Launching a website is not easy.
It takes time, effort, and most of all, money to launch a new site that looks great and works effortlessly for your visitors.
And there are so many moving parts involved. We are talking about the design aspect, SEO, back-end support, fulfillment, sales, marketing, and IT.
In this article, we are going to focus on one important aspect: web design.
The look of your site is important for a reason: people today are impatient.
They have so many options that the only way to prevent them from clicking the back button is how your site looks.
It’s lovely?
Professional?
Like “Zen”?
Attractive?
Below is a list of things your web designer needs you to do to make your launch successful.
Use this article as your checklist when it’s time to launch your site. This will help make the process more efficient.
Learn the lingo and get my free guide to basic website terminology.
Give approval for the launch of the site
Usually this is done via email. At this time, all the forms or procedures should already be ready. Key stakeholders have already decided on the official date and development and quality checks are complete. But, you have to tell your designer that you are ready to go.
Provide access to FTP, DNS and CMS
FTP access is used to upload files to the server directly. This includes images, content, and plugins needed to run your site.
The DNS is the domain configuration. A web designer sets it up to direct visitors to the new site.
CMS is the actual backend of the website that the designer needs to access to make further changes. Granting access to the current site’s CMS allows the designer to back up the site. That way, he or she can revert the site back to its original state if something goes wrong.
Select the final images to use on the site
In some cases, the client lets the designer choose the images to use on the site. However, there are situations where the client chooses the images… it just depends on the project.
Whatever the case, make sure each image is high resolution with no watermark. Also, settle copyrights when you buy stock images.
Arrange a meeting with the person who manages the site in the future
If the designer is not part of your business, make sure they talk to the designated site administrator.
Your site administrator could be IT staff or the marketing manager. During this time, the designer can explain how to do a simple cleanup or basic setup.
I recommend that you have your designer on standby 5-7 days after launch.
wrap
From my experience, I love hearing from clients when their new site meets or exceeds their expectations.
Remember, designers are human too.
They crave encouragement and praise. So if you want to build a long-term relationship with your designers, don’t skimp on comments or compliments. These things drive us to serve you better and make sure your business is well taken care of.
final thoughts
Launching a website is simple. All you need to do is have constant communication with your designer at all times.
In fact, having the right team by your side ensures that your site is up and running as quickly as possible.
