Ship with a check that actually looks at the live page
Deploying is easy. Knowing the deploy actually worked is hard. A proper ship process includes verification, not just 'it didn't error.'
I shipped a blog update that returned no errors. The deploy 'succeeded' by every automated check. But when I actually looked at the page, it was blank. The content was there in the code, but invisible to visitors because of an animation issue. The deploy process said everything was fine. The actual page said otherwise.
Build the project. Deploy it. Then verify that the live page actually looks right. Not just 'the server returned 200 OK,' but 'the page has the content I expect, in the layout I expect, visible to the user.' That last step is the one most people skip. It's the most important one.
After every deploy, open the live page and look at it. Actually look at it. Scroll through the whole thing. Check it on mobile. If you can automate a screenshot comparison, even better. But at minimum, human eyes on the live page before you call the deploy done.
Every deploy. There's no scenario where 'deploy without looking at the result' is the right call.
200 OK means the server responded. It doesn't mean the page looks right.
Product leader shipping across enterprise SaaS, AI in production, and 0→1. Writing about what actually ships — not what sounds good in a deck.