Don’t Launch Your Site Until You Do This

Make sure your site does the following:

• Clearly defines who you are and what you offer

• Gives users a way to contact you

• Is organized and guides the user

• Is secure with an SSL certificate

• Has valuable keywords for SEO

• Is visually appealing for your target consumer

Define Your Brand

As you go throughout the website creation process, your design will likely become increasingly complex. While this isn’t an issue, your main information may get lost in the shuffle. If you want to attract and retain new users, it’s important to clearly define your brand name and your main offerings.

Give a Way to Communicate

Your site is the ideal connection between yourself and your consumers. By providing a contact link and form or your information for consumers to reach you, you can facilitate that communication. Whether you are selling a product, pushing users to contact you, or building a subscription list, your site should provide adequate ways for users to take action. Depending on the information you hope to gain from consumers, you may need to adjust your forms, but at the minimum, you should try to collect email addresses to continue the conversation away from your site.

Guide Your User

Whenever a user visits your site, they should be given some guidance. Of course, they are usually looking for specific information; however, you can impact their journey with links, call-to-actions, and an optimized navigation menu. Internal links should connect the user with related content that provides additional valuable information and furthers them along their buyer’s journey. You can also use call-to-action buttons to ensure your user is taking the action you desire, whether that is contacting you directly or providing their information for a subscription. Finally, it’s important that your navigation menus are organized and allow users to stay on your site without getting frustrated or unable to find what they are looking for.

Secure Your Site

If you’ve ever been greeted by a “The Site is Not Secure” or “Your Connection Is Not Private,” you understand how quickly users will click away. The good news is there is a simple solution for removing that message and ensuring your consumers feel comfortable using your site. Installing an SSL Certificate will guarantee your users that their information is protected, and it can even improve search engine ranking.

Understand Your Keywords

Knowing what search terms are leading users to your site can reveal the keyword opportunities available to you. When creating content for your site, you will want to use and target the keywords that potential users are searching for. Especially if you are an unknown brand, your best bet to get in front of users is utilizing proper SEO terms to improve search ranking and drive traffic.

Make Sure Your Site Is Visually-Appealing

Though it may seem obvious, designing your site for your targeted consumer is the best way to encourage your users to stay on your site longer. For example, if you are running a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, it doesn’t make sense to bury your products below pages of introductory material. On the other hand, if you are designing a site to drive newsletter subscriptions, you will want to display your expertise and writing style to potential readers.

Your website is the bridge between your consumers and your offerings, and you’ll want to have it up as soon as possible. Still, you should prepare the site before launching it. By refining the user experience, securing the site, and optimizing it for search engines, you are giving yourself the best chance to succeed.