SaaS Launch Audit

A comprehensive, repeatable audit workflow for SaaS products approaching launch. Provides clear PASS/FAIL states with single actionable next steps.

Purpose

Validate launch readiness across 10 critical areas: validation, pricing, payments, AI economics, discovery, competitors, social presence, legal, trust infrastructure, and launch day operations.

Workflow Overview

1. Discovery Survey - Gather project context (product type, audience, stage)
2. Interactive Verification - Actively verify items using browser tools and web queries
3. PASS/FAIL Report - Output each item with status and next step for failures
4. Iterate - Re-run audit after fixes until all items pass

Discovery Survey

Before running the checklist, gather project context:

Questions to ask:

1. Product type: B2B SaaS, B2C, Developer Tool, Marketplace, or Other?
2. Target audience/ICP: Who is the primary customer?
3. Current stage: Pre-MVP, Beta/Early Access, or Ready to Launch?
4. Does the product use AI/ML that affects unit economics?
5. Primary domain/URL to audit (if live)

Platform recommendations by product type:

• Developer Tools: GitHub, Hacker News, Reddit, X, Dev.to
• B2B SaaS: LinkedIn, Product Hunt, G2/Capterra
• B2C/Consumer: X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
• Indie Hacker: Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, X, Reddit

Audit Checklist (10 Sections)

1. Pre-Launch Validation

2. Pricing Strategy

3. Payment Integration

4. AI Economics (if applicable)

5. GEO & AI Discovery

2026 Fact: AI agents account for ~33% of organic search activity. Only 12% of companies appear across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.

6. Competitor Intelligence

7. Social Media & Launch Prep

8. Legal & Compliance

9. Trust Infrastructure

10. Launch Day Readiness

Output Format

Report each item as:

[PASS] Item description

or

[FAIL] Item description
  → Next step: Single actionable instruction

Verification Tools

Browser Verification

Use mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tools to:

• Navigate to pricing, terms, privacy pages
• Check for cookie banners, structured data
• Verify billing portal accessibility
• Review social media profiles

Web Search Verification

Use WebSearch to:

• Query AI assistants for brand visibility
• Research competitor pricing
• Check product mentions and sentiment

Script Verification

Use provided scripts:

• scripts/tech-audit.sh - Core Web Vitals, SSL, security headers
• scripts/competitor-visibility.sh - AI visibility comparison

Additional Resources

For detailed guidance, see the references directory:

• references/pricing-2026.md - Outcome/usage-based pricing strategies, 2026 trends, tier design principles
• references/payment-verification.md - Stripe go-live checklist
• references/geo-visibility.md - GEO/AI discovery optimization, technical requirements, content strategies
• references/launch-tactics.md - Product Hunt and social strategies, "Magic Triangle" approach
• references/trust-infrastructure.md - Trust-as-a-Product requirements
• references/metrics-2026.md - AI-first SaaS metrics (gross margins, cost optimization)
• references/platform-guides.md - Platform-specific launch guides

Completion Criteria

The audit is complete when:

1. All 10 sections have been evaluated
2. Each item shows PASS or FAIL with next step
3. User has a prioritized list of fixes

Re-run the audit after implementing fixes until all critical items pass.

Key 2026 Insights

1. Pricing: Per-seat is declining (126% YoY growth in credit models). Use outcome-based or hybrid models.
2. AI Economics: Target AI costs < 30% of revenue. Traditional SaaS: 80-90% margins. AI-first: 50-65% margins.
3. Discovery: AI agents now ~33% of organic search. Only 12% of companies appear across all AI platforms.
4. Trust: Trust-as-a-Product is a differentiator, not just compliance.
5. Product Hunt: 26.5% of launches get 500-1000 users. 49% fail by relying on PH alone.