Taking the decision to launch a new website is something which can change perceptions of your company and be a wonderful way to bring back old customer, keep loyal ones on side and attract new ones too. Maybe your business goals have changed, you have a new line or service to launch and an effective website, especially one which looks great and is well-written can help to generate more sales.
Double Check Everything
It may sound like common sense but millions of websites out there have errors, whether in spelling, formatting or even links not working. You should test and double check your website before it goes live and there are tools available to check for broken links.
301 problems, but a redirect ain’t one
Assuming the URL structure of your website is changing, put 301 redirects in place to tell search engines that the old pages have moved. It also ensures people visiting your old pages end up where they want to be.
Test Everything
1. Website Speed
Your new website needs to be fast to make the impact you’re looking for. If you’re new website is slow then Google won’t want to promote or index it and your customers certainly aren’t going to stick around.
2. Responsive Design
Your website simply must work efficiently on mobile devices. This means you need the design and development to be responsive and you need it to fit the many different screen sizes out there, or you can be sure the millions of mobile web users will switch off.
3. Contact Forms
There’s no use in having contact forms on your website is they’re faulty and with them not working properly you could be missing out on potential business leads every single day.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an absolute must for any website. If you haven’t used them before then now’s the time to start, as they give you the chance to give you genuine, thorough and even real time insights about your website visitors. There are hundreds of different metrics and analytics you can check through a Google Analytics installation and you can use it to analyse whether you need to change your content or refocus your target market.
Install Webmaster Tools
Whether you opt for Google or Bing Webmaster Tools, or both, they give you real insight to the workings of your website from behind the scenes. Webmaster tools from either provider will give your website a health check and let you know if there are any issues which could be impeding your search engine rankings.
Share and Get Social
One the website’s up then make sure everybody knows. Update your details on every website you’re registered to, including business directories and social networks. Start tweeting and sharing those links and if you have a newsletter, make sure you share the good news with your customers and business connections.
