7 Things To Do Before Launching Your Website

Having a website is really exciting. You can display different contents, publicize your works, or even put up your own E-commerce shop. In return, this allows you to be visible to more people, thus, growing your brand, network, and business income.

But did you know that there are things to consider before launching a website? Preparing a checklist will help you produce a great web design. A checklist will also let you know if you have done all that is needed to be done. After all, a website needs to be checked thoroughly before it can be published. Furthermore, it will guarantee an even better website engagement for your business!

It might be overwhelming to try listing them all, but do not fret! Check out what are the things you need to do before launching your website.

1. Set a Timeline

We can be so fixated with meeting the deadline that we forget to schedule each task. It is very important to meet the deadline, but how can we make sure that we meet it when nothing is being tracked?

Sure, it may be easier to just set a deadline, as it takes effort to set a schedule for every task. But would you choose to encounter issues weeks before the launch? Or be surprised to know that there are issues a day before?

If nothing is scheduled, it is difficult to track the progress of the website. This is also because there are a lot of people that are involved in creating a website. Web developers, designers, content writers, copywriters, editors, SEOs, and even project managers.

All of these people have different tasks, goals, and deadlines that need to be met. Would you rather be stressed early on, than be stressed a day or two before the deadline?

Having a complete and extensive plan with a timeline of each task for every role will help you a lot. It will save your whole team from unnecessary overtime, stress, and panic.

2. Check Site URL and Speed

It is important to check if the site URL can be accessed properly. If you have a small business or website, you can manually do this. However, if you have a larger website, this has to be automated. You can use a free test automation platform online to automate this process for you. It can collect data, scan, then check if there are any broken links or any pages with issues.

At the same time, it can check your website’s performance. A page’s load speed is an official Google ranking factor. If you want your website to rank high, you should make sure that it loads within a few seconds.

3. Verify 404-Page Setup

Another thing to check before you launch your website is to verify if the 404-page is set up correctly. There will be instances wherein your users or visitors will mistakenly type the wrong address. At times, they may also be landing on a different site. So it would be annoying for them to see an uninteresting error page.

To prevent this from happening, you should set up a customized 404-page. If you are familiar with PHP and HTML or have a full-stack developer, you can create the 404-page from scratch. However, if that is not the case, you can also automate this process. If you are using WordPress, you can use the 404-page plugin to create a customized 404-page. The good thing about it is it does not create any redirects. This tells search engines like Google that the page does not exist and has to be removed from the index.

4. Setup Google Analytics

Google Analytics tracking is a requirement before you publish your website. You should not forget this because it helps you analyze data for your business.

It understands your site and users so you can determine the performance of your marketing, content, products, and many more. It also works with Google’s advertising and publisher products.

Once that is done, it’s time to test. Make sure to test everything from your website so you can rest assured that it’s good to go. Check out the forms, pages, and links thoroughly. Then check if your website is mobile-friendly and is compatible with all web browsers. Testing is always a need whenever a web application, software, or product is being launched. Try out every little part of your website, check its design, and verify that it is an SEO-friendly website.

Although, testing should not only be performed on the UI (user interface) but also the UX (user experience). You can use test automation tools to make the testing easier. Most tools can make the testing phase easier as you don’t have to worry about the setup, configuration, maintenance, and other required tasks. For example, TestProject provides a detailed BDD-ready report with live documentation, screenshots, and logs when debugging.

5. Confirm if Website is Secured

There are more and more websites that are now being hacked. With the technology being more advanced, hackers become even more adept at what they do. That is why it is essential to make sure that your website is secured. This prevents your website from being exposed to any kind of vulnerabilities.

To confirm if your website is secure, perform a regular scan on your machine. At the same time, avoid using weak passwords. Then always install the updated versions of your software that runs your web infrastructure.

6. Keep Content Style Concise

Contents are really the purpose of creating your website. Without your content, your website will be boring. But the content style should still be aligned with your guidelines. You should base your tone and style on your brand.

Avoid having different styles as this may confuse your visitors. If you talk about serious topics, stick with using a formal tone. But if you have a more friendly and outgoing tone, refrain from using a formal tone. However, if you’re not sure which to use, choose to be neutral. Then you can change it as you learn more about your audience.

Now Launch your Website!

Finally! You are ready to launch your website! For the last time, check your website again and browse through the buttons, forms, and pages. Check everything that you need to check and make the necessary revisions. Once you’re good, publish your website and make sure that you’re ready anytime an issue happens.

Launching a website is really nerve-wracking. But if you followed these steps, it will become easier. Your website may not be perfect, but as you consider your visitors’ feedback, you’re sure to see improvements!