Are you planning to launch your own new website soon? Make sure you have everything just right before going live with this 20-point checklist.
Why is it so important to get your site right before launch?
Business owners often realise, when creating their own website, that there are more considerations than they initially thought. Even if taking advantage of the one of the user-friendly web development platforms like Wix or Squarespace, there are certain things that you can’t afford to overlook.
If you do decide to go it alone, make sure you have covered everything before you push your site live. Why? Well, fully testing your site in advance ensures you can:
- Spot any issues that could negatively impact user experience
- Change any errors that could lead to a high bounce rate
- Double-check your branding is consistent across all pages
Sound confusing? Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with this 20-step checklist of all the things you’ll need to check before you can launch your new site.
The ultimate checklist for launching a new website
So, you’re almost ready to hit the “publish” button on your new website. How exciting!
But, before you can rush ahead, be sure to double-check that none of these things will cause you serious problems:
(1) Does the site function properly when you’ve signed out of your back-end? It’s also worth checking usability on mobile devices and other web browsers.
(2) Can you spot any spelling or grammar errors? Littering your site with bad content isn’t going to win overthose new potential customers.
(3) Are your contact forms working properly? Send yourself a test email – you don’t want to miss any important enquiries.
(4) Is the site fast to load? Run it through Google’s Page Speed Insights. People might lose patience and exit your site if it takes too long to load.
(5) Can you easily read the text? Avoid dark backgrounds with light text and double-check that your font choice isn’t going to deter people from reading what you’ve got to say.
(6) Do all your links work? If you’re pointing to broken URLs or 404 pages, that isn’t going to sit well with site visitors.
(7) Is your branding consistent? Failing to stick to your brand could cause visitors to be confused about who you are and what you stand for.
(8) Are your images high resolution? Don’t trouble site visitors with blurry or dark images.
(9) Do you have any duplicate content? Duplicate content is where you have copied any text from other online sources. If you have any on your new site, your SEO might be compromised.
(10) Is your sitemap accessible by Google spiders? This will enable Google to understand its structure.
(11) Has your site been submitted to search engines? Don’t wait for them to find you… It might take a while.
(12) Do you have unique meta titles and descriptions for each page? Spend some time crafting this metadata to improve organic traffic.
(13) Are you connected to Google Analytics? You’ll want to track on-site actions from the get-go so ensure you have set up a Google Analytics and linked it to your site.
(14) Can site visitors find your social media links? Don’t forget to include links to your Twitter account, Facebook Page, Instagram account and LinkedIn profile.
(15) Is your SSL certificate valid? This is an important step in ensuring your site is secure.
(16) Can your site handle heavy traffic? Should you get an influx of site visitors when your site is launched, you’ll need to double-check your website can handle it.
(17) Are your external integrations working properly? Check your payment, content management and e-commerceplug-ins.
(18) Does your ‘site coming soon’ landing page redirect to the new, live page? You don’t want people to land there accidentally and not realise your brand new website is live.
(19) Can users find your Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions? They’re required, by law.
(20) Do you have a backup system in place? Have peace of mind knowing your site can be restored, should you make a mistake.
There are many things to check (and do!) before launching your website…But if you’re struggling, you don’t have to do it all alone.
Here at Marketing Square, we offer website development services that cover each point in this 20-step pre-launch checklist. Simply contact us today to learn how we can help.
