Guidelines: A Complete Listing Of 40+ Steps To Efficiently Launch A New Web site, On-line Retailer, or Do A Web site Refresh

Whether or not I’m launching an internet site on a brand new area or relaunching a consumer web site, there are a variety of steps that I take to make sure that the location is correctly launched and totally accessible to customers and search engines like google. I’ll point out some examples of plugins or purposes within the following article, however this isn’t a platform-specific article.

This text assumes that you just’ve constructed the location domestically or on a staging space and are working to place the location into manufacturing the place it may be publicly accessed.

Web site Go-Stay Prechecks

Whereas constructed domestically or on staging:

1. Integrations – Have you ever audited all integrations on the present website and ensured they’re correctly configured on the brand new website?
2. Options – Does your new website have all the options included into it that it’s essential to successfully talk together with your prospects and prospects?
3. Web page Redirects – Verify that beforehand accessed pages both exist or are correctly redirected to pages on the brand new website. I crawl the prevailing website with Screaming Frog website positioning Spider to get a complete listing of pages that exist in addition to examine Semrush for vacation spot pages which were backlinked to in order that I can guarantee rating isn’t misplaced (and is typically regained with the invention of outdated pages or belongings that had been deleted.
4. Damaged Hyperlinks – I examine each the prevailing website and the brand new website for any damaged hyperlinks to pages or belongings to make sure the brand new website doesn’t have inside navigation or hyperlinks that can end in 404 Not Discovered pages.
5. Grammar and Spelling – There’s nothing extra embarrassing than launching a brand new website with a typo in it. We don’t belief ourselves on this and at all times use a grammar and spelling utility to confirm copy on all pages and emails.
6. Picture Compression – I compress all photographs on the brand new website to make sure I don’t considerably improve pageload occasions.
7. Markup – I confirm that the markup of my pages is optimized, making certain one h1 tag per web page, with correct utilization of HTML5 parts just like the asides, footers, headers, article tags, and so forth.
8. Wealthy Snippets – I validate that every one my wealthy snippet markup is legitimate and that any schema info is updated, like handle, hours, social media picture, and so forth.
9. Branding – Likelihood is that you just’re launching a brand new website as a part of protecting your model recent. Have you ever up to date all visible and textual mentions of your model on the brand new website?
10. Kinds – Have you ever configured and built-in all contact varieties, e mail opt-in, and different needed varieties in your website?
11. Cell Responsive – Whereas most websites are designed on desktop, it’s important to make use of your website on a cellular system to make sure that pages are totally responsive and can move all cellular responsive testing.
12. Sitemap – I be sure that the XML sitemap for the location is being correctly constructed to make sure the total website could be listed by search engines like google as soon as I register it after going dwell.
13. Rank Audit – I take a snapshot of how the present website ranks in search engines like google utilizing a software like Semrush.
14. Hyperlink Telephone Numbers – I overview all telephone numbers on the location and guarantee they’re hyperlinked correctly for cellular customers.
15. Occasion Tagging – I be sure that any added code to seize analytics occasions (telephone clicks, kind submissions, call-to-action clicks) has been deployed and can work as quickly as the location is dwell and analytics is enabled.
16. Entry – Have you ever arrange all of the customers on the brand new website with their correct permissions? Have you ever supplied all infrastructure entry it’s essential to the interior group within the occasion they should entry it?
17. Backup – I backup the prevailing website in preparation for any sort of disaster which can require it to be instantly restored.
18. Launch Plan – Have you ever notified all the folks accountable of the timeline for launch, their obligations, and the way you’ll talk with each other on any points? This could embrace a listing of inside and exterior testers for the location.

Web site Go-Stay Checks

As quickly as the location is dwell:

