Before New Website Launch: A Comprehensive Checklist for Success

by | Jul 19, 2023 | Technical Marketing

 

Before the Launch:

Launching a new website is an exciting time for any business, but it can also be a nerve-wracking process, especially when it comes to ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting existing operations. To maximize the success of your website launch, careful planning and thorough testing are crucial. In this blog post, we will provide you with a step-by-step outline to help you prepare for the big launch day, smoothly overlap services, and evaluate your website’s performance post-launch.

  1. Plan to Overlap Services For a Month:To avoid any abrupt interruptions to your services, plan to overlap your old website with the new one for at least a month. This will allow your users to transition gradually and give you time to address any unexpected issues that may arise.
  2. Send New Provider Universal Analytics ID:Ensure that your new website’s Universal Analytics ID is set up and shared with your new provider. This ID tracks essential data about your website’s traffic and user behavior.
  3. Send New Provider GA4 Measurement ID:In addition to Universal Analytics, set up and share your new GA4 Measurement ID. GA4 provides valuable insights into user engagement, events, and conversions, which can help you make data-driven decisions.
  4. Send New Provider Any Google Tag Managers That Need to Be On the New Site:If you use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage your website’s tags and tracking codes, make sure to share the relevant GTM containers with your new provider. This ensures that all tracking and analytics scripts are seamlessly integrated into the new website.
  5. Make a List of Goal Completions That Need to Be Updated With the New Website:Review your existing website’s goals and identify which ones need to be updated or recreated on the new website. This might include form submissions, newsletter sign-ups, or completed purchases.
  6. Make a List of Events Needed to Be Added As Conversions With the New Website:Identify important user interactions, such as clicks on specific buttons or video views, that need to be added as conversion events in your analytics setup. This will provide deeper insights into user behavior and engagement.
  7. Make Plans For Transferring or Redirecting Top SEO Pages:Evaluate your current website’s SEO performance and identify the top-performing pages. Develop a plan for transferring content to the new website or implementing 301 redirects to preserve SEO rankings.
  8. Make Plans With Marketing Partners For the Date of Change and Steps Needed:Communicate with your marketing partners about the website launch date and any actions they need to take on their end, such as updating tracking parameters or adjusting ad campaigns.

Website Launch:

  1. Alert All of Your Marketing Partners of the Website Change:Before the launch, send out notifications to all marketing partners, including advertisers, affiliates, and social media influencers, about the upcoming website change.
  2. Submit Test Leads on All Forms on the New Website:Thoroughly test all forms on the new website to ensure they function correctly and that leads are being captured properly.
  3. Test All Call Functions and Phone Numbers on the New Website:If your website includes call-to-action buttons with phone numbers, test them to verify that they are directing users to the correct contact numbers.
  4. Test Universal Analytics and GA4 on the New Website:Confirm that both Universal Analytics and GA4 are tracking data accurately on the new website. Check if events and conversions are being recorded as expected.
  5. Update Conversions and Goals in Analytics For the New Website:Implement the necessary changes to your analytics setup to accommodate the goals and conversions specific to the new website.
  6. Check All Website Redirects That Were Planned Before Launch:Review and test all planned website redirects to ensure that they are functioning correctly. This is crucial to preserve SEO rankings and prevent broken links.

One Week After Launch:

  1. Submit Test Leads on All Forms on the New Website:Repeat the testing process for all forms to ensure there are no issues with lead submissions after the website has been live for a week.
  2. Test All Call Functions and Phone Numbers on the New Website:Recheck call functions and phone numbers to ensure there have been no discrepancies since the launch.
  3. Test Universal Analytics and GA4 on the New Website:Perform another round of testing to validate that your analytics data remains accurate and reliable.
  4. Check All Conversions and Goals in Analytics For Accuracy:Review your analytics data and ensure that all goals and conversions are being tracked correctly.
  5. Compare Conversion Rates Before and After Change:Analyze the conversion rates before and after the website launch to evaluate the impact of the new website on user behavior.
  6. Compare Google Rankings Before and After Change:Monitor the changes in your website’s Google rankings to gauge the overall impact on search engine visibility.

Now You’ve Transitioned To Your New Website Smoothly

Launching a new website involves a series of meticulous steps that should not be taken lightly. By following this comprehensive checklist, you can ensure a successful website launch and have a plan in place for assessing its performance post-launch. Remember that monitoring your website’s analytics regularly and making data-driven decisions will be key to its ongoing success. Good luck with your website launch!

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