Congratulations! You just launched your new or redesigned website. We know firsthand all the steps and time it takes to create a polished, user-friendly website, and we know that you want to make sure everyone and anyone sees this digital asset!
Although you probably want to say you’re completely done with your website once it’s live, you’re not off the hook just yet. Here are the top six things you need to remember to do after you launch your WordPress website.
Connect Google Analytics
By connecting your website to your Google Analytics account, you will get valuable insight into metrics ranging from site traffic and demographics to user behavior and average time on your website. With this tool, you will see how effective your new website is and if there is room for improvement.
The best part about Google Analytics is it’s free! All you need to do (after you’ve signed up for it) is add your site’s information into the platform, add the HTML tracking code to your website’s header code, and you’re done!
We handle this on behalf of our clients every time we launch a website, but Google will seamlessly walk you through how to do this if you aren’t sure where to start.
Set Up Google Search Console
We promise Google did not sponsor this post, but their tools are a must-have for any website. Google Search Console (GSC) will help optimize your site and highlight any structural issues with your site. You can also see what websites are linking to you, your most popular search terms, crawl errors, and so much more. In short, this tool will make sure both you and your users have a seamless experience on your website.
Make Sure Your Site is Visible to Search Engines
This might be the most important tip of them all, so please don’t forget this!
If your website is not able to be indexed by search engines, your site will have minimal visibility. There is one checkbox in the backend of your WordPress website that stands between being indexed and not.
Here’s how to make sure this checkbox is unchecked:
- Log into the backend of your website (yourURL.com/wp-admin)
- Go to Settings > Reading
- Look for the “Search Engine Visibility” setting and make sure the checkbox labeled “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” remains unchecked
Here’s an image of what we’re talking about:
Ensure Your Website is Getting Backed Up
How heartbreaking would it be to see your new website gone in the blink of an eye! Luckily, there are some awesome backup plugins and software out there to make sure this never happens. Jetpack is one of the most popular, and for less than $5 a month, you can restore any version of your website no matter what happens.
We offer maintenance plans where we use our tools and plugins to make sure our clients’ websites are backed up, up to date, and protected from spam.
Start Blogging
Search engines like Google love websites that are updated frequently and often, and you can please them by adding new content to your site content. The easiest way to start this is by writing blog posts.
Along with the SEO benefits, blogs position you as an expert in your industry and show that you aim to help your audience understand your services/products. It can be a great tool to connect with your users and encourage engagement on multiple different levels.
Blogging doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but that’s okay! When thinking of topics, think about things that pertain to your industry or answer common questions you get from customers. Aim to post a blog at least once a month to start and see if increasing your frequency is possible. If you find that keeping up with one a month is difficult, consider hiring a copywriter to blog on your behalf.
Spread the Word
Search engines aren’t the only “things” you want to know about your new website; you need to let your customers, potential customers, partners, parents, friends, and the world know!
Social media is a great place to start. Create a cool graphic to post (take a screenshot of your homepage, make a gif of you scrolling through your website, or get creative), write a fun caption, make the call-to-action be to visit your site, add a link, and let your audience applaud you on your great work!
Emails are another great way to let your network know about your new website. Create a cool email in your email marketing platform and send it out to your list of subscribers. While email is not as broad as social media, it still can be a way to connect to your users where they spend a lot of their time.
Lastly, if your WordPress website is brand new, make sure your website URL is placed everywhere possible. Your LinkedIn profile, business cards, marketing collateral, and other website profiles need to include this.
Don’t let this list be the limit. Any way you can think to share the news that you have a new WordPress website is great!
While there are many more things you can do to make sure your website is launched correctly (here are some slides from a Meetup we held about it), these are a great place to start. A well-built website is an investment, and if the execution isn’t seamless, all of your efforts could go to waste. If a new website sounds like a daunting task to take on, hire website professionals like us to take the hard work off your plate.
If you have any questions about launching your website, let’s get a cup of coffee soon!
