one page, slide on another), it looks uncoordinated. Either standardize or remove animations that do not add value.

20. Footer is complete

The footer should include: copyright notice with the current year, essential navigation links, contact info or a link to the contact page, privacy policy link (legally required in most jurisdictions), and social media links. Missing footer elements look unprofessional.

21. Dark sections have sufficient contrast

If any sections use dark backgrounds, verify that text is readable. Check body text, headings, and links. WCAG AA requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text. Use a contrast checker tool if anything looks borderline.

22. Logo links to homepage

Click the site logo in the header. It should navigate to the homepage. This is a universal web convention. If it does not work, users feel lost.

Responsive design (8 items)

23. Desktop renders correctly (1920px)

Check on a full-width monitor. Max-width containers should be centered. Content should not stretch beyond comfortable reading width. Images should not exceed their containers.

24. Laptop renders correctly (1366px)

The most common desktop resolution. Layouts should not break at this width. Multi-column sections should still have readable column widths.

25. Tablet renders correctly (768px)

Columns should stack or reduce. Navigation should collapse to hamburger if it does not fit. Text should be readable without zooming. Touch targets (buttons, links) should be at least 44px tall.

26. Mobile renders correctly (375px)

Single-column layout. No horizontal scrolling. Text readable at default zoom. Images scale down proportionally. Buttons are full-width or at least easily tappable.

27. No horizontal overflow

On any screen width, there should be no horizontal scrollbar. This is the most common responsive bug. Check by resizing the browser window slowly from wide to narrow. If a scrollbar appears, something is wider than the viewport.

28. Touch targets are adequate

On mobile, buttons and links should be at least 44x44 pixels and have enough spacing between them that users do not accidentally tap the wrong one. Check navigation items, footer links, and inline text links.

29. Images are responsive

Images should scale down on smaller screens, not overflow their containers. Check hero images, gallery grids, and team photo grids at mobile width.

30. Forms are usable on mobile

Form fields should be full-width on mobile. Input fields should be tall enough to tap comfortably. Dropdown menus should work with touch. The submit button should be easy to find and tap.

Performance (8 items)

31. PageSpeed score above 70 (mobile)

Run PageSpeed Insights on the homepage and the top 3 most-visited pages. Target minimum 70 on mobile for all pages. If any page scores below 70, address the top 3 Opportunities listed in the report.

32. LCP under 2.5 seconds

Check the LCP value in PageSpeed Insights for your key pages. Refer to the Core Web Vitals checklist article for specific fixes if LCP exceeds 2.5 seconds.

33. No unused CSS from disabled widgets

If using Essential Addons or another widget pack, disable all widgets you are not using. Each unused widget loads unnecessary CSS and JavaScript.

34. Caching configured

Page caching is active (WP Rocket or host-level). Browser caching headers are set for static assets. Verify by loading a page twice and checking that TTFB drops on the second load.

35. Images optimized

All images should be WebP format, properly sized (no wider than 2x display width), and compressed to 80-85% quality. Check the Network tab in DevTools. If any image exceeds 200KB, it likely needs optimization.

36. Fonts self-hosted

Google Fonts should be served from your domain, not from fonts.googleapis.com. Use OMGF plugin to convert. Self-hosting eliminates the DNS lookup to Google's servers, saving 100-200ms.

37. No console errors

Open DevTools Console on every page (or at least 10 pages). There should be zero JavaScript errors. Warnings are acceptable but investigate any that seem related to site functionality.

38. CDN active

Verify that static assets load from the CDN, not the origin server. Check the response headers for CDN-specific headers (cf-ray for Cloudflare, x-cache for AWS CloudFront).

SEO (6 items)

39. Meta titles set

Every page should have a unique meta title that describes the page content and includes a relevant keyword. Check in Yoast or your SEO plugin. Default titles like "Page 2 - Site Name" are not acceptable.

40. Meta descriptions set

Every page should have a unique meta description between 120-160 characters. The description should summarize the page and include a call to action or key benefit.

41. Heading hierarchy correct

Each page should have exactly one H1. H2 headings come after H1. H3 headings come after H2. No skipping levels. No multiple H1 tags on the same page. Check with Screaming Frog or the HeadingsMap browser extension.

42. Image alt text set

Every meaningful image should have descriptive alt text. Decorative images can have empty alt attributes. Do not stuff alt text with keywords. Describe what the image shows.

43. sitemap.xml accessible

Navigate to yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Verify it exists, loads correctly, and includes all public pages. Submit it to Google Search Console if not already submitted.

44. robots.txt correct

Navigate to yoursite.com/robots.txt. Verify it does not block important pages. Make sure the staging site URL (if different from production) is not referenced in the production robots.txt.

Security (6 items)

45. SSL active

The site should load over HTTPS. Check for mixed content (HTTP resources loaded on an HTTPS page). The padlock icon in the browser should show no warnings.

46. WordPress admin uses strong password

The client's login should use a strong, unique password. If you created the client's account, send the password securely (not in plain text email). Recommend a password manager.

47. Unused plugins deleted

Deactivated plugins are a security risk. If a plugin is not active and not planned for future use, delete it. Keeping deactivated plugins "just in case" creates attack surface.

48. File editing disabled

Add define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); to wp-config.php. This prevents the theme/plugin editor from being used through the WordPress admin, closing a common attack vector.

49. Login URL changed (optional but recommended)

The default /wp-admin and /wp-login.php URLs are targeted by automated bots. Use a plugin like WPS Hide Login to change the login URL. This does not stop determined attackers but eliminates 99% of automated brute force attempts.

50. Automated backups verified

Confirm that automated backups run on schedule (weekly minimum). Verify the most recent backup is accessible and can be downloaded. Confirm off-site storage is configured (cloud storage, not the same server).

The handoff moment

When all 50 items pass, the site is ready. Send the client a summary with the checklist results: "We tested 50 quality items. Here are the results." This document demonstrates professionalism and gives the client confidence that the site was thoroughly reviewed before delivery. It also sets a baseline they can reference if they report issues later.