{"id":2191,"date":"2015-12-01T23:19:43","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T23:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/website-launch-checklist\/"},"modified":"2024-02-28T15:24:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T15:24:30","slug":"website-launch-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/website-launch-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Website Launch Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"content\">\n<h2>Content:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vybgf3I5hUKoSZSRt-1A1A.png\" alt=\"Content:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vybgf3I5hUKoSZSRt-1A1A.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Step one is to make sure your content is all in line.<\/p>\n<p>Follow the steps on the left to get started.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-your-typography-and-layout\">\n<h2>Check your typography and layout<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The first step in our website launch checklist is to<strong> check through your typography and general layout<\/strong>. Ensure consistency by working through the <strong>sub-checklist<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"multi-select-content form-field-content\">\n<ul class=\"items\">\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       1\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Check for incorrect punctuation marks, particularly apostrophes, quotation marks and hyphens\/dashes&nbsp;\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       2\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Check headings for where you could potentially use ligatures&nbsp;\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       3\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Check for widow\/orphan terms in important paragraphs\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-spelling-and-grammar-consistency\">\n<h2>Ensure spelling and grammar consistency<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Much like the previous step, you next need to<strong> ensure that all spelling and grammar is consistent<\/strong>. As before, we have supplied a <strong>sub-checklist<\/strong> to help you through this process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"multi-select-content form-field-content\">\n<ul class=\"items\">\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       1\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Capitalization (especially of main headings)&nbsp;\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       2\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Tense\/Style of writing&nbsp;\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       3\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Recurring\/common phrases (e.g. \u2018More about X\u2019 links)\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       4\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Variations in words (e.g. Websites vs Web Sites, or UK vs US spelling)&nbsp;\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       5\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Treatment of bulleted lists (e.g. periods or commas at end of each item)\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-context\">\n<h2>Check context<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Next, <strong>check through your pages<\/strong> whilst bearing in mind the <strong>context<\/strong> with which they will be seen. For example, when giving a critical eye to the pages within the site, ask:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why would I visit this page?<\/li>\n<li>Is the content ready for visitors?<\/li>\n<li>Does the page address the audience?<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-no-test-content-is-on-the-site\">\n<h2>Ensure no test content is on the site<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Now you should pick out any<strong> test content<\/strong> which is still on the site and<strong> remove it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, it's not a great look when someone finds a post called \"Hello World\" or a paragraph saying \"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.\"<\/p>\n<p><strong>Find it<\/strong>.<strong> Trash it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-all-hidden-copy\">\n<h2>Check all \u2018Hidden Copy\u2019<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The next step is to go through and <strong>check all pieces of 'Hidden Copy'<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you do not know how to do this,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/ugc\/finding-hidden-links-and-text-using-the-web-developer-toolbar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>&nbsp;to be shown how to find all pieces of 'Hidden Copy' (e.g. alt text, transcriptions, text in JavaScript functions).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-forms\">\n<h2>Check forms<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If your site has any <strong>forms<\/strong> (be they sign-up or opt-in) you need to <strong>ensure<\/strong> that they are <strong>as good as they can possibly be<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fill out the forms<\/strong> on the site and go through the <strong>following questions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can the<strong> flow<\/strong> be improved?<\/li>\n<li>Do you <strong>get stuck<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<li>Are the <strong>instructions accurate<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<li>Does the completed form get <strong>sent<\/strong> to the right people or person?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Depending on your answers, adjust the forms as necessary.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"proofread-everything\">\n<h2>Proofread everything<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Proofread everything again<\/strong>. Yes, we know you've probably been through the content before, but you need to <strong>check every nook and cranny<\/strong>! <strong>Record<\/strong> <strong>who has proofread<\/strong> the site with the <strong>form fields<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Proofreader 1 <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled class=\"form-control\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Proofreader 2 <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled class=\"form-control\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Proofreader 3 <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled class=\"form-control\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Even if you\u2019ve already read it, read it again; <strong>get at least one other person to read it too<\/strong>. There\u2019s always something you\u2019ll pick up on and have to change.