The process of launching a new website can be both thrilling and terrifying. In an effort to find readers who will value the content you contribute, you will try to carve out a tiny portion of the internet for yourself.
Here are 8 things to consider when launching a new website that goes above and beyond the fundamentals! So let’s get started right away.
1. Establish a test site
This advice may seem strange at first, but it will repeatedly show itself to be helpful. The most valuable resource you provide website visitors is the user experience. Launching new features, content, or formats will increase value, but if something is hidden within that creates a negative first impression or worsens the reader experience, it could cost you traffic. Create a test site at all times. Most digital marketing companies and server hosts provide this as a free service, allowing you to launch new features, test the site before going live, or simply use it as a test dummy.
2. Don’t discount the value of the email list
Although building a list may seem like something from the past, it will be very useful in the future for email marketing. There is no better way for bringing traffic to your site than to put your content directly into people’s inboxes. Make sure to advertise a signup form on your website as soon as possible, preferably as a popup or an integrated part.
3. Ensure that you have content available
Make sure you have at least 3-5 excellent articles ready to go live before launching your website. Nothing is worse than a well-designed website that is devoid of mouthwatering content. When you go live, have a few articles ready to go that are closely related to your niche or focus. While you are creating the following batch of content, this will give people something to read. Don’t release everything at once; instead, space out your content. Create an upload schedule that you can continue to fill in as the site grows.
4. Begin creating those backlinks
Traffic is one of the most crucial factors for any new website. How can you get people to see you when they use search engines? You build a backlink network. One of the best ways to increase traffic is to have other websites link to your content, but how do you get people to link to your site? Sites like Help a Reporter come in handy in this situation. Three emails per day from reporters seeking sources will be sent to you; if any of your content can be used, respond and provide links to the reporter.
5. Get Analytics up and running right away
Analytics will be crucial in determining how successful your website is. How many people visit your website, read your content, and take other actions there? All of this information will be useful when looking for partnerships, advertisers, or even just a little self-motivation as you watch the numbers increase. There are many providers, but Google Analytics or the Monster analytics version of it is the one that is most frequently used for a variety of reasons.
6. Understand the fundamentals of SEO
Why else would you publish your website in the first place if you didn’t want people to find it? If you type anything into a search engine, you’ll probably get a few million results. So how do you beat out everyone else? Search engine optimization, or SEO. This is another reason why we began working on those backlinks early—it benefits SEO. We use keywords, relevant backlinks, and metadata to help search engines, which are algorithms and AI, understand what the site is about. Invest in a quick SEO course; it will be time well spent.
7. Publicity
The majority of people create websites to market goods or services, or to attract visitors so they can view carefully thought-out advertisements. We recognize that nothing on a website is free and that advertisements are required to keep things running. When deciding where to place these advertisements, be thoughtful about how they fit into your design as a whole and avoid placing too many. It might be tempting to place as many banner ads as possible on the website to maximize revenue, but people who are constantly bombarded with ads are less likely to visit your site again.
8. Select the ideal host for you
The basic service of hosting may appear to be something that any provider can offer you. You pay someone to host your website and transfer your domain to their server. There are good hosts and bad hosts, and that’s where the similarities frequently end. Spend some extra time investigating different hosts, trying to map out which provider similar sites use. You should also consider the locations of your hosts’ servers and your target audience. It would be of little use to host the website in America or Asia just to slow it down if you are based in the UK and want Britons to click on your site.
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