Things to do before you launch a website
Launching a new website is usually the happy moment of a business. But before you decide to go live or launch your website their few things that must be put into consideration and this task falls on the hand on the website developer and the business owner or client. Most client fails to observe some of these few things do before launching a website. As a client or business owner don’t rely solely on the web developer, you should also take responsibility. Here are some of my checklist for things you must do before you go live.
Proofread
Thorough proofreading of your website content helps you avoid embarrassing typos or errors. You can take a step further by asking your friends and family to assist in proofreading it and make any text corrections.
Test it
Test your website across different screen i.e. desktop computers and mobile phone Test it on a tablet device. Have your friends test it. Ensure it looks good on every device, makes sure all the buttons and links work. Test your forms and check you get those messages. There’s nothing as frustrating as launching a website and then realizing that you aren’t getting emails or some links and buttons are not working as expected. Testing may take time but it’s worth the time and investment to be sure your site is ready to go live.
Set up Google Analytics
If you don’t already have a website with analytics, you’ll want to set up one, preferably Google Analytics account so you can track statistics on your website. It is very important to know and track what kind of traffic your site is generating i.e. to know who coming, location of your visitors, number of clicks is, browser that was used, device that was used and what they are doing. This data provides valuable insight on website daily activities.
Plan your Marketing
If you build it, your target audience may or may not come. How do you intend to increase traffic to your site? How will tell people that you have a new website? Are you on social media? Will you send an email campaign? Plan on how you will drive traffic to your new website.
Plan for Maintenance & Backups
Your website needs to be backed up regularly, and those backups need to be stored in multiple locations. But don’t count on your web designer/developer to do this if you haven’t discussed maintenance terms with them.
Think about Security
Hackers are out there seeking website to bring down on a daily basis. Let your developer advice you on the best ways to secure your website and seek advice from other experienced developers on security
Prepare for bugs
The goal is for every website launch to go live bug-free, but prepare yourself that you may encounter some hidden or unknown bugs. This is perfectly normal. I always encourage my clients to wait some few days after launch before they start marketing their site to the world, so as to have time to deal with any issues that may come up.
Launching a new site can be both exciting and frustrating, but if you plan properly, your website launch will go smoothly and effortlessly!