<\/p>\n<p>See if you can reduce the amount of text by <strong>keeping it specific<\/strong>. <strong>Break up large text blocks<\/strong> into shorter paragraphs. Add <strong>clear headings<\/strong> throughout, and <strong>use lists<\/strong> so that users can scan easily. Don\u2019t forget about<strong> dynamic text<\/strong> too, such as alert boxes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.useit.com\/alertbox\/9703b.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Writing for the web<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-legal-pages-are-in-place\">\n<h2>Ensure legal pages are in place<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If your site jurisdiction mandates that you have a <strong>privacy policy<\/strong>, or a <strong>contact us page<\/strong>, you need to <strong>ensure you have them in place<\/strong>. <strong>Record a copy<\/strong> of the&nbsp;<strong>privacy policy<\/strong> with the <strong>form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"file-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Site Privacy Policy <\/label> <\/p>\n<div class=\"file-container\"> <button type=\"button\" disabled class=\"btn btn-default\"> <i class=\"fa fa-upload btn-icon\"><\/i> File will be uploaded here <\/button>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"design\">\n<h2>Design:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ghojR1JUne7FWrS6G-lIiQ.png\" alt=\"Design:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ghojR1JUne7FWrS6G-lIiQ.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"get-a-favicon\">\n<h2>Get a favicon<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f4b3616a-b1ea-4e4d-8676-533a3d5701db.png\" alt=\"Get a favicon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f4b3616a-b1ea-4e4d-8676-533a3d5701db.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Every site should have a<strong> favicon<\/strong>, so <strong>make sure that yours is working<\/strong>. <strong>Upload a copy<\/strong> of the favicon to the <strong>form field<\/strong> below for safe keeping.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"file-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Site Favicon <\/label> <\/p>\n<div class=\"file-container\"> <button type=\"button\" disabled class=\"btn btn-default\"> <i class=\"fa fa-upload btn-icon\"><\/i> File will be uploaded here <\/button>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The \u2018favicon\u2019 appears to the left of the page title in the web browser, and your users will notice if your website doesn\u2019t have one. They <strong>give your website credibility<\/strong> and <strong>help users navigate to your site<\/strong> when it\u2019s open amongst their other tabs and bookmarks.<\/p>\n<p>Ensuring that your website has a favicon is probably the most basic of any task known to humanity, and yet it\u2019s so frequently overlooked.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dwuser.com\/education\/content\/quick-tip-adding-a-favicon-to-your-website\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to Add a Favicon to your Site<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-working-responsive-design\">\n<h2>Ensure working responsive design<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Next up in the design checks of the website launch checklist, you must <strong>check<\/strong> that your <strong>website supports responsive design<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Responsive web design<\/strong>&nbsp;(<strong>RWD<\/strong>) is a&nbsp;web design&nbsp;approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an <strong>optimal viewing experience <\/strong>-<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling - <strong>across a wide range of devices<\/strong> (from mobile phones to desktop computer monitors).<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, <strong>make sure your website works<\/strong> <strong>on different screen resolutions and all devices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Use these tools to check your site on different resolutions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.responsinator.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Responsinator<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.studiopress.com\/responsive\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Studio Press<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Designing your site using the <a href=\"http:\/\/getbootstrap.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bootstrap framework<\/a> should solve many of these problems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-your-images\">\n<h2>Check your images<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Now you need to <strong>check all of your images<\/strong> to ensure that everything is working smoothly.<\/p>\n<p>Check image<strong> pixelation on different displays<\/strong>, specifically&nbsp;high resolution displays like Apple's Retina Display.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"include-404-pages-and-defensive-design\">\n<h2>Include 404 pages and defensive design<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The final design element which <strong>needs to be checked<\/strong> is the <strong>presence of a 404 page<\/strong> and <strong>defensive design elements<\/strong>. <strong>Record the link<\/strong> to the 404 page in the <strong>form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Site 404 Page <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled class=\"form-control\">\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The most commonly overlooked defensive design element is the 404 page. If a <strong>user requests a page that doesn\u2019t exis<\/strong>t, your&nbsp;<strong>404 page&nbsp;is displayed<\/strong>. This may happen for a variety of reasons, including another website linking to a page that doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n<p>Get your users back on track by providing a<strong> useful<\/strong> 404 page that <strong>directs them to the home page<\/strong> or <strong>suggests other pages<\/strong> they may be interested in.<\/p>\n<p>Another defensive design technique is&nbsp;<strong>checking your forms for validation<\/strong>. Try submitting unusual information in your form fields (e.g. lots of characters, letters in number fields, etc.) and make sure that <strong>if there is an error<\/strong>, the <strong>user is provided with enough feedback<\/strong> to be able to fix it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.smashingmagazine.com\/2007\/08\/17\/404-error-pages-reloaded\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">404 Error Pages Reloaded<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"testing\">\n<h2>Testing:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ggPHD7VvN5YfpF5CMl1OsA.png\" alt=\"Testing:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ggPHD7VvN5YfpF5CMl1OsA.