Production Readiness Checklist

Use this checklist before deploying to production.

Final pass (Mar 2025)

  • 404 page: “Back home” link now uses relative_url for baseurl compatibility
  • Portfolio footer: LinkedIn link uses georgenyakundi for config consistency
  • Build: ✓ passes with bundle exec jekyll build
  • Sass deprecation warnings: From Minima theme (darken/lighten in gem). Non-blocking; consider upgrading Minima when a fix is released

✅ Completed

SEO

  • jekyll-seo-tag plugin (meta tags, Open Graph, Twitter Cards)
  • jekyll-sitemap plugin (auto-generates sitemap.xml)
  • robots.txt (allows crawlers, references sitemap)
  • Page-specific meta descriptions (index, about, portfolio, project pages)
  • Canonical URLs (handled by jekyll-seo-tag)
  • Author config for structured data

Technical

  • Custom domain (CNAME: www.georgenyakundi.com)
  • GitHub Actions workflow for build & deploy
  • Mobile responsive design
  • Light/dark mode support
  • Semantic HTML (headings, sections, nav)

⚠️ Needs Attention

1. Install New Dependencies

bundle install

Required for jekyll-sitemap. Run before deploying.

2. GitHub Pages Settings

  • Repository → Settings → Pages: Source = “GitHub Actions”
  • Custom domain: Set to www.georgenyakundi.com (or apex georgenyakundi.com)
  • Enforce HTTPS: Enable

3. Default OG Image

  • Current default: /assets/christ-in-song-screenshot.png
  • Recommendation: Create a dedicated OG image (1200×630px) for cleaner social previews when sharing the homepage
  • Place at assets/og-image.png and update _config.yml: 
    image: /assets/og-image.png

4. Image Optimization

  • christ-in-song-screenshot.png (~938 KB) could be compressed
  • Consider: WebP format, or resize for web (max 1200px wide)
  • Tools: Squoosh, cwebp

5. Analytics (Optional)

  • Add Google Analytics 4: set google_analytics: G-XXXXXXX in _config.yml
  • Minima includes the GA snippet when configured

6. 404 Page

  • Custom 404 exists; ensure GitHub Pages uses it
  • Test: https://georgenyakundi.com/nonexistent-page

7. Favicon

  • Add favicon.ico or apple-touch-icon.png to assets/
  • Add to head: <link rel="icon" href="/assets/favicon.ico">

8. Performance

  • Fonts: Source Sans 3 loads from Google Fonts (add &display=swap if not present)
  • Consider self-hosting fonts for privacy and faster load

9. Accessibility

  • Run Lighthouse audit
  • Verify: sufficient color contrast, focus states on links, alt text on images
  • All internal links work
  • External links (LinkedIn, GitHub, App Store) valid
  • No broken mailto: links (email hidden as requested)

Pre-Deploy Quick Test

bundle install
bundle exec jekyll build
bundle exec jekyll serve

Then verify:

  1. Homepage loads, hero and featured work display
  2. About → timeline renders
  3. Portfolio → card links to Christ In Song detail
  4. Footer: social links, description, no email
  5. Mobile view: nav, footer, cards stack correctly
  6. Dark mode: toggle OS preference, styles adapt

Post-Deploy Verification