It’s natural to want to get things ready as soon as possible when you’ve decided to start a business. But don’t confuse strategic timing and preparation for procrastination. It’s important to take the time to check your website before launch so that you can launch with a positive buzz. There’s nothing worse than investing in a business that doesn’t get a noticeable or positive digital presence. While a great web launch is not the guarantee of success, it’s certainly a step closer to it! The most effective way to avoid rushing your web creation and launch is to stick to a strategic launch plan:
#1. Decide On The Look And Feel
Your website is your online business card. It needs not only to look attractive, but it should also convey the right message about your brand. In other words, your web design is very important because it is responsible for creating the first impression. Even before reading the content, your visitors will notice the look and feel you’ve chosen for the site. A modern and sleek design gives the impression of a dynamic and tech-savvy business, which is ideal for a consulting or service business. A colorful and interactive design shows your creative side. Therefore it is best suited for artists, creators, and designers. Pick your design with your audience expectations in mind!
#2. Prepare A Content Strategy
A design can only get you so far. The content of your website will support your SEO strategy – aka the ability to be found in search results – and will help you to increase visitors engagement. So getting your content right is key to your marketing strategy. You need to plan the type of content that you are going to share with your audience, but you also need to pick the right hosting solution for it. For instance, your content is hosted on a server. However, the speed at which your content is displayed is proportional to the number of visitors your website receives. Sites that struggles with peak times need to work with several server systems to keep the content accessible.
#3. Test It With Real People
Don’t wait until your website is live to see how people use it. It’s important to run user experience sessions before you launch the website. Why so? Because your visitors will approach the website with no previous knowledge of your business. Consequently, the way they read and understand information is different from yours. As they don’t benefit from your knowledge, they may not be looking for the relevant content at the right place or might get confused with a specific type of navigation design, for example. Being able to test in advance means that you can fix any issue before it’s too late.
#4. Keep An Eye On The Market
When you start a business, you’re getting to explore the market challenges, and especially the one that relates to your competitors. They’ve already established their companies; they have websites and clients. Don’t fear them yet, though. Use the launch prep time to check their digital presence and pick up some tips to improve yours. You can use SocialMention to monitor mentions of brands and trends so that you know what you’re up against. You can also use competitive research tools to check your competitors’ rankings in search engines. SEOMoz is one of these helpful tools, but SEO Book is a brilliant alternative too.
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