23 Jan What To Do Next After Building a Website

What To Do Next After Building a Website

Congratulations! You bit the bullet. You decided to finally build or redesign your website. As most websites are being updated for the capability for mobile device to easily find and browsing , it’s important to understand what to do next. The devil really is in the details. We have put together some of the simple steps an business owner could implement to get the most out of their website before launching your website to the masses:

Favicon – You know that picture/logo in the left corner of your internet browser when you’re on a website? That little logo is called the Favicon. When you build a website, the Favicon is important so users can easily identify pages in their bookmarks (or favorites).

Titles & Meta Tags – It’s important to define what pages are what on your website. The Meta Tags and Page Titles tell search engines what the pages are on your website. For example, it should never say “Home” “About Us” “Contact” etc. Make sure each page on your website have specifically defined pages and meta tags. Make sure the main keyword for that page is used in your title tags to define what the page is about. While this isn’t a huge factor for search engines in regards to SEO and ranking, it is important in regards to customer experience.

Speed Test – Your website probably has a lot of really cool photos. But are they formatted correctly? Check that all of our images are specifically compressed for the web with excellent image quality. Building websites that have uncompressed images make load times slower and usually produces a higher bounce rate.

Set Up Social Media – If you haven’t already, set up your Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Linkedin and other social media accounts. If design or images are prevalent in your business, consider Pintrest, Interest and other picture based social media account that serves your business an clients best.

Links – Don’t assume that you redevelop a website or link your website to another page works. In website development there can be many accidental mistakes to external websites. Check all third party software is connected to their proper accounts. Newsletters, Social Media, etc. Also make sure your logo links to the homepage or index file on your website.

Test, Test, Test – Different devices make your website look completely different. Have many friends/family/coworkers look at your website and find mistakes along the way. Make sure your Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, H1 H2 H3 (etc) tags are in proper structure. If you decide to have a content form (and you’re using WordPress), download a plugin that will also capture form submissions in addition to what you receive in email form.

Analytics – Install some sort of analytic software or tools to see how consumers are interacting with your website. Google Analytics is free and an industry standard among the webmaster community to install on websites. Google Analytics is free and gives you more information than you are ever going to need as a small business owner.

Sitemap.xml File – Adding a Sitemap.xml to your website allows search engines to index your website to be found. This is not usually created until after the website is finished being built. It allows webmaster to include additional information about each URL on your website. When it was created, last updated, and how often it changes. This allows search engines to crawl the site more intelligently.

Robots.txt File – Website owners use the robots.txt file to give instructions about their website. This is a publicly accessible file. Anyone can see what sections of your server you don’t want to use. It is the defect standard but is not actively developed when building a website. Make sure your Robots.txt file is created and isn’t blocking access from search engines.

Software Updates – Whether you have a hosting company like GoDaddy or you’re doing it individually, you should regularly update your website’s software. Please ask what your hosting company’s policy is in regards to software updates. Not regularly updating your website can lead to potential hacking. Updating websites can also be a double edged sword. There is always a risk that an update on software and plugins can break something on the website.

Regular Security Checks – Unfortunately hacking is highly prevalent. Don’t think that this only happens to other people. Many hacks can go undetected for a long time, but can lead to major security, risks  and infect other websites/computers.

Backup – Make sure your website has the capability to update and backup daily/weekly in case of emergency. If you decide to build your website in WordPress, there are plugins where you can automatically update your website for backup protection.

MARKET THE BUSINESS & WEBSITE – So a website is basically vehicle parked in the garage. You might have redesigned it or built it from the ground up, organized it, fluffed it out and put a nice finishing coat on it but it’s still in the garage. Now you need to market it! If you don’t market the website, the only people who see your newly designed website are the same people who saw your older site.

There are many other technical aspects that go into building and optimizing websites for major search engines. Prime Media Consulting offers a modern approach to website design, SEO and marketing efforts. For new websites, proper SEO is highly important. It’s one of the best ways to make sure that potential customers who are actively searching for your business finds you. Search Engine Optimization is not an easy quick-fix solution. Results do not come overnight and takes time to put everything together. If you dipped into building a website and trying to be found on search engines, it’s important to investigate how to properly market it efficiently and effectively. Go ahead and use the above mentioned tips, and if you want to maximize your first and best impression on the web, call us today at 847-752-0018 or contact us at www.primemediaconsulting.com