There’s a reason they call it a website launch.
Getting a new site up and running requires the same degree of planning, preparation and forethought as it takes to send an astronaut safely into space and back. When creatives, tech people and managers fail to properly communicate and align their activities— budgets swell, timelines get pushed back and soon it’s: “Houston, we have a problem.”
Having been on both sides of a website launch (you are reading this on our newly launched and rebranded website) we have a unique perspective on how to avoid potential pitfalls while working on this collaborative effort. Here’s our best advice for keeping all parties on the same page and working toward the same goal: a magnificent website!
1. Organize, organize, organize.
There’s no substitute for proper planning. Tackle the project in phases—creating a sitemap first and then drilling down into narrower categories.
Hone your message by asking: What’s the point of this new site? Is it to give prospects a place to get to know your company? A must-visit hub for existing clients? A reference for the industry on best practices? Some combination of all of the above? Your navigation needs to reflect that.
Start with broad categories (About the Company, Services) and build out pages underneath each topline idea.
2. Streamline.
Focus on simplifying each page under the broad categories to one or two subjects (Contact Us, Leadership) versus one big blob of information that eventual visitors will have to sort through.
Not only are shorter, focused pages easier on human readers—visitors do not want to scroll to read pages of text—they help search engines decide what each page is about. And that’s good for SEO.
3. Manage your (hypothetical) content.
Work with your developer to figure out the right content management system for you. The reality of modern websites is this: there will never come a day when you slap a shiny ribbon on all of your hard work and declare the project closed. There will be news sections to update, videos to upload, blogs to write, and landing pages to create and populate. Your internal teams can do this easily with the right CMS. So tell your developer what functionality you need.
4. Get the design right.
Design and content have to go hand in hand. Once you know what topics are going where, design can help you determine the right kind of content to populate your site—a mix of long and short writing, videos and pictures.
Of course, the look has to align with your overall business objectives and messaging. When done right, design and content work together to communicate a consistent and uniform brand identity.
5. Don’t forget SEO!
The earlier you consider SEO, the better. The marketing team can come up with descriptive, human-facing titles for every page, but the web firm will want to look at URLs and image file names and pack them full of keywords for better traffic. Sure, you can always do this later, but it’s easier to build and refine the overall site if the SEO strategy is already in place.
6. Create some content.
Now that you know what your pages are for, and how you can manage them, you can start filling them in with rich content. The key is to give yourself enough time so that you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
Video is the new king of SEO, and it’s the preferred medium for most business decision-makers. But unlike rewriting a service descriptor, creating video takes time—and a team of specialized professionals.
Give your content development teams the overall sitemap, and ask them to start building in links to other pages. Connectivity is the name of the game; embed links early and update often.
This is by no means a guarantee that there won’t be stumbling blocks along the way. But if you follow these guidelines, work with professionals who are willing to work together, and give yourself a reasonable timeline, your next web project might be your best yet.
Need content for your website? Consider video. Click the image to download our free ebook to learn how to create powerful videos for your website or campaign:
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