Have you discovered aspects of your website that aren’t up to modern standards? Are you rebranding your business with a new logo and graphics, too?
You’ll want to relaunch your website to ensure your brand elements look cohesive. Relaunching a website is no cakewalk, though. Your website includes frontend elements like your brand colors and user interface (UI), as well as backend elements like analytics integrations and forms.
To launch your site without hiccups, you need a plan to bring what’s useful from your old site to the new one while ensuring the new design works great. Here’s everything you need to know to successfully make the transition.
1. Content and SEO Components
Content from your old website is perhaps the most important aspect to carry over. First, if you haven’t done so previously, you’ll want to make a content spreadsheet (sometimes called a content library). This is the document that contains all the website content you’ve published.
Second, log into Google Analytics and look at your blog posts that are getting the most traffic. It’s useful to save all of your content, and definitely that which is producing traffic (10 visitors per month or more). You can find your top-performing pages in Google Analytics by looking at the Pages and Screens report, or by using the Traffic Acquisition report to see which pages drive the most organic traffic.
Third, export that list and copy the URLs over to your content spreadsheet. Also copy the URLs’ average monthly traffic numbers.
Fourth, log into Google Search Console and look for your blog posts that have the most backlinks. You can find this info in the GSC menu by going to Links > External links > More. This will take you to a list titled “Top linked pages,” which you can then export and add to your content spreadsheet.
Once all your content is listed, include a separate column for any of your URLs that need to be changed. Keeping your URLs short and descriptive is one of the simple ways to improve your SEO, and a website relaunch is the perfect time to review which URLs need this most.
Taken together, this data shows you what your most effective and popular content pieces are. Notice what content topics your audience engages with most, as you’ll want to produce content that expands on your existing success. This is one of the three stages of SEO and helps you generate stronger traffic moving forward.
Once your top-performing content list is complete, set up 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones. This is the only way to ensure the SEO value of your old content is carried through to your new website.
2. Technical and Analytical Components
With your existing content on its way to producing traffic and leads for your site, the next step is configuring analytical capabilities. Making sure Google Analytics is set up properly offers peace of mind and creates a clear view into your metrics moving forward.
First, make sure your new site’s GA4 tracking code is added to your website. Accomplishing this depends on what content management system (CMS) or hosting platform you use. Refer to your hosting service’s dashboard for instructions on how to do this.
Second, you’ll want to filter out your own IP address, or as many as are applicable. This prevents Google Analytics from showing you traffic that’s coming from you or your staff. In GA4, you can exclude your IP address by going to Admin > Data Streams > your stream > Configure Tag Settings > Define Internal Traffic, then adding your IP address.
Third, set up your most important conversions in Google Analytics for the new website. In GA4, you can mark any event as a conversion (called a Key Event). Navigate to the Admin section and look for Events, then toggle the events you want to track as conversions.
Being able to access traffic and conversion data at a moment’s notice helps you maximize your business strategy. If you find any unexpected dips in traffic or lower-than-usual conversions, you can spot it right away and course correct. We call Tracking the Foundation of The Growth Formula because without it, you won’t know if your new site is performing better or worse than your old one.
3. Appearance and Navigability Components
With the technical aspects of your new website in place, it’s essential to review your site’s appearance. Your website’s navigability and client-facing look will create a bigger first impression than anything else once it launches.
Appearance and navigation components include your main menu, search bar, ease of locating contact information, and content organization. Let’s break each of these categories down:
A) Main Menu
Your main menu is typically the first place visitors look on your website, especially if they’re brand new to your site. They’re going to be looking for your blog, About page, contact information, or services page.
The menu on your site should be large enough to be noticeable but small enough to be useful. Aim to include the following options at a minimum:
- About Us
- Services
- Contact
- Products/Shop (if applicable)
- Blog
- Email List/Newsletter
Your menu should link to all the basic info your visitors need about your business without overwhelming them. These pages are enough to prompt one or more actions in your prospects so they contact you or engage with your content.
You may also want to put a Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and other legal links in your footer. These are sometimes overlooked pages that are important for trust and compliance.
B) Search Bar
A search bar is another navigational aspect to get right. Whether your visitors are existing clients or new prospects, they need a way to find specific information.
Your site search bar should be easily located and placed in key areas of your site. It’s wise to add one in the top right of your website, and also on your blog homepage and site footer.
Test your own site search functionality and see if it’s working as expected before launching.
