Launching a website is exciting, but there are a few things you should do before you press the activate button. Don’t forget to do these 10 things before launching your website.
Run testing
The most important thing to do before launch is to go through a Website Testing checklist. Website testing ensures that a site is working correctly, all the tabs and links work, and the site is secure.
Check all content
Checking your content ranges from ensuring there aren’t any grammatical errors to adding alt-text on photos. You want all titles and content formats to be the same and your images, videos, and audio files to load and play.
Deactivate and delete old plugins
A lot of extra material is left over when you finish your website, including additional plugins you thought you wanted to use but decided against at some juncture. Go ahead and deactivate them. If you need them later, you can always add them back in.
Establish a favicon
A favicon is a small icon to the left of the browser tab. Your browser automatically fills the space with a generic symbol when a site doesn’t have one. Having a favicon helps you establish your brand while making it easier for customers/site visitors to save your page for later.
Establish legal pages
While not all sites need this, legal pages such as “Privacy Policies” and “Terms of Use” can be required for businesses and affiliation contracts. For example, some states require you to post a statement if you earn commissions on affiliate links or purchases.
Have a few extra articles ready
Sometimes life gets away, and you run out of time to write and polish next week’s blog article or business post. Having a few extra evergreen articles ready at launch can help to ensure you stay on schedule with posts.
Optimize your permalinks
Your site will automatically generate permalinks for any article or post you publish, but you’ll find they can be wordy or too long. You can modify your permalinks to make them more keyword and SEO-friendly. For example, instead of “/5-facts-about-big-cats-you-have-never-heard,” you can change it to “/5-big-cat-facts”.
Connect your social media
In today’s world, it’s impossible to have a brand without social media. Give your site a quick scan. Is there an easy way for your clients/customers to find your brand on social media?
Secure your website
Hackers can infiltrate anything, and that includes your website. Securing your site is especially crucial if you plan on collecting client information through your site. You want to ensure everyone’s data is safe and encrypted.
Backup your website
Should the worst happen and you lose everything, you’ll want to have a backup website you can get up and running quickly. It can be a bare-bones site, but it’s best to have the entire site duplicated should something happen to the original.
In summary
There’s a lot of extra work to publishing a website, so you want to make sure you only have to do it once. First impressions are essential. Consider optimizing your permalinks, backing up the site, and checking your grammar.