<!--
metadata:
  title: "Portfolio launch and monitoring"
  platform: "portfolio"
  objective: "Define the release checklist and monitoring workflow needed to keep a personal website indexed and healthy after launch."
  status: "draft"
  last_updated: "2026-04-24"
  tags: ["portfolio", "launch", "monitoring", "search-console"]
  agent_priority: "high"
-->

# Portfolio launch and monitoring

> This file defines the operational checklist for shipping a portfolio site, requesting indexing, and monitoring the pages that matter after release.

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## 1. Overview

Many portfolio SEO failures are not architectural. They happen after deployment: staging directives remain live, redirects are inconsistent, structured data breaks on one template, or no one checks indexing again for months. This file focuses on operations rather than authoring. It defines how to launch a portfolio cleanly and how to monitor the site after the first crawl.

## 2. Pre-launch checklist

Complete the following checks before asking any search engine to index the site:

1. Confirm that the preferred host and protocol are final and that all alternates redirect to the canonical URL directly (no redirect chains). For example, `http://example.com` should redirect directly to `https://www.example.com`, not to `https://example.com` first.
2. Confirm that the homepage, About page, Projects hub, and key project pages return HTTP `200`.
3. Confirm that `/robots.txt` and `/sitemap.xml` are live on production.
4. Confirm that titles, meta descriptions, canonicals, and structured data are present on the rendered production pages.
5. Confirm that the primary navigation uses crawlable links and that no important pages are orphaned.
6. Confirm that mobile layouts preserve the same core content and metadata as desktop.

## 3. Submission sequence

After production is stable, use this rollout order:

1. Verify the site in Google Search Console.
2. Submit the sitemap in Search Console.
3. Inspect the homepage, About page, Projects hub, and the most important project pages.
4. Request indexing for those priority URLs only after they pass live inspection.
5. Add the site to Bing Webmaster Tools.
6. Submit changed URLs through IndexNow if the stack or hosting platform supports it.

## 4. Monitoring routine

Keep the monitoring loop small and repeatable:

- Review the Page Indexing report when important pages are missing or suddenly excluded.
- Use URL Inspection after every significant template or deployment change.
- Check rich result reports after changing structured data.
- Review the Performance report periodically to see which pages and queries are actually earning impressions.
- Re-audit the canonical set monthly: homepage, About page, Projects hub, top project pages, and active writing pages.

## 5. Anti-Patterns

### The launch and disappear workflow

**What it looks like:** The site ships, the sitemap is submitted once, and no one checks Search Console again until traffic drops months later. **Why it fails:** Indexing regressions, broken canonicals, and accidental `noindex` states can persist quietly. **What to do instead:** Treat Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools as part of routine maintenance, not as one-time launch tools.

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*Back to the module index: [Web portfolio SEO and indexing](./README.md).*