19. Safety Certificates – As soon as all of the DNS servers have been up to date and propagated with the brand new website’s location, I set up the safety certificates (SSL). This typically takes some time and you actually don’t have a lot management – in order that’s why we regularly launch a website outdoors of peak utilization occasions.
20. Backup – I now again up the newly launched website to make sure that I’ve a recent copy of the brand new website within the occasion we mess one thing up within the website launch course of. You’d be shocked at how a easy factor like messing up a search and change can destroy a newly launched website. After nearly each change from right here on out I’ll do guide backups.
21. Area Search and Substitute – If the location was on a staging server, there are sometimes area paths that want updating all through the location. Utilizing a search and change software, I’ll replace the location to make sure no hyperlinks to the staging space exist and that every one references are utilizing a safe connection (https).
22. Licensing – If I licensed themes, plugins, or different instruments, I be sure that the dwell website is correctly registered rath than the staging website in order that all the pieces is working correctly and could be up to date.
23. SMTP – I configure the location to make use of an workplace e mail account for outbound messaging quite than the server, sometimes with an SMTP plugin.
24. Conversion Testing – I take a look at all varieties on the location to make sure the info is correctly captured and handed by any integration. If it’s an e-commerce website, I sometimes present funds to testers all through the nation to check and make precise product purchases to make sure cost processing and delivery integrations are working. We additionally ensure all outbound, automated e mail notifications to customers and inside are being acquired.
25. Tagging – I be sure that Google Tag Supervisor is correctly put in on the location and that Google Analytics is firing. This consists of occasion monitoring comparable to kind submissions, chat launches, or e-commerce occasions.
26. Caching – I sometimes confirm the cache configuration on the location, clear the cache, and make sure the website is performing properly.
27. Content material Supply Community – I configure a content material supply community (CDN) to extend the velocity of the location and belongings geographically.
28. Crawl – Once more, utilizing Screaming Frog website positioning Spider I crawl the location on the lookout for any errors or different efficiency points.
29. Robots.txt – I guarantee there’s nothing stopping the location from being accessed by search engines like google. As websites are being developed on staging areas, search engines like google are sometimes discouraged from indexing the location. Once you go dwell, you have to be sure that setting is up to date.
30. Search Engines – As soon as I’m positive the location is up and working properly, I register the location with Google Search Console and Bing Site owners to make sure it’s correctly crawled and the sitemaps are discovered.
31. Session Recordings – Set up a platform to get recorded consumer periods and get in-depth heatmaps of how the location is being utilized to see if there’s any confusion.
32. Launch Testing – Your inside and exterior groups ought to now be administering their testing of the location throughout cellular and desktop and numerous browsers to make sure it’s working correctly. All suggestions ought to be coming right into a central repository the place every challenge could be prioritized and corrected.
33. website positioning Audit – I set up and configure a software like Semrush to audit and monitor the location for any points.

Web site Go-Stay Postchecks

Within the days following going dwell and the after the location has been up and getting guests, I proceed to work to optimize the location:

34. Promotion – We be sure that the brand new website is introduced to current customers, staff, and is publicly introduced on firm social media websites – welcoming suggestions from all! This may increasingly even embrace public relations and promoting campaigns to advertise the launch.
35. Search Console Monitoring – I monitor Google Search Console and Bing Site owners day by day on the lookout for any points that they might be discovered on the location.
36. 404 Monitoring – I monitor 404 pages utilizing Google Analytics or an inside software like WordPress’ RankMath website positioning plugin.
37. Analytics Monitoring – I overview analytics day by day on the lookout for any points which may be occurring. If it’s a alternative website, I usually evaluate the consumer conduct earlier than and after going dwell. This consists of conversion occasion monitoring.
38. Rank Monitoring – Web site rating could swing wildly inside the first couple weeks of a launch so I observe rating one month after the location is dwell with Semrush to see that we’ve not had vital losses and search for alternatives to extend rating from right here on out.
39. Aggressive Monitoring – Why have a brand new website for those who’re not attempting to win over some market share? Utilizing a software like Semrush, we arrange all related opponents after which monitor how I website is rating compared to theirs.
40. Backups – I’m assuming you might have a backup and restore resolution in your website transferring ahead… however it must be a part of your guidelines simply in case! For a website like WordPress, we use Flywheel managed internet hosting which has one-click backups and restores inbuilt and automatic.
41. Reporting – Whereas we sometimes have month-to-month reporting for our shoppers, throughout a launch like this we are going to sometimes report back to them weekly on how the location is performing. We additionally preserve the launch groups and testers knowledgeable on all points and resolutions.

In case you’re counting on an company to launch your website, I wouldn’t depart it to them to make sure all of that is taken care of. You’d be shocked at how simply a 3rd celebration can overlook a number of issues within the course of. I’m not saying this as a result of I believe businesses are missing… it’s simply that it’s your small business and never theirs so you have to take the lead to make sure all the pieces is achieved!

I’d even be remiss to supply my agency’s companies. Highbridge does a ton of very giant website redesigns, content material and e-commerce migrations, and complicated integrations.

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Disclosure: Martech Zone is utilizing numerous affiliate hyperlinks on this article.