Creating a website and launching that website are two very different things. After designing the most beautiful website, and putting the most thoughtful details into it, there are still some crucial aspects to consider to enhance the success of your website. If you ignore some of these finer launching details, you may end up making mistakes that could hurt the performance of your website.
To help you publish your website in the best possible condition, we created a list of 18 items that will guide you towards your online success.
1. Use a great color combination
Select the best color combination for your website and your logo. A great color combination evokes a sense of appeal to the customers. Also stick to a certain color pallet so that all the specific colors you chose for your logo and homepage are also exactly the same when you use them elsewhere on the website. Make sure you match them exactly by always using the same color hex codes. You can find your colors and inspiration with the help of this color hex code website. It can also translate your RGB or CMYK colors to Hex in an easy way.
2. Pick out the proper fonts
Select a font that is legible to the website users. Let your users have an easy time reading your content. Fonts complement your words, and they may also say much more than just those words. Ensure that the fonts also match the tone and voice of your products and services. Check out our helpful font guide to assist you in making the best choice.
3. Assess the branding components
Ensure that your website has all the elements that you chose for your branding. Take a good look at your headers, logo, and the menu. Also, consider the items in the footer section, such as the social media sections, navigation, contact details, and any relevant additional info.
4. Modify the favicon
I'm sorry, the what? A favicon is a small icon that appears on the tab of your browser. We are sure you already noticed it on other websites. Make sure to upload your favicon so that your logo will appear when visitors open your site. Just like the colorful 'G' in Google, a favicon may seem small (it's really small - only 16x16 pixels), but it is essential in enhancing your brand identity.
5. Connect social media accounts
Linking your social media accounts to your website is essential in connecting existing and new customers to your site. Through social media links, customers will quickly follow you and access up-to-date updates about your products and services. Try to embed these links in your footer so they are accessible from every page.
6. Correct the copyright date in the website footer
Ensure that you have updated your copyright date to make your website up-to-date. Check the copyright date at the footer of your website and ensure that it is not expired.
7. Edit website Content
Ensure that you proofread all the text on your website. Cover all the areas, including the blog, names of pages, product names, etc. While proofreading, assess the quality of your grammar, tone and voice. If the customers identify grammatical mistakes in your content, they will not perceive your business as being professional. Seek the help of apps such as Grammarly to spot punctuation, spelling, and any other grammatical errors. Also, you may ask a friend to proofread the text for you. Finally, ensure that generic content is wiped from your website and instead use personalized text.
8. Test the forms
Test all the contact, custom, or subscriber forms that you have attached to your website. Ensure that the links and push buttons are working effectively. Nothing as embarrassing as your customers that telling you that something is not working as expected, or maybe you forgot to add your email to your contact details.
9. Place the Call-to-Action buttons strategically
The call to action pushbuttons are essential in informing your customers how to perform a specific action. Ensure that buttons such as 'LOGIN,' 'CLICK HERE,' and 'BUY ME' are strategically located on the website.
The CTAs should attract the attention of the customers in a meaningful manner. Let it beg to be clicked but not seem to force the customer to click on it.
10. Use perfect photos
Ensure that the images are clear, high in quality, and of the right size. Take some time to resize your pictures to the desired resolution. Smaller picture sizes can speed up your page load times. Which will lead to a lower bounce rate and a higher ranking in the Google Search Results.
11. Use quality videos
Apart from photos, videos are a good way to grab the attention of your customers. Use high-quality videos, and if you want to put a video link, ensure that the connection is still working.
12. Proper layout
13. Link the logo to the homepage
Most customers are used to the notion that when you click on the logo, it will direct you to the homepage. So, give them what they are used to, and it will eliminate any confusion when people visit your website.
14. Check the links
Ensure that when someone clicks on a link on your website, that it directs them to where they expected to go. Do not wait until a customer alerts you that a particular link is not working correctly. Assess the links, pages, menus, anchors, and even the blog yourself.
15. Perform a Keyword research
Make sure to do some proper keyword research for all the content and pages on your website. You may consider rewriting some of your content to embed your keywords effectively in your webpages. Also, ensure that the titles are in the correct format to be in line with the Google search engine requirements. The right keywords in your text and heading will boost your SEO.
16. Add alt text to your images
Adding alt text to all images on your website is essential for SEO. These are short descriptive words that will tell the search engines what the theme is of a specific image.
17. Choose the right domain name
You might have found a great name for your business. But it would be really annoying if the domain name wouldn't be free anymore. So when you are brainstorming about your business name take a look if that domain name is already taken.
If it is already taken and you can't change your business name you can always choose an URL that sounds similar. You can also shorten the business name in the URL or choose a different extension then the well known .com.
18. Check the website’s SEO settings
Remember to check the SEO setting for your page. The SEO page settings are essential in determining the description of your pages in the Google search engine.
We hope that these 18 tips will help you to launch your website successfully. Do not hesitate to contact our Knight Design team if you have any questions regarding a successful website launch.
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