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Launching a Website – Things to Consider
Launching a Website – Things to Consider
Launching a website can be exhilarating and utterly satisfying. We recently launched a website on behalf of a construction company. We’ve now got time to analyse what went well and what we need to look out for on our next website build. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Communication
Unless you are physically building the website yourself, you will need to hire a web designer. Make sure that they understand your brief and that you are happy with any decisions they are making. Red Desk project manage website builds and act as a liaison between the client and web designer thus ensuring that things like the theme picked by the web designer is something that the client is happy with.
Website Layout
Once you are happy with the theme, this will determine the pages that you will need to create. List what you will need, a starting suggestion would be:
- Home Page
- About Us
- Blog/News
- Contact Us
Then depending on your sector, you may need to add in Services pages or Portfolio. A tip would be to take a look at competitors’ sites to see what they have included and think if they are necessary or not.
Website Content
Is this an entirely new website or are you upgrading your existing website?
For a new website, refer to the website layout that you have planned. For an upgrade, identify which pages are essential, where content might need to be spilt and where it might need to be rewritten.
SEO
When writing the content for the website you need to consider your audience – are they a local audience or is your reach global? This will help you determine which keywords you wish to rank for. Do take a look at our article on considering SEO for local marketing as it will give you some tips.
Checklist for a launched website
Once a website is launched, it is easy to think that the job is done and move onto the next project. However, do spend some time doing the following:
- Proofread the website – check the grammar and spelling are perfect
- Check the links and pages – make sure that the menu pages are linked correctly and there are no broken links
- If you are using WordPress then use the Yoast plugin to add meta data and improve ranking for keywords
- Make sure you’ve added GDPR, privacy notices and cookies consent notices and pages
- Submit your site map to Google so that it can be crawled and indexed
- Check that the social media links and contact page work
- Set up and link Google Analytics and submit your site map to Google Console
- Check the website is secure – do you need an SSL certificate for example?
- Is your site mobile friendly – Test the site on a mobile device and work with your web designer to fix any problems
Documentation
You might be able to remember who you used to build your site or to host it now but in a few years you may have forgotten. It is therefore important to document this information as it makes it easier for a handover or when you come to upgrade your site at a later date. Make sure you record:
- Web designer’s details
- IT company, Graphic Designer and anyone else that helped
- Hosting information (including logins and expiry dates)
- Login details for the website, Google Analytics, email accounts, hosting etc
Website Maintenance
Now that the site is launched, you will need to keep it maintained.
- Write blogs with relevant keywords
- Use social media to send readers to your website
- Update plugins
- Review the speed of the website
- Review your website for broken links
- Audit your website’s content – are all the blogs still relevant, have you changed your focus/services you provide?
Red Desk support a number of businesses with their online presence from the creation of website (project management, content writing etc) right through to website maintenance (website reviews, updating plugins or writing new blogs). Talk to us today about we can help your company 020 8815 0874.
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Building a Website – Do’s & Don’ts
Building a Website – Do’s & Don’ts
When building a website, there are many things to consider. Here’s our run down of some do’s and don’ts to guide you through the web build to a successful website launch.
Do have a rough idea of what you want on your website, do some research around your market and your target audience.
Don’t jump at the first draft and publish it, be thorough, review and make sure you leave time to make amendments before publishing.
Do some research on competitors – what have they included in their website? Is it relevant to you?
Don’t just stick with the template, if you aren’t happy with a certain section ask for it to be changed or moved.
Do contact several web designers to get a quote and ask for examples. This is a large investment for your company so you have to be happy with the cost and choice of designer.
Don’t consider building the website yourself unless you have previous experience.
Do think about hiring a project manager to liaise with you and the web designer. This is especially important if you are busy or don’t have the technical know-how.
Don’t rush through the website as it needs to be built in steps and tested.
Do get a second opinion from colleagues, peers and valued clients. They might spot something that you or your designer haven’t.
Don’t let the quality of your content suffer for the sake of keywords. Yes, it is important get your website to be found but the information on the page needs to flow and get to the point.
Do research on keywords. Using a keyword planner will help you select the best for your sector and help improve your SEO.
Don’t rush your website launch. If the website isn’t ready, delay it as it would be frustrating if your online shop wasn’t linked up to the bank, for example.
Do shout about your website launch. Use social media to show sneak peeks of what can be expected and do a count down.
Don’t forget your website once it is up there. Plugins and content will need to be updated constantly to maintain rankings and functionality.
Do keep hold of key information regarding your website. Things like hosting, web designer, themes, expiry dates of URLs etc are important as you may not remember these a few years down the line.
Don’t forget to submit your site map to Google Console and set up Google Analytics so you can track how well your website is performing.
Red Desk are available to assist with project managing building websites. We can help you find the right designer, liaise with them on content and style, write content, research SEO, set up and manage your social media and much more. Interested? Drop mel@reddesk.co.uk with your questions!
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