Launching your website: The ultimate checklist - Part 3

Launching your website is a big deal - whether you are a large corporation or a small business, and it deserves an equally big marketing strategy. In the final instalment of this blog series on launching your website, we will talk about what to do once you've launched your small business website and how to make sure it's successful.

1. Check that your analytics are working - You should have already installed your analytics and set up your Google Analytics account prior to launching, but double-check that all of your tracking codes are in place.
2. Check the user experience (UX) - Although you will have done this throughout your web build, it is something you should keep checking to ensure that your small business website continues to be user-friendly.
3. Set up/start posting on your social media accounts - Once you have created all of the necessary social media profiles for your small business, it's time to push them! Sharing news of your new website is a great way to attract new customers to take a look at your website. A paid promotion will also help to boost visitors to your site. When you have a website with us, we will share your new site live on our own social media channels AND send you graphics to do the same on your own.
4. Set up your Facebook pixel - You can monitor the traffic coming from Facebook to your website when you set up your Facebook pixel.
5. Send an email to your database - Tell all of your existing customers all about your new website and include plenty of links so that they can visit your site too.
6. Check the speed of your website - You should always check that your website is running smoothly. The older your website gets and the more you make changes to it, the more likely it is that your website will begin to slow down.

 

Support, support, support

Once you have launched your website (with The Web Guys) you have the freedom to make the changes you want. We will show you how to use your website and how to make changes such as upload products, blogs and edit your text. BUT, should you require any help with your website, we are on hand to offer you support. When you sign up for a website with us, you can book your 1-2-1 with Jon at a time that suits you. What more could you ask for?   Are you thinking about getting a website for your small business? Or perhaps you are fed up with having to pay for minor changes on your website? Does your website just need a new look? Get started with us today! It's as easy as 1,2,3. If you need help and assistance with a brand new website, then why not schedule a 1-2-1 chat with our Web Guy Jon? He can talk you through all the ways you can make your website work. We hope that you got value from our blog post to help with your business. If you are looking to create a new website or your current site need updating then contact our director of business development Gary on sales@thewebguys.co.uk to take your online presence to the next level. We can help you to create a top-quality website that you can use to sell your products or services – we will help you to get your website up and running and advise you on how to really make the most of your website >>> Get started today.  

How to Test Your Website Speed After Launch

A fast website is crucial for retaining visitors and for SEO. While the article mentions checking speed, here is how to do it using free, industry-standard tools to get a clear picture of your performance.

• Google PageSpeed Insights: This tool analyzes your site's performance on both mobile and desktop. It provides a score from 0-100 and gives specific recommendations for improvement. It also measures Core Web Vitals, which are direct Google ranking factors.
• GTmetrix: This service provides a detailed report on your site's load time, page size, and the number of requests it makes. It shows you a visual timeline of how your page loads, helping you identify the largest or slowest elements.

Run these tests on your homepage and other key pages, like product or service pages, to ensure a consistently smooth experience for all users.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Verifying Tracking Codes

The article correctly states you must check your analytics, but a simple visual check is not enough. Follow this technical process to confirm your data is being collected accurately from day one.

1. Install a Browser Extension: Add the Google Tag Assistant Legacy extension to your Chrome browser. Navigate to your website and enable it. It will show you if your Google Analytics tag is installed correctly and firing properly.
2. Check Realtime Reports: Log in to your Google Analytics account. In the 'Realtime' report, you should see your own visit appear as an active user. This is the fastest way to confirm live data collection.
3. Verify Your Facebook Pixel: For Facebook ads, install the Meta Pixel Helper extension. It will show you if your pixel is active on your site and which events, like page views, are being tracked.

Frequently Asked Questions After a Website Launch

• Why is my new website not on Google yet?

  Search engine indexing is not instant. It can take several days or even weeks for Google to crawl and list a new site. To speed this up, create a Google Search Console account and submit your sitemap directly.

• What is the most important thing to monitor in the first week?

  Focus on user behaviour metrics in Google Analytics. A high bounce rate or very short session duration on key pages could indicate a technical problem or a confusing user experience. Also, check Google Search Console for any crawl errors.

• How do I know if my contact forms are working?

  Do not assume they work. You must personally test every form on your website. Fill them out and confirm that you receive the email notification and that the user sees a 'thank you' message on the site.

How to Perform a Basic Post-Launch UX Audit

Continuously checking your User Experience (UX) is vital. Instead of just browsing, perform a structured audit to find real issues. Here is a simple checklist to get started.

• Cross-Browser Testing: Open your website in the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. Navigate through a few pages to ensure the layout, fonts, and images appear correctly in all of them.
• Mobile Device Check: Use your own smartphone to test the site. Can you easily click all buttons and links? Is the text readable without zooming? Complete a key action, like filling out a contact form, entirely on your mobile device.
• Broken Link Scan: Broken links create a poor user experience. Use a free online tool like Dr. Link Check to crawl your site and find any links that lead to 404 error pages so you can fix them quickly.