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"conduct-usability-testing\">\n<h2>Conduct usability testing<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>This step is pretty self-explanatory; you need to kick off your tests with <strong>usability testing<\/strong>. <strong>Record<\/strong> the parties responsible for the tests (and their comments) with the <strong>form fields<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"textarea-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Usability Testers <\/label> <textarea placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" rows=\"3\" disabled class=\"form-control\"><\/textarea>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"textarea-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Usability Tester Comments <\/label> <textarea placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" rows=\"3\" disabled class=\"form-control\"><\/textarea>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Have&nbsp;a usability testing done via&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/feedbackarmy.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">feedbackarmy.com<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/usertesting.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">usertesting.com<\/a>&nbsp;or,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Usability_testing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">do it yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is important as <strong>customers drop unusable websites<\/strong> to go to competitors. Even testing with 5 users can find 85% of the usability issues. These websites make usability testing simple and affordable.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-performance\">\n<h2>Check performance<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Website performance is absolutely critical to overall user experience, especially given the prevalence of mobile and&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/thepixellab.com.au\/responisve-design-and-the-organic-web\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">responsive<\/a>&nbsp;websites. Hence, you <strong>need to conduct performance tests<\/strong> and <strong>record<\/strong> their <strong>results<\/strong> using the <strong>form fields<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"select-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Performance Test Results <\/label> <select disabled class=\"form-control\"><option value=\"An option will be selected here\">An option will be selected here<\/option><\/select>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>This is another one of those things that you really should be doing as <strong>part of your development process (before and after launch)<\/strong>, but it\u2019s never too late to put your website through its paces. Performance can often be <strong>optimized<\/strong> by making <strong>high value, low effort updates<\/strong> and changes.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some tools that you will find helpful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/developers.google.com\/speed\/pagespeed\/insights\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google PageSpeed Insights<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/tools.pingdom.com\/fpt\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pingdom Website Speed Test<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-working-responsive-design-2\">\n<h2>Ensure working responsive design<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Ensure your&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/johnpolacek.github.io\/scrolldeck.js\/decks\/responsive\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">responsive&nbsp;design<\/a> is working and check all style types. Use (or expand) the sub-checklist below to track the progress of your tests.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"multi-select-content form-field-content\">\n<ul class=\"items\">\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       1\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Paragraph\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       2\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Headings\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       3\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Unordered Lists\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       4\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Ordered Lists\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       5\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Images\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       6\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Videos\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"perform-crossbrowser-checks\">\n<h2>Perform cross-browser checks<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Next, you should<strong> check <\/strong>that your<strong> website works in multiple browsers<\/strong>. <strong>Record<\/strong> the <strong>browsers tested<\/strong> in the <strong>form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"textarea-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Browsers Tested <\/label> <textarea placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" rows=\"3\" disabled class=\"form-control\"><\/textarea>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>This is the sneaky kind of issue where, just when you think your design looks great, pixel perfect, you check it in IE and see that everything is broken. It\u2019s <strong>vitally important<\/strong> that your website works across browsers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bear in mind that <strong>not everything has to be pixel perfect<\/strong>, but everything should work, and the <strong>user shouldn\u2019t see any problems<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"scour-for-broken-links\">\n<h2>Scour for broken links<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>It\u2019s one thing to proofread your content, but do yourself (and your users) a huge favour and <strong>check<\/strong> that the <strong>links<\/strong> in your website&nbsp;<strong><\/strong>both&nbsp;<strong>work<\/strong> and<strong>&nbsp;go somewhere meaningful<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Again, W3C have come to the rescue with their&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/validator.w3.org\/checklink\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">W3 Link Checker<\/a>&nbsp;or <a href=\"http:\/\/home.snafu.de\/tilman\/xenulink.