7 Common Events that Occur after a New Website Launch [& How to Prepare for Them]
| April 4, 2018 | Posted in Tips
You likely spent months creating a new website that reinforces your brand, provides an incredible user experience, and generates qualified leads. But the work doesn’t end right after you launch a website. There are multiple events you need to prepare for in the weeks and months after your website launch. Here are 7 events to include in your after-launch checklist.
1. There will be some bugs to fix.
Most website agencies are extremely thorough with finding and fixing bugs prior to a website launch. Our agency has a detailed pre-launch checklist used to confirm all systems are working properly. However, it is still common for new bugs to be found in the weeks after a new website launch. Prepare to devote manpower to quickly notifying your agency about these bugs or having staff on hand to fix them yourself. Also, ask your agency about their pre-launch checklist and how they ensure that bugs are fixed promptly.
2. Your visitors may have strong opinions.
Not everyone will like your new website. Whether it’s because of aesthetic reasons, or because they just aren’t used to the change in functionality, they may provide negative feedback. Treat them like you would any unhappy customer.
In addition to managing negative feedback, you may want to implement features that educate visitors about the new website. Education will eliminate friction. Ask the visitor if they would like a quick, virtual tour of the new site. This will help them understand the new navigation layout and walk them through new features that will improve the user experience.
3. Organic search traffic may temporarily drop.
You should expect organic search traffic to drop about 5% in the first few weeks after a website launch. This is because search engines will need to re-index your new site before they can determine where to place you on their search rankings. You can speed up the process by submitting a site map directly to search engines after your launch.
If the drop in traffic is more dramatic, or lasts longer than a month, work with your web agency to determine the root cause of the problem. Common errors include redirects that were never set up, and pages that have been deleted in the transition.
4. You will need analytic tools to check your KPIs.
How will you ensure that you’re meeting your key performance indicators? You need to track your website traffic immediately after the new site launch. You can use the analytics to compare the old site to the new site and meet any new goals you create.
Our favorite analytics tool is Google Analytics. This is a free platform that tracks vital information on your website, like audience, behavior, acquisition, and conversions.
5. Your client base won’t automatically know about your new website.
Your customer base doesn’t automatically know that you launched a new website, you need to tell them far and wide. You could raise awareness by:
- Sending out a press release to news publications
- Announcing the launch on your social media channels
- Announcing the launch to your email subscribers
- Creating a soft-launch where visitors can use either the new or old site for a few weeks
- Creating a contest, like a scavenger hunt on the new website, to encourage visitors to explore the new site
Make sure you work closely with all business departments to raise awareness about the launch.
6. You will not say goodbye to your website agency right away.
A great website agency will not simply launch your new site and disappear. They will stick around to manage the launch and help you get up and running. If you want to take it a step further, we recommend entering into a monthly retainer agreement with your agency for optimum results. These retainer agreements allow agencies to complete work under a set monthly price. Websites should be fluid marketing pieces, and it can help your entire online strategy to enlist the agency to make continuous improvements.
Common retainer options-
Marketing Retainer: Keeping the site fresh and improve outreach, write blog posts, landing page design and development, copywriting, newsletters
Monthly work maintenance retainer: development and design work for updating and improving the site, weekly website core updates, security updates, and plugin updates
Read An Introduction to Monthly Retainers for Marketers for more information!
7. Continual, fresh content is necessary for long-term success.
If you care about search engine optimization, and you should, you need to implement a content strategy after a new website launch. But fresh content offers more benefits than just higher search rankings. Content can help you build online authority in your industry, grow the number of repeat website visitors, generate sales-qualified leads, and increase the amount of time a visitor spends on your website. Whatever your goals, prioritize creating a content strategy for your website after its launch.
Get more information about content strategies by reading our blog post:
How Often Should I Update My Website? [Content Strategy FAQs]
Have you prepared for these 7 after-launch events?
Too often people spend the time to create an incredible website – but expect it to promote and market itself after it launches. Make sure you understand to expect and prepare for these 7 items after you launch a website.
1) Fixing random bugs and/or glitches in the code.
2) Easing wary customers through the transition.
3) Preparing for a short drop in organic traffic.
4) Setting up analytics to evaluate long-term performance.
5) Marketing your new website to your current and prospective customers.
6) Maintaining a relationship with your website design agency.
7) Creating a long-term content strategy.
Have questions about what to expect after your new website launch? Let us know in the comments!
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