Planning to debut your new WordPress website?
Navigating through the launch process can be overwhelming, and it’s all too common to overlook crucial details. To streamline your experience, we’ve crafted a convenient 10-item checklist, ensuring your WordPress website kicks off on the right foot!
- Review Your Objectives
If you’re perusing this blog, chances are your WordPress website is on the brink of launch, and your initial plans and objectives may have undergone significant changes. Now is the opportune moment to revisit your original goals and ensure your new WordPress design aligns with them. Scrutinize why you’re developing a new site and what accomplishments you intend to achieve. Confirm that your WordPress website caters to your requirements, effectively conveys key messages, and resonates with your target audience. - Configure Google Analytics
Google Analytics stands as an invaluable tool, tracking website data and furnishing statistics such as visitor numbers, popular pages, user demographics, and more. Initiate the setup of Google Analytics on your WordPress site before its official launch to gather real-time data. This information will serve as a foundation for content decisions and website updates, offering vital insights from day one. - Set a Launch Date
While unforeseen circumstances can throw plans off track, establishing a realistic deadline for your WordPress website launch is advisable. Adhering to this timeline keeps the project progressing and ensures alignment among stakeholders. Additionally, it allows for the scheduling of essential tasks such as training, marketing efforts, and other launch-related activities. - Check Content
A website is incomplete without content. Discuss with your web agency whether they’ll input content during the design process or if you’ll be responsible for it. Compile a comprehensive list of all required content, including text, images, and videos, and mark them off as they are incorporated into your new WordPress site. Conduct a second proofreading check, ideally by someone unfamiliar with the website, to identify any errors with “fresh eyes.” - Complete Training
WordPress is renowned for its user-friendly interface, making it likely that you’ll want to make edits and add content independently post-launch. Request training from your web agency to demonstrate content addition, amendment procedures, site security checks, plugin access, and other relevant tasks. This ensures you and your team can confidently enhance and update your WordPress website after it goes live. - Get Indexed
For your WordPress site to appear in organic searches, it must be indexed by search engines. While Google automatically handles this process, you can expedite it by submitting a sitemap or requesting Google to re-crawl your website. Set up Google Search Console for analyzing website and SEO performance, and implementing suggested improvements. For further guidance on getting your WordPress site indexed, refer to Google Search Central. - Spread the Word
Upon launching your new website, maximizing visitor numbers is crucial for immediate web traffic, engagement, and improved search engine rankings. Utilize social media, email newsletters, and other marketing channels to promote your site. Crafting a blog or article about your website and distributing it to other sites as a press release or guest post can also be beneficial. - Check Speed
Immediately after your WordPress site goes live, assess its speed using Google PageSpeed, a free online tool offering mobile and desktop scores along with detailed speed improvement recommendations. Given the significance of rapid loading for both SEO and user experience, check initial scores to establish benchmarks for future comparisons as you implement changes to your website. - Schedule Backups
Backups are indispensable in case your site faces hacking, infections, or other major issues. Initiate regular backup schedules as soon as your new WordPress site is launched. Automated WordPress backups can be scheduled using plugins or through your WordPress agency or hosting provider. Additional information on how to back up on WordPress can be found in our blog. - Plan Ongoing Maintenance
Sustain your WordPress website’s optimal functionality by planning ongoing maintenance. Tasks include scanning for security issues, database cleaning, updating WordPress software, and checking SEO performance. Schedule these maintenance activities regularly in your calendar or consider hiring an agency for dedicated WordPress support and maintenance services.