The moment you launch a brand new website is surely a proud one. But have you considered all the factors required before making the final decision? You might think that you have it all figured out, but still, it is wise to take a step back and reanalyze before you make any rash decision. Hiring professionals such as this Chicago web development company can prove to be helpful. On that note, let us take a look at some crucial factors to consider before taking your website live.
1. A deeper level of testing
Every website owner gets the site tested, on some level, before launching it. But this is a question that you have to ask yourself before making it public: is the testing sufficient? If not, repeat the procedure until everything seems absolutely perfect. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to the quality assurance process on your website. It is not a safe assumption that everything is in its proper place. Test the contact form, subscription process, and automated emails, and if it is an e-commerce store, run a trial transaction and see whether it completely works.
2. SEO
If you wish to make your site appear at the top of Google SERPs, then a well-planned and executed SEO strategy is not optional. You have to make sure that your site is fully optimized for search engine visibility. Carefully follow the literature regarding algorithms put forth by Google as far as SEO is concerned, or hire a professional firm to handle this aspect of your business on your behalf.
3. Accessibility via images
Most users land on a particular page while browsing images. So, make sure you include alt text in your images in order to make them readable by Google. It also helps in improving the overall SEO of your site.
4. OG Tags
The Open Graph protocol enables you to alter the text put forth by different social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
5. Analytics
You cannot track any activity on your site unless you have analytics enabled on it. In order to make your site successful or generate more revenue for your e-commerce store, it is important to know how users interact with it. With the help of Google Analytics, you can monitor events, keep track of the traffic, and check out the feedback (both explicit and implied).
6. Speed
One of the most important things that can act as a determining factor for the success of your site is the loading speed. When a site takes more than 3 seconds to load, it is considered too slow. Just remember, if you don’t ensure that the loading time is lessened, the competitors are merely a click away.
7. Proofreading
Even though you might feel that everything is ready, running the content and the layout through a keen eye is a good option. It doesn’t take much time but makes sure that you catch any unwanted spelling errors spoiling your site’s reputation.
8. Favicon
The little icon on the tab bar is easy to ignore but is really helpful for the user to recognize your site when multiple tabs are open. So, do not forget to include a favicon for your site.