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!