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xenu<\/a>&nbsp;tool. This service crawls your website and looks for broken links. Pro-tip: enter your development URL and see what comes up (though the link checker may not work if your development site is locked down).<\/p>\n<p>Now, it should be mentioned that while the link checker is super handy, nothing beats going through your site<strong> manually<\/strong>, and actually <strong>clicking on the links<\/strong> \u2013 especially if you\u2019ve built some custom functionality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Correct any broken or irrelevant links<\/strong>, then move on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-on-several-mobile-devices\">\n<h2>Check on several mobile devices<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>We're almost done with the testing section of the website launch checklist - you must now <strong>check<\/strong> that your <strong>website works<\/strong> across <strong>several mobile devices<\/strong>. As with the browser tests,<strong> record the devices<\/strong> you test out in the<strong> form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"textarea-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Mobile Devices Tested <\/label> <textarea placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" rows=\"3\" disabled class=\"form-control\"><\/textarea>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>You can use the responsive testing tools mentioned above to do initial mobile testing, but they are not perfect. To really see how your site looks on various mobile devices, you gotta load it up manually.<\/p>\n<p>So use your <strong>families', friends' and <\/strong>co<strong>-workers' phones and tablets<\/strong> to see how your site looks. Take <strong>screenshots<\/strong> on their devices and <strong>email them to yourself<\/strong> if you see any <strong>errors<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mobileoffice.about.com\/od\/phonesformobileworkers\/a\/How-To-Take-A-Screenshot-On-Ios-Or-Android.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to Take a Screenshot on iOS or Android<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"measure-site-speed\">\n<h2>Measure site speed<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Site speed<\/strong> SIGNIFICANTLY affects your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/2012\/12\/10\/how-load-time-affects-google-rankings\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google rankings<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.globaldots.com\/how-website-speed-affects-conversion-rates\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">conversion rate<\/a> of your visitors. <strong>Make sure it's snappy<\/strong>, no exceptions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS TIP: Optimize your images<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Up to 80% of your page\u2019s bandwidth is used up by images. Optimizing it provides one of the best returns on your time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.smushit.com\/ysmush.it\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Smushit<\/a>,&nbsp;can automate this.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"marketing\">\n<h2>Marketing:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kHGHHzjMODw_CQoIIH9J4A.png\" alt=\"Marketing:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kHGHHzjMODw_CQoIIH9J4A.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"set-a-launch-date\">\n<h2>Set a launch date<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Now that you've run your site through a fine comb and are happy with the results, you need to<strong> set a launch date<\/strong> for it. <strong>Record<\/strong> the launch date in the<strong> form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"date-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Site Launch Date <\/label> <\/p>\n<div class=\"date-container\"> <button type=\"button\" disabled class=\"btn btn-default\"> <i class=\"fa fa-calendar btn-icon\"><\/i> Date will be set here <\/button>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>As a tip, you'll want to <strong>give yourself more time than you think<\/strong>, unless you have done this before.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-lead-capture-is-in-place\">\n<h2>Ensure lead capture is in place<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/2014\/04\/why-you-need-to-capture-leads-on-your-company-website\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Capturing leads<\/a> is arguably the most important thing your website can do. <strong>Check you have lead capture in place<\/strong>, and all your <strong>forms are working<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>BONUS: Check your emails are being delivered to all TLDs including Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and AOL. Make sure your emails look good on mobile devices.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"consider-seo\">\n<h2>Consider SEO<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>This step is a big one - you now need to make sure that your site has been created with <strong>SEO (search engine optimization)<\/strong> in mind. <strong>See below<\/strong> for a brief guide, or follow the links at this end of this task to go more in-depth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<h3>Keyword Research<\/h3>\n<p>Have you used Google\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/adwords.google.com\/o\/Targeting\/Explorer?__c=1000000000&amp;__u=1000000000&amp;ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keyword Research Tool<\/a>? Be sure to <strong>consider searcher intent and difficulty<\/strong>, pick <strong>one&nbsp;keyword per page<\/strong>, and you\u2019ll generally want to <strong>start with lower-volume keywords<\/strong> first.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<h3>Titles and Meta Data<\/h3>\n<p>Your <strong>page title<\/strong> is the most important element for SEO and is also important so that users know what\u2019s on the page. Make sure it<strong> changes on every page<\/strong> and relates to that page\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<p>&lt;title&gt;10 Things To Consider When Choosing The Perfect CMS | How-To | Smashing Magazine&lt;\/title&gt;<\/p>\n<p>Are all of your title tags <strong>~65 characters or less<\/strong>? Title tags over this will be truncated in results.