Preparing to launch a new website
Getting ready to launch a new website can be a big undertaking and setting out clear steps to success at the outset is key. Whether you are launching a small company website to highlight your key services, or an all-singing-all-dancing e-commerce store to take your business online, the key steps are relatively similar.
Set out your timeline for launching a new website
At Full Circle, we are huge advocates of SMART goals. Setting these objectives at the beginning of a website project is key to identifying who is responsible for what aspect, and when this is expected to be delivered by. When working as a team, it is important to delegate tasks related to an individual’s skill set to achieve the most efficient roll-out.
An example for a SMART goal may be “By close of business on Friday 17th May, John will have delivered all the relevant photography in various formats for the new website.”
Being aware of these dates from the outset allows the team to best understand when key tasks should be completed by, which then allows the rest of the team to identify when the next stages can start.
Prepare your brand essentials ahead of the launch of your new website
A new website is the perfect opportunity to showcase any new branding or give a new lease of life to existing assets. Ensuring adherence to brand guidelines throughout your website is essential, and so ahead of the design process it is crucial to ensure you speak to your brand manager, graphic designer or relevant creative. Ensure you have the correct logos in the appropriate sizes, and have a consistent font that correlates to your graphic content – consistency is key!
Decide on the best web development platform for your business
With so many great website development platforms on the market, from Wix & Wordpress to Squarespace and Shopify, there is more opportunity than ever to build a professional quality website in-house. It’s essential that you do your research on the pros and cons of each platform and decide what is best for you. If you are developing an e-commerce platform, compare the costs of different payment processors, and ensure that it has the functionality you need.
Are you selling online?
If you’re selling online, a basic Excel spreadsheet can be your best friend! A spreadsheet can make things easier when listing products; in here, we would recommend having the key headers “Product Title, Description, Product Price” along with a link to an image for each in an easy-to-access folder to save time.
Consider a soft launch to iron out any technical gremlins
A soft launch is the perfect opportunity to highlight any issues, technical or otherwise which may not have been identified during the build. Making your website live and sharing with colleagues or confidants is a tried and tested way of getting an unbiased set of eyes on your website who may flag tweaks or changes before the official launch. We often find that incentivising those early testers with discounts in return for feedback is a great way to make customers feel special.
To conclude, working on a new website is an exciting challenge, but without strategies in place from the outset, it can become overwhelming and team members can move at different paces.
Having your photography, logos and content to hand from the beginning will ensure that your new website is consistent and complementary your other marketing channels. Your website is a key part of your brand identity!
To discuss how Full Digital could support you through a new website build, contact us to arrange a digital consultation