10 Things You Should Do When Launching a Website

1. Set up a pre-launch page

Launching a website can be stressful and overwhelming. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a personal blog or a business website, the issue is still the same: you need to start promoting your site so real, human visitors can find you and enjoy your content.

Just because your site isn’t ready for visitors doesn’t mean you can’t start promoting it. In fact, promoting your site with a pre-launch countdown can generate even more interest and enthusiasm than promoting it after it’s launched.

Some content ideas for these inaugural pieces could be:

• How to post.
• Expert roundups: Ask leading experts in your field for their opinions or advice on a certain topic.
• Tutorials.
• Practical advice for overcoming a common problem in your niche.
• FAQ’s in your industry.
• A list of industry definitions.
•  

6. Start getting free links and publicity with HARO

As the owner of a brand new website, getting publicity can be a challenge. However, using a service like Help A Reporter (HARO) is probably your best bet at getting free PR right out of the gate.

After signing up, you’ll receive media queries in your inbox three times a day. When you see a query that you can answer, send an email off to the journalist immediately, offering detailed insights into the question and providing links to one or two of your most awesome blog posts that are relevant to the query.

7. Upload an XML sitemap

An XML sitemap is a document that provides search engines with a listing of pages and posts on your site. It allows Google to crawl your site more efficiently, meaning your content could be indexed more quickly.

If you have a WordPress site, you can download and install the Google XML Sitemaps plugin. If you use any other platform, you can create a sitemap using the XML Sitemaps generator, and then upload it to the root directory of your site (e.g., www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml).

8. Learn the basics of SEO

While you don’t need to be an SEO expert to start ranking in search engines, it is important to have a few basics in place. A few of the most important elements to have in place when you launch your site are:

• Use your keywords (words and phrases you want to rank for) in strategic areas of your page: your navigation bar, your title tags, post titles, header tags, alt image tags, etc.
  • Consistently add original content.
  • Build links to your site. For more on this, see my post 6 Easy Link Building Strategies For Your New Website.
  • Make sure your URLs use words instead of numbers or symbols (this is referred to as your permalink structure).
  • Make sure your site is mobile-friendly.

  If you have a WordPress site, start by downloading and installing a plugin like Yoast SEO. This will ensure that you at least have the basics covered.

  9. Install Google Analytics

  Given the time and effort, you’re going to put into promoting your site, it’s important that you know exactly how much traffic you’re getting and where those visitors are coming from. Google Analytics is free, easy to set up and will help you figure out exactly which strategies are working (and which ones aren’t).

  10. Add your site to Google Search Console

  The Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a set of tools put together by Google to help you manage the health of your site in search engines. If Google finds any issues with your site, this is where you’ll be notified.

  Some of the most important information you can get once your site is verified include:

  •  A list of links to your site.
  • Manual actions (penalties) against your site.
  • If Google is having difficulty accessing certain parts of your site.
  • Whether or not your site is considered “mobile-friendly.”

  Here is a great primer on how to set up and use the Search Console.