If you have developed an aesthetically satisfying website, which has superior content, and is ready to go online. What else could you probably need? Majority of website owners think that the work is over but in truth, it is just the beginning of a new ending. Just developing the website is not enough, as presenting it properly is the main concern.
There are questions that one should ask himself/herself when launching a website, and the main should be on the reception. All your work could be futile if it is not received well by the intended audience. It is human nature to be excited when we have something new to share and we are likely to forget the fundamentals and procedures required when going through the process.
In order to successfully launch a website, you will need to do a pre-launch. This is due to the fact that the project at hand might be too big to go at it directly or many steps could be skipped in the process. The pre-launch should be a fair reflection on what the launch is going to be about.
For a pre-launch, you will need to make a list of all the procedures and steps that are to be followed in the real launch. You could experiment with tangible products or with services to see the market reception, while stating that it is only a pre-launch and more is yet to come. Said and done, there are five things that are mandatory to do before you go launching your website and they include;
1. Working links
It is common knowledge that any website must have links, especially those that deal with search engine optimization. The links on your website might have been created for different purposes and each bare equal importance and that is why you should ensure that all are working.
The web designers could have made a small error which could be costly. That is why it is important to personally go through the links yourself because you don’t want that embarrassing moment when you are demonstrating during the launch and the link cannot be open. The links could also be interchanged which could also bring problems.
2. The traffic statistics
This can be big challenge depending on the product or service that you deal with. The making of any website is done with one sole goal, to generate traffic. It is obvious that you will be anticipating traffic to your website and the traffic can be overwhelming if the content on your website is good.
So the big question will be how to control this traffic since if it is not regulated, it could lead to crashing of the website. Mechanisms should be put in place to make sure that this does not happen. This is why the pre-launch stage is important because it gives you a clear picture of what to expect. You should also have mechanisms that monitor the number of visitors, how they got to the website and the activities that they engage in when browsing through your site.
3. Platform and cross-browser checks
This boils down to compatibility issues. Everyone on the web has a favorite browser that he or she is accustomed to. Your website should take into consideration the different browser preference of the users who are likely to visit your website. The excuse by many people with regards to browser challenges is that the browsers are not installed in the working environment.
You should make sure that your website is tested across a variety of browsers. There are suits and software that make the testing possible since you don’t need to download them in order to test.
In case you lack a perfect testing environment, and then it is high time you get started on the coding because you cannot leave anything to chance. As a result, common bugs will be fixed which may be menace on the long run and a threat to your website.
4. Code validation
Code validation is essential to any website when it comes to search engine optimization, professionalism and security. There should be enough time and concentration when it comes to developing the codes.
To understand the concepts of the codes, I will give you an example. Imagine you have made a boat and along the way, you realize that there are some leakages. It is your responsibility to close the holes in order to ensure that the boat remain afloat. This is the same case with codes.
The holes in the boat are the invalid ones which should be corrected. Code validation should also be tested in the pre-launch stage so that the hitches can be corrected if there are any.
5. Printer friendly
Primarily, websites are made of content- mostly articles. You should ensure that the content on your website is of high quality. This, am pretty sure, was taken care of in the development stages of the website. If people are impressed with the content on your website, then they are likely to have the content in hard copy.
The content should be printer friendly so as to facilitate smooth reading by your targeted niche of people. You could settle on a specific style of sheet which can be easily printed. Your site can be experiencing growth in terms of traffic but this piece of negligence is likely to come to light within no time. Test out the printing sheet and style and observe the reaction of people.
Conclusion
To make a website ready for a launch might be a long and daunting task but it is worth the wait. What is the need of launching a website that will collapse after two months just because of some silly mistakes that could have been avoided? Patience is very essential at this stage. If you are planning to launch a website, then you now know what it entails. I hope this article has made you aware of the common pitfall people make when launching their websites.
