Website launching is a stressful process. It’s not as simple as it seems. In the beginning, you spent hundreds of hours planning and designing. On top of that, before going live, you have to consider several things.
There are possibilities that things may go wrong. But your goal is to prevent them from happening before going live. The launching phase is an exciting period. As you look forward to the bigger picture for your business. The website is the online presence that gives you visibility. Moreover, it increases traffic towards your business. And turn visitors into potential customers.
So for smooth website launching, we have created a checklist. While some of the tips seem basic, that's the point! We don't want you to overlook some small but important elements of the website.
1- Prepare a list of all action items.
Firstly, list down the entire important items for your website. It includes blogs, web pages, layout, design, and furthermore. Moreover, functionality and features like sliders and buttons should be included in your list.
In each action item, mention what needs to be done. For example:
- Content- proofread
- Images- should be optimized for the web and are of the right sizes.
- Link- direct to the right page
- Website speed- loads quickly
2- Have a pre-launch team
Website launching is a team effort. Therefore don’t do everything by yourself. Once the action plan list is set up. Then hire a professional web design services team that works on a particular aspect. For example, the web designer will work on your website's layout and images. On the other hand, the marketer will work on the content.
To make communication easier with the team, you can use several tools Such as Trello, asana. It helps to manage tasks and track the team's progress.
3- Set up analytics
Once your website is live, you want to know your site performance. Nowadays, it’s not a difficult task as there are several tools available in the market. One of the best tools is Google analytics.
Before website launching, I recommend setting up Google analytics. It will help to evaluate the site's performance. And guides you on what works for the business and whatnot. It will help you to make future decisions for the growth and development of the business.
4- Optimize your website
Effective SEO strategy is the prime necessity of a website. Therefore, having a pre-launch SEO checklist is better. You should consider hiring a professional team for this task. So that they can look into little things for better results.
Make sure following things before the website launching:
- Check the blog and page. they should have the right URL. And if you are renovating a website, then set up a 301 redirect from the old website.
- If your website is running on WordPress, then install the Yoast SEO plugin. And remember to include keywords to each page and meta description.
- Make sure each page has a header and subheaders.
- Include internal links.
- Make sure that images have alt tags that contain keywords and descriptions of the Image.
5- Test everything first
Before website launching, here are the things you need to test:
- Links
- Mobile-friendliness
- Forms
- Site speed
- HTML/CSS errors
- Conversion paths
6- Maintenance and improvement
The digital world is continuously changing. Therefore, it’s important to cater to new trends and updates. Your team must be on board. You can ask for their suggestions and feedback. And work on them if necessary.
Moreover, it’s imperative to take feedback from the customers. As you have created the site for them, the success will rely on their input.
Wrapping up
A website is a serious project that can build your business. Follow the guidelines for a smooth website launch. Remember, anything could go wrong after the launch too. But don't worry! You have a professional team to fix glitches and technical problems.
I hope you liked the article and found it useful.
Related Resources:
7 Things Nobody Told You About Ecommerce Web Development
5 Skills for Improving the UX Design of your Mobile App
10 Best Ways to Improve Your Site Performance in 2021