Request early access
Apex Launch · early access

Catch what the redesign broke before the client does.

Point Apex Launch at a site about to go live, one that just did, or one you have looked after for years. It reads every page the way a search engine would and hands you a report your client can act on: what is wrong, why it matters, and the steps to fix it.

Request early access What it checks
An Apex Launch report for mountainairweb.com: nothing to fix before launch, 2 to fix soon, 4 worth fixing and 5 for later, starting with “No analytics were found on any page”.
The launch-day misses

The things nobody checks, because everyone assumes someone did.

Staging noindex still on

The setting that kept the development site out of Google came across with the launch. The new site looks perfect and slowly disappears from search.

Old URLs that lead nowhere

Years of links, bookmarks and search results point at addresses the redesign changed. Launch checks the old ones still arrive somewhere, from a list you paste, a crawl of the old site, or the Internet Archive’s record of it.

Analytics missing from one template

The tracking code is on the home page and the blog, but not on the landing pages the ads send people to. Launch looks on every page, not just the first.
Not just launch day

Sites keep breaking after they launch. Keep checking.

The same things go wrong every time a site changes, and sites change all the time. Run Launch whenever one of yours does. Every check is kept, and each one shows what changed since the check before.

After updates

A plugin, theme or CMS update quietly turns noindex back on, or drops the analytics from a template. Check after every round of updates.

After a move

New hosting, a new domain or a switch to https: the redirects, certificates and canonical URLs are exactly what breaks.

On care plans

Check each client site every month or quarter and send them the report. It shows the work you are doing, and it finds the next piece of work.

For new clients

Taking over a site someone else built? Check it in the first week, so you know what you have inherited before you are blamed for it.
A finding from a real report: Fix soon, no analytics were found on any page, why it matters, and a How to change it box with the steps.
Every finding says how to fix it

A report you can send, not a linter dump.

Every finding is written twice: once for the client deciding whether it matters, and once for the developer doing the work. A check that cannot say what to do is not allowed to report.

  • Sorted by when to act: Fix before launch, Fix soon, Worth fixing, For later
  • The words come before the colour, so it still reads printed in greyscale
  • The page it was found on and the evidence, for the developer
The WordPress section of a real report: anyone can list the site’s usernames, with the exposed admin username and the fix, then xmlrpc.php is reachable.
For WordPress sites

The settings nobody chose.

When the site runs WordPress, Launch adds the checks for what a fresh install leaves switched on. They are the ones clients remember, because they are about who can get in.

  • Exposed usernames and public author pages
  • xmlrpc.php open when nothing uses it
  • Leftover “Hello world!”, the sample page and “Just another WordPress site”
  • Open uploads folders, a public readme and the version number on show
  • Plain /?p=123 permalinks and indexable search pages
What it checks

Six families of checks on every scan.

Indexing

noindex tags and headers, robots.txt, sitemaps, canonical URLs, and staging addresses left in the live site’s markup.

Links and redirects

Broken links, server errors, redirect chains, and old addresses from the previous site that no longer answer.

Tags and analytics

Page titles, meta descriptions, the mobile viewport, share images, and analytics on every page: Google, Plausible, Fathom, Matomo and more.

Security basics

HTTPS, the certificate and when it expires, files loaded over plain http, and HSTS.

SEO and speed notes

Duplicate titles, missing headings and alt text, slow or uncompressed pages, and sitemap pages nothing links to.

WordPress

Only when the site runs WordPress: usernames, author pages, xmlrpc.php, leftover install content and more.
Made for agencies

Built for launch day, and every change after.

Share it with the client

Send a link to the report. The client reads the same document you do, with your agency’s name and colour on it.

Counts, not a score

No single number to argue about. You see how many things need fixing and how soon, which is what the client actually needs to know.

Run it again

Fix the list and scan again. Every scan of a site is kept, so you can show the client the before and after.

No browser, no setup

Nothing to install on the site. Give it an address and it reads the pages over the web, the way a search engine does.

Same account as Apex Proof

Launch lives in the same dashboard as Apex Proof, with the same team and clients. Review the build with Proof, check the launch with Launch.

Hosted in Canada

The app and its database run on our own server in Quebec, by a small studio you can email directly.
Pricing

One price for every Apex tool.

A founding membership covers Apex Proof, Apex Launch and Apex Scout today, and Apex Access when it ships. The price is locked in for as long as you keep your account.
Early access

Founding Member

$30 /mo

Every Apex tool, locked in for as long as you keep your account.

  • Apex Proof, Apex Launch and Apex Scout today
  • Apex Access when it ships
  • 4 active client sites at a time
  • Unlimited client reviewers
  • Direct line to the people building it
Request early access

Standard

Later

Set when early access closes. Founding members are not affected.

  • Every Apex tool
  • Unlimited client reviewers
Join as a founder instead
Questions

Before you ask

Do I need to install anything on the site?

No. Launch reads the site’s public pages over the web, like a search engine. There is no plugin and no script tag.

Is it only for launches?

No. Launch day is where most of these problems start, but updates, hosting moves and new content bring them back. Agencies run it after every change and on a regular check-up for care-plan clients, and each check shows what changed since the one before.

Can it check a site that is not live yet?

Yes, as long as the staging address can be reached from the internet. It is most useful twice: on staging before the switch, and on the live address straight after.

How does it find the old URLs?

Three ways, and you can use any of them: paste a list, give it the old site’s address to crawl before you switch, or let it look up the site in the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Does it work on sites that are not WordPress?

Yes. Every check works on any site. The WordPress checks are extra, and only run when the site turns out to be WordPress.

I saw “ApexLaunch” in my server logs. What is it?

Someone with an Apex account asked Launch to check your site, and had to confirm they were authorised to. It reads only public pages, a few at a time, and follows the robots.txt rules for ApexLaunch (or for every crawler, when there are none). It does not log in, submit forms or probe for weaknesses. To keep it out, add User-agent: ApexLaunch and Disallow: / to your robots.txt, or email nick@mountainairweb.com.

What does it cost?

Founding members pay $30/mo for every Apex tool, Launch included, locked in for as long as they keep the account.

What counts as an active client site?

A client site you are working on right now, in any Apex tool. A founding membership covers 4 at a time, which keeps the service fast for everyone. If your agency runs more than that at once, email us and we will work something out.

Early access

Check your next launch, and every site you look after.

We are letting agencies in a few at a time so each one gets proper attention. Tell us a little about your launches and we will be in touch.