1) Conduct Casual Usability Tests

During the web design process, you will get to know your site’s content so well that you probably don’t read much of it anymore. But is that content actually good enough to stand up to your audience? Does the navigation work well, and did you miss any spelling errors?

Usability testing sounds like a complicated subject, but it can actually be simple: ask your friends and family to take a close look at your website. Have them comb through the content to find any awkward phrases or spelling mistake, and encourage them to navigate through your individual pages to optimize your navigation. If they find issues of any kind, now is the time to fix it.

2) Optimize Your Value Proposition

In an ideal world, your website will explain what you do, and how that benefits your audience, in a succinct way to any visitor. But does it really accomplish that goal?

Here’s how you can test it: ask someone who doesn’t know your business to check it out, and tell you in their own words what you do. If they can describe it accurately, your website is in good shape. You can even measure the amount of time it takes them to get an idea about your business, helping you communicate your value proposition as efficiently as possible.

3) Create a Social Media Presence

Even the best website cannot succeed if it is not surrounded by an effective support structure. For your business, that means creating a social media presence from which you can frequently link to your website for more information.

By establishing a consistent presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or another network frequented by your audience, you can enhance connections to your website. Link to content pages for more information, while feeding your social media updates straight into your website as an opportunity for dynamic content.

4) Analyze Your Audience, and Reach Out to Them

Do you know who visits your website? And does that visitor match up with the portion of your audience most likely to become customers? Before the launch, you should make sure you understand exactly who you want your target reader to be, both in terms of demographics and behavior.

You can gain that information by analyzing your current customers and determining your ideal target audience. Then, draw conclusions about their online behavior, where they spend their time online, and how you can reach them. If they’re more likely to use Instagram than Facebook, for example, run ads on the platform that promote your business to your target audience.

5) Create a Google Business Profile

Another important way to get your audience to your website is to optimize it for search engines. That process takes time, but one quick action you can take even before launching your new website is to create a Business Profile on Google.

The process, which takes just a few steps of entering your physical location and contact information, comes with a variety of benefits. Your audience will find you on Google Maps, as well as regular local searches related to your brand name and industries. Especially for small, storefront businesses, it’s a crucial step to getting found online.

6) Develop a Content Plan

Finally, don’t launch your website without a content plan in mind. Your online presence should not be static; instead, try to regularly update it with content that is fresh and relevant to your audience. Especially in the form of a blog, this type of content can help you significantly increase your exposure and impress your visitors.

But of course, dynamic content like a blog can only be successful if it remains a regular occurrence. For that reason, consider creating a content calendar that allows you to plan out which content you will publish for the foreseeable future. That way, you can always make sure that your website will remain fresh and interesting to both new and returning visitors.

Once these steps are complete, you can safely launch your website knowing that it will help your business grow. For more information about both building a website and strategically launching it for the maximum possible impact, contact us.