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Meta description<\/strong> and <strong>keyword tags<\/strong> aren\u2019t as important for SEO (at least for the major search engines anyway), but it\u2019s still a good idea to include them. Change the description on each page to make it relate to that page\u2019s content, because this is often what Google displays in its search result description.<\/p>\n<p>&lt;meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Paul Boag Choosing a content management system can be tricky. Without a clearly defined set of requirements, you will be seduced by fancy functionality that you will never use. What then should you look\" \/&gt;<\/p>\n<p>Are all of your <strong>meta description tags ~155 characters or less<\/strong>? Meta description tags over this will be truncated in results.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<h3>Internal Linking<\/h3>\n<p>Are you <strong>linking to your internal pages<\/strong> in an SEO-friendly way? Are you describing the page you're linking to in the anchor text, so that both users and search engines understand what it\u2019s about?<\/p>\n<p>We recommend&nbsp;<strong>not using anchor text in your global navigation<\/strong>&nbsp;because it can look like over-optimization. Stick to in-content links instead.<\/p>\n<h3>Off Page Optimization<\/h3>\n<p>Have you started <strong>off-page optimization<\/strong> and began <strong>building links<\/strong>? This is the hardest, most important aspect of SEO! Check out the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.clickminded.com\/link-building-101-handbook\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ClickMinded Link Building Strategy Guide<\/a>&nbsp;to get started.<\/p>\n<p>Have you looked at competitor link profiles?<\/p>\n<p>This is the easiest way to get started with link building. This way, you can see what kind of anchor text they\u2019re using, as well as how and where they\u2019ve been getting their links. Input competitor domains at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkdiagnosis.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Link Diagnosis<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.opensiteexplorer.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Open Site Explorer<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ahrefs<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.majesticseo.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Majestic SEO<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.lipperhey.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LipperHey<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<h3>More<\/h3>\n<p>SEO is a big topic, if you really want to get into the nitty gritty, check out these two guides:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moz.com\/beginners-guide-to-seo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Moz Beginners Guide to SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/the-advanced-guide-to-seo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Quicksprout Advanced Guide to SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"start-blogging\">\n<h2>Start blogging<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Start blogging<\/strong> BEFORE you launch your website. This will<strong> get your site known by Google<\/strong>, and will give some <strong>content for readers<\/strong> to go over <strong>when they arrive<\/strong> during launch date.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>See Also:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/2014\/07\/how-to-start-a-blog-company\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to set up your company blog in 5 minutes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/blog\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">blog<\/a> for some inspiration, or check out the below resources:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lifehack.org\/articles\/communication\/the-newbie-guide-to-blogging.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Newbie Guide to Blogging<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyblogger.com\/blogging-writing-guide\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Ultimate Blogger Writing Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/the-complete-guide-to-building-your-blog-audience\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Complete Guide to Building your Blog Audience<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Make sure you continue blogging even after the site is launched, blogging is an ongoing process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"register-social-media-properties\">\n<h2>Register social media properties<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>You should <strong>register all your social media properties<\/strong> and get them set up with profile images, cover pages, links back to your website and even a few posts.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to bulk-search or register social media sites check out&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/knowem.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Know Em<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To speed up social media syndication, take a look at syndication automation below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"write-a-press-release\">\n<h2>Write a press release<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If applicable, you now need to <strong>write a press release<\/strong> for the launch of your website. <strong>Upload a copy<\/strong> of the finished product to the <strong>form field<\/strong> below for ease of access.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"file-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\"> <label> Site Launch Press Release <\/label> <\/p>\n<div class=\"file-container\"> <button type=\"button\" disabled class=\"btn btn-default\"> <i class=\"fa fa-upload btn-icon\"><\/i> File will be uploaded here <\/button>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>A press release can be useful when launching your website, <strong>but don't rely on it<\/strong> to get you picked up. Personal connections with journalists will get you much further.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you are going to do a press release, <strong>good syndication<\/strong> <strong>is important<\/strong> to ensure you get some exposure. Below are a few services to help you get your name out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/prnewswire.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PR News Wire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/marketingsignals.com\/press-release-syndication\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marketing Signals&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.prsyndication.