Whether or not you’re a graphic designer, web developer, company manager, or another body involved in the process of publishing content to the web, there exists certain key points in the project, known as milestones.

As both a freelancer and an employee with only a few years of experience under my belt, the quality of my work needs to be impressive. I can’t afford forget a single alt tag, can’t afford to skimp on SEO content, and certainly can’t afford to forget to include my client’s specific color scheme in every element of the overall design. In most cases, neither can you.

So what’s the best way to cope? Checklists. You can always fall back on these babies when the situation gets tough and re-orient yourself with ease.

Here’s 9 or so of these checklists here. Although most of these are related to website design, some of them apply to graphic design, content management, and other important parts of the process.

1. Launchlist

Recommended for: Web designers, web developers.

Launchlist is possibly the most interactive and customizable checklist we have yet to see. It’s all very direct, and easy to use. Plug in your name, the project name, the site’s url, and start scrolling down to the 28 default milestones, which you simply “switch” to YES once the milestone has been reached. Launchlist focuses generally on copywriting, SEO and browser-optimization goals, with some advanced code validation (javascript, form-based php). Once all 28 elements have been completed, a green light pops up and you’re free to send a detailed report to up to three recipients.

Not satisfied?  You can include comments with each milestone or cancel them out completely if its not pertinent to your job. Oh, and you can add up to ten of your own unique milestones. Sweet.

2. Terry Morris’s Web Design Best Practices Checklist

Recommended for: Web designers, graphic designers.

A little more of a standard list than Launchlist, this checklist is unique because of its focus on the graphic and color elements of the site. It’s a friendly reminder to web workers out there that graphic design still plays a strong role on any website, and one shouldn’t overlook the basics of design (such as good background/text contrast, use of less than 3-4 colors, etc).

This list also takes a look at several accessibility goals, and reminds us of the small things such as the use of textual links, and specifying the pages language with xml:lang.

3. Vision4Dezign Comprehensive Checklist

Recommended for: Market managers, company representatives, web & graphic designers.

In some cases, a checklist should be filled out by the client rather than the company, in order to best assess his/her needs. Some people call this a project spec. sheet, some call it a comprehensive review, and some, such as Vision4Dezign, call it what it really is. This checklist, filled out by the client (and hopefully audited by a company representative for optimal results) to tell the company the fine details of the job, such as the target audience, marketing plans, what graphics are to be used, etc. With such an emphasis on the marketing aspect of things, we are reminded that a website is simply an advertising tool which needs to generate leads and end up giving money to the client.

Using a checklist like this is effective for the company, as this list can be brought to every employee to review over a coffee break, or simplify the life of an already-overworked freelancer.

4. Soh Tanaka’s CSS Bugs and Debugging Checklist

Recommended for: Web designers

In comparasion to the other checklists mentioned, this one is short, sweet, and focuses on CSS debugging rather than the whole project itself. Although most of this is old news to the design guru, some of these problems frequently get overlooked even by experienced designers. I am sure half my graduating class at the time didn’t know at the time that a CSS class can’t start with a number, and they’ve since  integrated into the field with ease.

Even in its simplicity, Tanaka’s list could save a beginner or intermediate coder hours of frustration. Used with Firebug, a CSS problem can be found and cured within the minute.

5. Maxdesign Web Standards Checklist

Recommended for: Web designers, web developers.

True to its name, Maxdesign’s checklist deals with practically every aspect of  web standards and quality. Though long and intimidating, this checklist brings forth some interesting points which could be easily overlooked. When was the last time you checked the speed of the website? How about how it’s usability in the mobile world? Can the CSS be turned off without completely destroying the site? These things should always be looked at when making a medium to large sized project.

What’s special about this checklist is that each “milestone” has detailed information and even a few links to help you out per section. Those guys at Maxdesign deserve a genuine round of applause.

6.  TGOden Webdesign Usability Checklist

Recommended for: Graphic & web designers, web developers, copywriters.

The Great One, the self-title imposed by The Great One’s Design team, holds possession of a (by-now) very familiar looking design checklist. What this checklist has that most don’t is an emphasis on actual content styling.  Designers tend to overlook “text” guidelines in their designs, such as the use of serif/sans-serif fonts when appropriate, or having less than 78  characters per line, or setting the leading and tracking to improve legibility of the page.

There’s also a few points on navigation elements which are equally as useful. A definite recommendation to any designer checklist.

7. Web Pages That Suck (Website Redesign Checklist)

Recommended for: Project managers, web & graphic designers.

Possibly one of the most intensive checklists out there, this 149 point list is only one of two available for viewing courtesy of WPTS. As unconventional as the language here might seem, they provide the ultimate array of problems that cover all aspects of the project, such as design, coding, and overall organization of things.  With some overkill examples of these blunders provided, these mistakes are of the worst kind and can easily show up in any project.

This checklist is recommended to the project manager, the reason being is that with every other employee focused on their specific role, the big picture can end up being skewered and lost in the final revision; With this list a manager can easily identify potential problems with the site and correct them before they “slip through the cracks”.

8. Webconfs’ 15 Minute SEO List

Recommended for: Marketing managers, web designers.

This checklist is all about SEO. Yes, there are plenty of SEO checklists in the webwater, but nowhere near as advanced as WebConfs. Here, every little detail, every plus and faux-pas is explored in detail, with a simple grading system attached to each element to show its importance in the overall scheme of things.  A definite must for any designer or even marketer looking to get leads and results for their client.

What’s also pretty cool about this one is that Webconf’s list includes things which don’t affect SEO, dispelling many myths and overall educating you on the matter.

9.  Internet Evangelists Day (Church Website Design)

Recommended for: Copywriters, project managers,  web designers.

Yes, this checklist is optimized for the production and management of church and religious-based websites. Deal with it. However, this list in the hands of a smart project manager can be easily converted to work effectively for any community or volunteer organization website. This list deals with presentation over technicality, such as positioning the most important elements in the first 1024 x 768 px frame for screen optimization, the little need for splash pages, the speed in relation to dial-up, etc. These elements are graded based on an overall score, which is an effective way of letting you know how you’re project’s coming along.

What they focus on especially is the copywriting aspect of the project. Having done work for a few volunteer organizations myself, these groups use slogans, mission statements, and volunteer forms, all which must be written effectively to appeal to their community. This list shows you how.

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Keep in mind these useful milestones when making your own checklist. They can help you stay organized, save you hours of work, and make your website delivery more satisfying.