The process of launching a new website is both thrilling and stressful at the same time, as long as technical underpinnings are not established. Most companies aim at the design and content, but fail to notice the behind-the-scenes configuration that makes the site operational, achieves a Google ranking, and offers an excellent user experience. A clear technical checklist will assure you of avoiding the silly expensive mistakes and will make your launch smooth.
Hosting and domain setup is among the initial things to verify prior to launching. You should have your site hosted in a stable server that supports bandwidth, has an SSL security and loads quickly. Secure SSL certificate (HTTPS) ceases to be an option, it is a ranking criterion of Google and it creates trust among the customers. Together with this, ensure that your domain settings are well set up using correct redirects (such as; http:// to https: or www to non-www).
Next, focus on SEO readiness. This involves the creation and filing of an XML sitemap to the Google search console, the establishment of robots.txt to regulate the crawlers and optimization of the Meta titles, description and headings to your specific target keywords. Where necessary, canonical tags are to be added to avoid the problem of duplicate content. Large data (schema mark-up ) may also be an effective one to assist the search engines comprehend your materials more deeply and in the search results show rich snippets.
Website performance and speed are to be also tested prior to launching. Not only compress your images in next-gen formats such as WebP, but also allow them to be cached by the browser and load them in a content delivery network (CDN) in case you have visitors across different regions. Slower websites do not only irritate customers, they also cause a decrease in search rankings.
Mobile optimization should also be mentioned. As most searches in Canada are currently being done on the mobile platform, your site should be fully mobile and should be able to pass the Google mobile-friendly test. The connectivity of the experience between devices is important in maintaining the participants.
Tracking and analytics will also be necessary during launch. Establish Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console to be able to estimate traffic, conversions, and user behaviour. In case you use paid campaigns, you should set up tracking pixels (Facebook Pixel, Google Ads conversion tracking, and so on) before launching.
In a nutshell, the release of a new site does not only involve going online with a new design. It involves a keen consideration of the technical aspects that influence the SEO, speed, security and usability. With a detailed technical checklist, you will not go through the usual traps and establish your site to be successful in the long term. You may want to seek professional assistance in launching or auditing your web site, Mines Web will take you through the entire process in planning, developing, search engine optimization and testing of your site.