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PR Syndication<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"implement-syndication-automation\">\n<h2>Implement syndication automation<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>One of the best things you can do before launching a website is <strong>ensuring that your syndication is automatic<\/strong>. By this, we mean that when you publish a new blog post, your social media platforms automatically inform your audience.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/business-process-automation-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">free ebook<\/a> on the topic to learn the best way to do this, along with other tips on how to automate the processes you hate in your business!<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, you can use&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/ifttt.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">IFTTT<\/a>&nbsp;to syndicate your blog posts to your social media properties. See how in the below video:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"video-content\">\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"> <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YzCAVriHwWU?modestbranding=1&amp;showinfo=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> <\/iframe>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"set-up-on-social-bookmarking-sites\">\n<h2>Set up on social bookmarking sites<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Now that you've taken care of the bulk of your marketing launch checks, you need to <strong>set yourself up on social bookmarking sites<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Social bookmarking sites like Reddit can get you <strong>huge waves of traffic<\/strong> if you get upvotes. <strong>Create an account<\/strong> with the below sites and <strong>become an active member<\/strong> of the community, then <strong>when you launch<\/strong> your site, <strong>ask for some feedback<\/strong> on the below sites.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ycombinator.com\/ask\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ask Hacker News<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Digg<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">StumbleUpon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"submit-your-site-to-directories\">\n<h2>Submit your site to directories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>To help people find your site you should <strong>submit&nbsp;it to various business directories<\/strong>. Although you should <strong>consider as many as possible<\/strong>, below are some options to get you started.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecom.yahoo.com\/dir\/submit\/intro\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yahoo Directory<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dmoz.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DMOZ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.business.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Business.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.joeant.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">JoeAnt<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.botw.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Best of the Web<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"add-the-website-to-your-email-signature\">\n<h2>Add the website to your email signature<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Put your <strong>new website URL<\/strong> and<strong> launch announcement<\/strong> in your <strong>email signature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you use a browser for emails, check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wisestamp.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WiseStamp<\/a> for Chrome and Firefox.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"consider-the-sitemap-file\">\n<h2>Consider the sitemap file<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Another key aspect of a good website launch checklist is to ensure that your website has both a <strong>sitemap file<\/strong> and measures to <strong>keep it updated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Adding a sitemap.xml file to your <strong>root directory<\/strong> allows the major search engines to easily index your website. The file points crawlers to all the pages on your website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xml-sitemaps.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">XML-Sitemaps<\/a>&nbsp;automatically creates a sitemap.xml file for you. After creating the file, upload it to your root directory so that its location is www.mydomain.com\/sitemap.xml.<\/p>\n<p>If you use WordPress, install the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.arnebrachhold.de\/projects\/wordpress-plugins\/google-xml-sitemaps-generator\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google XML Sitemaps plug-in<\/a>, which <strong>automatically updates the sitemap<\/strong> when you write new posts. Also, add your website and sitemap to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/webmasters\/tools\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Webmaster Tools<\/a>. This tells Google that you have a sitemap, and the service provides useful statistics on how and when your website was last indexed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"tracking\">\n<h2>Tracking:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/h29pyJSdIBGbhiM3FuZA_g.png\" alt=\"Tracking:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/h29pyJSdIBGbhiM3FuZA_g.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-analytics-tracking\">\n<h2>Ensure analytics tracking<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Installing a web analytics tool<\/strong> (like&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/analytics\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Analytics<\/a>) is critical for recording and measuring website performance and conversion rates.<\/p>\n<p>Google Analytics even has a handy feature for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/1012040?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">setting up goals<\/a>&nbsp;to track how much each conversion is worth for your business.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re in the process of building a replacement for an existing website, be sure not to pollute your data by installing the tracking code on your new website while it\u2019s under development. Equally, however, if you\u2019re clever enough to leave out the tracking code, then be clever enough to remember it when it\u2019s time to go live.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few analytics platforms that you might be interested in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/analytics\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/piwik.