C) Contact Information
It goes without saying that your business contact information should be effortless to find. Most people look for contact info in the upper right corner of a website.
Users should see a contact button, phone number, or email address in the header. The button should take them to a dedicated contact page with all of your contact details and a contact form.
Some sites also use live chat, where site visitors start a conversation with a chatbot that either answers the question or directs the user to a human.
That said, it’s still useful to have a dedicated contact page. You never know when a prospect wants to send a longer inquiry or ask a question that can’t be answered by a bot.
D) Content Organization
The final component of your site’s appearance and navigability is your content organization. Most of the time this begins with your blog posts, which is one of the top content marketing methods used by most businesses.
Your blog homepage should feature your latest posts, a list of categories, a clear search bar, and relevant links. Individual blog pages should be easy to click through and understand. Make sure your font and page spacing looks good, it’s easy to find content in various categories, and that your site search brings up relevant entries.
If you’ve been blogging to improve your SEO and it’s been effective, most visitors will land on an individual blog post the first time. Once they’re done reading, your site should offer intuitive next steps. This may be a “Recommended for you” section featuring related blog posts, or a newsletter signup form to receive future posts.
Organizing content well goes beyond blog posts. It includes your email opt-in forms, downloadable resources, videos, and any other content you’ve created. Consider making a “Resources” or “Content Library” area of your website that displays all the content you’ve made in an organized fashion.
4. Usability and Browser Components
While you’re getting excited to launch your new site, you may have looked at it in a different browser and discovered something is off. It can be stressful finding out that your website isn’t quite perfect yet.
That’s where browser and usability testing comes in. Looking at your website in different browsers and on different devices reveals all the kinks that still need to be ironed out.
A) Basic Page Testing
The first test to complete is a basic page check across Internet browsers. The top browsers are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, so you definitely want to test on those. Look high and low on your website for any issues with headers, images, menus, and content.
Once your browser testing is complete, it’s time for device testing. Pull up your website on your smartphone and tablet and put your mobile site through the same review as your desktop version. Do your images, menus, buttons, and forms all look and function properly? Is anything too small to tap? If you do find problems, take notes and speak with your developer as soon as possible.
B) Test Your Forms
The second usability test to run is with your forms. Your visitors rely on your forms working in order to contact you, schedule a demo, purchase a product, or request a quote.
Use a test email account to fill out each form on your site before launching it. If your test information doesn’t reach your website’s backend, you can fix it quickly.
Remember that in changing domains or content management systems, your old forms may need their integrations set up again. This includes any connections to your CRM, email marketing platform, or other tools your forms send data to.
C) Test Your Features and File Uploads
The third step is testing all of your website’s features and file uploads. The amount and type of features on any website differs, but they all need to work.
Features include any special functionality of your website, like videos, chatbots, and animations. All of these additions should work intuitively and not slow down page load speed or your users’ experiences.
If your site allows file uploads, test those as well. Ensure that when files are uploaded, they’re organized neatly so you and your web developer can find them easily.
D) Verify Your Page Speed
If there’s one characteristic to get right, it’s page load speed. Google has emphasized page speed as an important ranking factor, and slow-loading pages lead to higher bounce rates and lost conversions.
You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to check your site’s speed, which is a free tool. After you enter your site URL, you’ll get a detailed readout of your speed, plus the factors that may be holding you back. Aim for a load time under three seconds on both desktop and mobile.
The Bottom Line
Launching a new website is a big undertaking. It requires the successful execution of multiple moving parts, each of which rely on the effectiveness of the preceding step.
Focusing on your site’s biggest needs is a great place to begin. Here’s a recap:
- First, address the content and SEO aspects of your website. Have a list of all the content you’re bringing from the old site to the new one, and ensure 301 redirects are set up so you don’t lose rankings or traffic.
- Second, configure all the technical and analytical parts of your site. Add your GA4 tracking code right away, filter out your own IP address, and set up conversion tracking.
- Third, review the appearance and navigational parts of your site. Double-check that your menu, site search, and blog posts all look and function well.
- Fourth, run a browser and usability check. Verify that your website looks just as good across less popular browsers as it does the main ones, and that forms and features work without a hitch.
Need Help with Your Website?
If you’re launching a new website and want to make sure your SEO carries over properly, we can help. Request a free strategy call, and we’ll review your plan and identify any risks before you go live.
