Website Launch Strategy 101: Post-Launch

Website launches are big moments which should be celebrated. But the significant investments made during a project mean that the work that’s required post-launch is not always planned in.

In actual fact, the work to ensure your site is fully optimised and performing has just begun at your website launch.

And really, the budget for your site’s annual maintenance and improvements should be set aside at the very beginning of your project. This is to ensure that you don’t do heaps of work to get your site set up, to then leave it for years before making any further improvements.

Our two previous blogs in this series cover the areas to think about pre-launch and when working towards launch day.

In our final blog of the series, we discuss the areas to think about post-launch and into the future. These areas are key to ensure your site develops to become an even more significant area of business return.

1. Upload an XML Sitemap of Your Website

Google states that an XML sitemap is beneficial for large organisations. But many SEO specialists such as Yoast argue that every website should upload an XML sitemap.

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the web pages on your site on Google. This means that the search engine can find and crawl all of them.

This is so Google can determine how valuable the information you’re providing is. And if it’s answering user queries effectively. It also helps Google to understand your website structure.

Uploading an XML sitemap will make a significant impact on the SEO health of your website. It’s therefore an essential step post-launch.

2. Set up Google Search Console for Your Website

Google Search Console is a free platform which enables anyone with a website to monitor how Google views their site. Site owners can then leverage this information to optimise their organic search presence.

This includes analysing top performing webpages and how performance varies across different devices. As well as many more insights.

Setting up Google Search Console as soon as your website launches is vital. This is so you can start to collect data and insights which you can use for continual optimisation.

3. Set up Google Analytics Goals for Your Website

Setting up Google Analytics goals is another essential step to complete soon after your website is launched.

Establishing these goals will ensure that the objectives and measures of success for your website are built into your Google Analytics. This will help you to understand how well your website is performing. And how well you’re meeting your objectives.

Get these essential analytics up and running straight away, to ensure you’re collecting data and insights from the very beginning of your website launch. 

4. Let Your Mailing List Know about Your Website

A key aspect of post-launch support is ensuring that your customers know that your website has changed. Once your site is live it’s important to send an email to your mailing list letting them know.

This will help to avoid any confusion and let your audience know any new contact details they may need.

Rather than making it an operational email, try to include some attractive content and headlines in your communication too.

Use it as an opportunity to announce any new campaigns you might have coming out soon. This will give your audience clear reasons to keep engaging with your website and content. 

5. Write a News Article or Blog about the Process/Thinking

Similarly to the press release you should prepare as part of your website launch day plan, you should consider writing a news article or blog reflecting on the website project. This could focus on the process, reasoning and approach for the new site, and should be an interesting piece of content for your internal and external audiences.

It will give your audience an opportunity to understand the issues with your previous site and what’s different about the new site. It also gives you a chance to talk about how the website shows a continued investment in your business.

6. Verify Your Website Speed

Checking your site speed is a crucial stage in optimising your site’s health.

The stats for users dropping off at slow site speeds are pretty stark.

Cloudflare states that at a load speed of 2.4 seconds, conversion rate is 1.9%, but over 5.7 seconds, conversion rate drops below 0.6%, so you really can’t afford your site speed to be slow.

Tools such as PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse can help you with checking the speed of your web pages in a quick and easy way, so make sure you don’t forget this crucial step!

7. Plan Phase II

By the time you’ve launched your website, you and your project team will likely have many other ideas about where you’d like to take your site and the additional features and functionalities you’d like it to have.

A website is a moving and ongoing project, and while you might have successfully launched a site which meets your basic business needs, there will always be ways your site can be developed, improved and optimised.

Once you’ve celebrated your launch, get your web project group together and discuss next steps to ensure your website stays on a track of long term investment and improvement.

Invest in your Website for the Long Term

Web projects are often huge investments for businesses.

Which is why some organisations forget to plan post-launch and ensure all the essential ongoing maintenance, improvements and future developments are considered.

Your website launch is a key milestone.

But be sure to regroup with your project team quickly after the launch to ensure the essential post-launch stages are actioned. 

Do You Need Support With your Website Project?

If so, we have just the resource for you. The B2B Website Planning Series gives you step-by-step guidance for your project, ensuring you feel confident and equipped at every stage.

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