Your site is launched!!
Your web developer has just told you the great news – your website is about to get deployed! All of the effort and all of your ideas can finally be shown to everyone and you can sit back and let the website do the work for you..right? Well…the reality about your website going live is that now your work begins. In this post we talk about website life post launch, what things you need to consider and prepare for.
Understanding Google doesn't know you yet. This is unfortunately the truth whenever you develop a new website. Going live will not translate into being able to search for your site on Google and appearing on the front page of search results right away. If you have enlisted the services of a professional to help you with SEO this will certainly help you to obtain results however its important o know even a comprehensive marketing strategy takes time so make sure you allow yourself time to survive financially in between launch and the moment when your business starts to get found on results online or through any other marketing mediums that you use.
Now Google knows you - its time to build a long term relationship. Its important to realise that any online strategy is a long term strategy. Whilst you might see great results at first remember new competitors will come on board in your industry and they will also be investing in optimising their site and could be quite aggressive with their campaigns so its important to set aside a budget and plan for establishing a long standing commitment to your SEO.
Google isn't the only way. Sure Google and other search engines are incredibly powerful tools for obtaining leads but thinking outside the box can reap many rewards also. You have a great new website so get out there and tell people about it! Join in on conferences and do a bit of networking, are there any ways of getting some free exposure to people in your industry through tv or printed media? Get inspiration from others in your industry and see what's working.
If your going to be social, stay social. A great way to connect with your customers and build engagement but also a fantastic way to announce a website redesign or new website launch is through social media.However if you are going to use social media - stay active on social media. If your users get to your social media channels and discover you posted one or things a year ago and haven't made any effort since it just makes you look unprofessional but also gives the impression you are not interested in engaging with your customer base. Social media can be a great tool but be consistent with it to really reap the rewards. You don't have to worry about giving your life away to tweeting and posting with the use of scheduling services like Hootsuite.
Don't be stale, be helpful. Especially if you are a business that runs off regular and repeat clientele, make sure you keep your website up to date and current. But above that give your clients helpful and useful information that benefits them. Start a blog, release articles that will help you relate to your clients and perhaps release media updates for your industry. If you have repeat clientele they dont want to see the same information from your site every time they visit - give them something to return for. Importantly too use content marketing as part of your online strategy.
Get into email marketing. If you have never used email marketing before - get started! Make sure your website has an opt in form to join your newsletter and use it as a great platform to inform your customers of news and new products or services or changes in your business. Remember your customers have asked you to provide them with this information they want to hear from you. Find an email marketing platform you feel comfortable with and schedule regular newsletters. Email marketing is another great medium for understanding your clients behaviour and the type of information they want most from you.
Give the people what they want - Investing in a custom website is great and will show your clients that you are vested in your business but it's important to realise a website is never finished. Listen to your clients feedback, if they are repeatedly asking for extra features on your website or giving you feedback on ways in which your website could improve the users experience take it on board and realise that once a website is built it still requires small investments from time to time to add on custom development work to make the experience for the customers the very best it can be.
If you have just launched your site and need some guidance, contact us today!
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