Is your website as ready as it’ll ever be? Then it’s time to go live!
To publish your website and share it with the world, you’ll need to migrate your site from your staging server to your production server. Once it’s live, you’ll be able to start attracting new clients, and supporting your existing ones with improved access to products, services, and resources.
But don’t dive in too soon. There are a few things you’ll need to do before hitting the button…
- Check links & content
Always double-check (or even triple-check) your links and content before going live. If you’re publishing blog posts with links to other websites, remember that the other site may remove their content, or change their URLs, at any time. Having broken links on your first day live doesn’t make a very good impression! As for content, this should already be proofed before being added to your site. But what you’re looking for is any instances where you’ve accidentally kept the placeholder text.
- Ensure your site is secure
One of the most important factors to consider before going live is security. Make sure your admin passwords are strong and stored safely; install SSL if you haven’t already done so. Check that all your plugins are up-to-date, and ensure you’re using effective antivirus software and security tools. At this stage, it’s also a good idea to have plans in place for backing up your website to the cloud. You might also want to train your staff so that they’re adopting best practices when accessing the backend.
- Make sure your site is indexable
You’ve spent a lot of time developing the best website for your MSP. The last thing you want is for your audience to struggle to find it. Therefore, one of the best things you can do as you go live is to ensure your site can be indexed by search engines. This will mean your site shows up for relevant user searches. You can add your site to the Google ‘library’ through the Google Search Console. You can add specific URLs for indexing, or request indexing for every URL under your website’s domain.
- Promote your website
It’s important for potential clients to be aware of your new website, and you can boost awareness in a number of different ways. You may wish to send an email newsletter to your existing clients to let them know that you’re shifting online. Or you could build up excitement for the launch on social media in the weeks prior to going live. You could also reach out to a creative agency, asking them to draft a press release sharing your big news with clients across the country.
Remember: it doesn’t end here
You might view going live as the end of your web design and development journey. But it’s really just the beginning. The longer your website is up and running, the more you’ll learn about your visitors, their interactions, and your site’s performance. All this data can be used to make your website even more powerful, helpful, and persuasive. Learn from your initial launch, tweak your site as needed, and keep providing your clients and potential clients with the very best on-site experience.
