Build the production version
Run the same production build locally or in CI before merging. It catches missing imports, static rendering issues, and configuration errors that a development server may not show.
Review warnings as well as errors, especially around images, metadata, and client-only code.
Check the routes people rely on
Open the home page, key portfolio routes, blog index, and a direct article URL. Test navigation and forms at both desktop and mobile widths.
Confirm that error and not-found pages are useful and that internal links point to the intended paths.
Verify production details
Check canonical URLs, social preview images, sitemap, robots rules, environment variables, and redirects against the production domain.
After deployment, open the site in a fresh browser session and watch for console errors or missing assets.