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Piwik<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kissmetrics.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KISSmetrics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/statcounter.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Statcounter<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"perform-ab-testing\">\n<h2>Perform A\/B testing<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If you're planning on doing a big launch and spending money on marketing, <strong>you should be A\/B testing<\/strong> (also known as 'split testing').<\/p>\n<p>A\/B testing is a simple randomized experiment with two variants, A and B, which are the control and treatment in the controlled experiment. It is a form of statistical hypothesis testing.<\/p>\n<p>Some things to consider testing first:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Homepage <strong>Headline<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Homepage <strong>Video<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Price<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You should also be <strong>testing elements in your site<\/strong> to <strong>make sure it's working<\/strong> the way you want it to.<\/p>\n<p>There are a <strong>number of tools<\/strong> out there to <strong>help<\/strong> you run an A\/B test including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/1745152?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Experiments<\/a> (part of Google Analytics)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optimizely.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Optimizely<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/visualwebsiteoptimizer.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Visual Website Optimizer<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"consider-heatmap-testing\">\n<h2>Consider heatmap testing<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Next, you should at least <strong>consider doing heatmap testing<\/strong> on your site.<\/p>\n<p>This is one<strong> for the more traffic heavy sites<\/strong>, but if you want to really see what users are doing on your website, you can use a heatmap tracking tool like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CrazyEgg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/b6bcc07a-561b-4391-9cbb-23c91fb4c7b5.jpg\" alt=\"Consider heatmap testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/b6bcc07a-561b-4391-9cbb-23c91fb4c7b5.jpg\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"add-the-site-to-google-webmaster\">\n<h2>Add the site to Google Webmaster<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If you<strong> add your site to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/webmasters\/tools\/home?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Webmaster<\/a><\/strong>, they will provide you data such as what are common search terms they display your website for.<\/p>\n<p>You can also install&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/toolbox\/webmaster\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bing Webmaster Tools<\/a>, if you should so desire.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"technical\">\n<h2>Technical:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/hP_a0jewgG502DxkF8NJYQ.png\" alt=\"Technical:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/hP_a0jewgG502DxkF8NJYQ.png\"> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"validate-your-code\">\n<h2>Validate your code<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>We're getting into the last few technical aspects of the website launch checklist now! Start off by <strong>validating your code<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This is something that you would hope to have<strong> worked into your development process<\/strong>, but hey, if you subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Murphy's_law\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Murphy\u2019s Law<\/a>&nbsp;then this is probably something you should<strong> check before launch, and after each updat<\/strong>e.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/validator.w3.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">W3 Validator<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;is a free tool from The W3C that will help you make sure your code is up to scratch.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.freeformatter.com\/validators.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Free Formatter<\/a> has a list of a few more validation tools for different technologies.<\/p>\n<p>If you struggle with the technical side, you can consider employing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebuilderz.com\/los-angeles-seo-company\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">website optimization services<\/a> to help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-page-redirection\">\n<h2>Check page redirection<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Although this step is mainly for when you are building a replacement website, you must now check that your URLs lead to the correct pages. <strong>Ensure that<\/strong> <strong>all redirects are intentional and correct<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re in the process of building a replacement website, it\u2019s likely that pages on the new website don\u2019t exist on the old website \u2013 and perhaps even the other way around. Sometimes, however, it\u2019s just that the link structure is different. Whatever the case, it\u2019s important to be thorough.<\/p>\n<p><em>http:\/\/example.com\/about-us<\/em>&nbsp;<strong>is not the same as<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>http:\/\/example.com\/about_us<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h4>Step One: Indexing<\/h4>\n<p>Open up this handy Google Spreadsheet (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1VihKtS-mFP6xyQT4nyeyMlkLcGvx049eLLHWs-IgjEw\/edit?usp=sharing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Page Redirection Sheet<\/a>\u201c). This will help you index and compare old and new pages.<\/p>\n<p>On each row, give every page a name (for easy reference). Then, list out all of your old pages and try to group them by page category (as in the example). Once you\u2019re done, go through your new website and pair up the old pages with equivalent new pages.<\/p>\n<p>If a page on the new website has a different URL to it\u2019s equivalent page on the old website, then highlight the row in yellow for easy reference.