The 10 steps to launch your website

The time has come, you want to launch your website to get your business off the ground and you don't want to make mistakes? For an optimal launch, it is important to follow certain steps that can save you time and money! We explain the ten steps to launch your website!

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Before the launch of your website

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To simplify the various steps, we will group them into two main parts, the first which includes the steps to be implemented before launching the site and the second, the steps to be implemented during or just after the launch of the website.

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Let's start with six steps that you must have completed before putting your site online.

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1- Define the objective of your website before launching it

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It may seem obvious but the purpose of your site must be clearly defined. You need to know for what specific objective you want to create a website, what will it bring you, what will you get out of it. For example, To sell servicess, sell a product, share information, etc.

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The objective of your site must be clear and achievable so that you can create all your content in line with it.

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Depending on the objective of your site, you can turn to different types of sites: a showcase site, an e-commerce site, a one-page, a blog, etc. Each format has its own purpose.

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2- Target the right audience as soon as your site is launched

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Depending on your objective and the audience you want to target, you must adapt your website. If you are targeting a b2b or b2c audience, your site will not be presented in the same way. Text and graphic content, tone, user journey, all these elements must be carefully adapted to your target audience.

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So start by defining a specific persona and rely on it to launch your website.

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3- Write specifications to launch a quality website

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To launch a site that perfectly meets your expectations, write specifications. The specifications should include as much information as possible about the purpose of your site, they will help the developer design the site of your dreams. For example, in your specifications you can detail: the purpose of the site, the site format, the site format, the necessary functionalities, the various graphic elements to be used, the number of pages, the organization of the content, the organization of the content, the graphic charter, the graphic charter, the things not to do, etc.

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The specifications are an important document that facilitates development by giving a guideline to the developer that allows him to develop a site as you imagine.

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4- Test your site before launch

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Once your site is developed, don't forget to test it before putting it online! Fully test your site. Simulate navigation, put yourself in the shoes of the users, test the links, the buttons, check that everything is displayed correctly and in the right place. Verify that no pages are missing and that there are no 404 errors.

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Launching a quality website will reassure early adopters and increase the chances of them coming back.

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5- Check the technical aspects of the site for its launch

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Before launching your site, it's important to make sure there are no technical issues.

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To do this, you can check the basic elements such as the presence of HTTPS, the redirects if necessary, the responsiveness between the desktop, tablet and mobile formats and finally the loading time, which should not be too long.

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If one of these elements is not finalized, it is important to correct it before putting the site online, otherwise it could affect the performance of the site as soon as it is launched.

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6- Set up traffic tracking and analysis tools

You are almost there! The last step before launching your site is to set up traffic monitoring or analysis tools. You can start by setting up Google Analytics and Google Search Console that will allow you to track traffic from the first visit to the site.

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If you wish and according to your needs, you can configure other tracking tools. Just remember to do it from the start to benefit from the most complete database possible when you need to analyze your traffic. Setting up these tools will also allow you to detect errors on the site if they exist.

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Once your website is launched

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Now that your site is up and running, there are only four steps left to follow to ensure a perfect launch!

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7- Test your site after launch

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Once your site is live, test it again in detail to be sure that everything is working properly and that nothing was lost during launch. Test all pages, buttons, links, forms if any exist. Make sure there are no problems with navigation.

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8- Monitor the indexing of your website on search engines

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A few days after launching the site, check that the site's pages are indexing correctly on search engines. For example, on Google type in the search bar: “site:https://www.votre-site.com” (without the quotation marks). By typing this query, you will be able to view all the pages on your site that are indexed. If some are missing, then check that there are no problems with them. Some pages may take several weeks to index properly, you can speed up the process by adding your sitemap.xml file and requesting manual page indexing on Google Search Console.

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9- Once launched, feed your website!

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Once your site is launched, don't make the mistake of leaving it abandoned! Post content on it and update the information regularly. A website that is not provided with content and that presents outdated information will lose credibility and will have difficulty ranking on search engines.

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10- Let people know that you have launched your website!

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Last step for a successful website launch: let people know that you have launched your site! Talk about it around you, invite those around you to share it with their network, communicate about the launch via social networks or by advertising. Sharing your site heavily right after launch can boost performance. Remember this step that can make your site take off faster than you think.

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The Scroll agency accompanies you in the launch of your website

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For an easy and 100% successful website launch, call on the Scroll agency. At Scroll, we support you with the design at the launch of your website to work with you to create solutions that perfectly meet your expectations. Our Webflow experts, develop tailor-made and ultra-qualitative solutions on the platform. If you have a project, do not hesitate to contact us!

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