Launching a new website is usually an exciting and stressful time – both for the IFA and for their website provider!

It’s all too tempting to want to rush the final stage after the “big tasks” of website design and development seem to be done. However, it’s always good practice to make some key checks before you release your website to the world.

Websites are highly-complex. So it’s not uncommon for something to be overlooked prior to launch – a misspelling here and there; a broken link; an SEO blunder and so on.

Good web agencies will have a standard checklist that they go through; ensuring nothing is missed prior to launching your website.

Here are a handful of pre-launch checks we make here at CreativeAdviser:

1. Check Functionality

If you have a contact form on your website, then it’s a good idea to check it actually sends messages to the correct address when prospects fill it out!

It’s also standard practice to check that all image sliders are working smoothly. We also go through every page transition and all social sharing links to make sure they are functioning properly.

2. Check Favicon

That little image in the tab on your browser? It’s an easy one to forget about!

It might seem trivial, but a favicon is an important element to your site. If your users have multiple windows or tabs open, for instance, then a favicon can help them find your site again quickly.

3. Check Responsiveness & Browser Compatibility

Perhaps you and your colleagues use Google Chrome all of the time. However, that doesn’t mean your clients and prospects do the same.

It is, therefore, vital that your website is checked in all browsers (Chrome, Safari, IE 9+, Opera) and also on all mobiles, tablets, and various screen sizes. This responsiveness achieves an optimal user experience for your prospects and clients, whilst also ensuring a higher rank in the search engines.

4. Check 404 Page

Your 404 page appears when visitors to your website add an odd suffix to your URL, or when they type your URL incorrectly into the browser.

When this occurs, you want your 404 page to appear, and to cleverly direct your visitors back to your website. Without this vital page operating, you risk losing website traffic – and therefore also potential clients.

5. Check Site Content

Whilst your imagery and brand might look fantastic and speak of high quality, any misspellings or bad grammar will undermine this impression.

All “lorem ipsum” (Latin text) is removed rom your web pages. Your content is also printed out, read aloud, and scoured with a highlighter to make sure no little mistakes have crept through.

6. Check Page Titles

Page titles appear in your prospects’ search engine results, so it’s vital that these accurately describe your web pages.

It’s also crucial that your titles include your keywords and stay under 70 characters in length; to ensure they don’t get “cut off” in the search engine results.

philAs the Marketing Coordinator at CreativeAdviser, Phil is responsible for devising marketing strategies for his clients, generating engaging and informative content, and ensuring brand consistency across all of CreativeAdviser’s communications. Phil has a passion for digital marketing and a borderline-unhealthy addiction to Google analytics. 

In his spare time, Phil can be found powerlifting at his local gym, watching action movies, or playing acoustic guitar at open mic nights.

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