<\/p>\n<h4>Step Two: Redirecting<\/h4>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve finished indexing your site in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1VihKtS-mFP6xyQT4nyeyMlkLcGvx049eLLHWs-IgjEw\/edit#gid=0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spreadsheet<\/a>, open up the .htaccess file in the root directory of your website.<\/p>\n<p>Since you\u2019ve already indexed your site using the spreadsheet, simply locate your highlighted rows and use one of the following redirection rules (one per line):<\/p>\n<h4>301 Redirects<\/h4>\n<p>Use 301 redirects when you want to&nbsp;<em>permanently<\/em>&nbsp;redirect the old page to the new page. Example:<br \/>Redirect 301 http:\/\/www.example.com\/about-us\/ http:\/\/www.example.com\/about_us\/<\/p>\n<h4>302 Redirects<\/h4>\n<p>Use 302 redirects when you want to&nbsp;<em>temporarily<\/em>&nbsp;redirect the old page to the new page. Example:<br \/>Redirect http:\/\/www.example.com\/about-us\/ http:\/\/www.example.com\/about_us\/<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"test-your-emails\">\n<h2>Test your emails<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Next up, <strong>test<\/strong> that your <strong>emails<\/strong> are coming through f<strong>rom your various contact and signup forms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If they are going to spam, you probably need a <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.mailchimp.com\/what-is-transactional-email\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">transactional email<\/a> service provider.<\/p>\n<p>Below are a few of the market leaders:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/mandrill.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mandrill<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/sendgrid.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sendgrid<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/postmarkapp.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Postmark<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"check-admins-are-emailed-for-site-errors\">\n<h2>Check admins are emailed for site errors<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>As more of a proactive measure, you must now <strong>check that your website's admins are emailed when a site error occurs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how much you have tested, users are going to do unexpected things to your website, which can cause site errors. If you get an email informing about this, you can fix this proactively.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"set-up-a-monitoring-service\">\n<h2>Set up a monitoring service<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Set up&nbsp;monitoring&nbsp;service<\/strong> with one of the below:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/Siteuptime.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SiteUptime<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/Pingdom.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pingdom<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No matter how good your infrastructure, sites crash. A site-monitoring service can <strong>inform you of a crash<\/strong> before your customers do.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"back-up-your-site\">\n<h2>Back up your site<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If your website runs off a database, you <strong>need a back-up strategy<\/strong>. Or else, the day will come when you regret not having one. If you use WordPress, install&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/wordpress.org\/extend\/plugins\/wp-db-backup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress Database Backup<\/a>, which you can set up to automatically email you backups.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS:&nbsp;Test your backups!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Doing backups is useless if you never<strong> test them<\/strong>. Too many people miss this obvious step when they set up their backups.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"ensure-the-site-runs-without-javascript\">\n<h2>Ensure the site runs without JavaScript<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Your website should<strong> work with JavaScript turned off<\/strong>. There's nothing more to it than that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Users often have JavaScript turned off<\/strong> for security, so you should <strong>be prepared<\/strong> for this. You can easily turn off JavaScript in Firefox.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Test your forms<\/strong> to make sure they still perform server-side validation checks, and <strong>test any <\/strong>cool<strong> AJAX <\/strong>stuff you have going on.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanwood.net\/demos\/enabling-javascript.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to turn off javascript<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"include-an-rss-link\">\n<h2>Include an RSS link<\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If your website has a blog or newsreel, you should <strong>have an RSS feed<\/strong> that <strong>users can subscribe to<\/strong>. To this end, you need to ensure that a<strong> link<\/strong> to the feed (and to sign up to it) is <strong>easily accessible&nbsp;to a user<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Users should be able to easily find your RSS feed: the common convention is to<strong> put a small RSS icon in the browser\u2019s address bar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Create-an-RSS-Feed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to Set up RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Content: Step one is to make sure your content is all in line. Follow the steps on the left to get started. Check your typography and layout The first step in our website launch checklist is to check through your typography and general layout. Ensure consistency by working through the sub-checklist below. 1 Check for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"cover_icon_emoji":"","cover_icon_url":"","tasks_count":"48","template_description":"Design, marketing and technical aspects of launching a website.","template_id":"gdCb8DbTm2KYnmmDP9lGxQ","task_0":"Content:","task_slug_0":"content","task_1":"Check your typography and layout","task_slug_1":"check-your-typography-and-layout","task_2":"Ensure spelling and grammar consistency","task_slug_2":"ensure-spelling-and-grammar-consistency","task_3":"Check context","task_slug_3":"check-context","task_4":"Ensure no test content is on the site","task_slug_4":"ensure-no-test-content-is-on-the-site","task_5":"Check all \u2018Hidden Copy\u2019","task_slug_5":"check-all-hidden-copy","task_6":"Check 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