How to Publish a Website: Checklist Before Launch

Learning how to publish a website and creating the site itself are not the same thing although many people tend to assume as much. After spending some time developing your content and building your website on Strikingly, added images and other design elements that make you happy, there are a few other details that you need to look into before you actually hit ‘publish web site’.

It’s important to attend to these details after building a site and before launch. Avoid embarrassing moments related to web site publishing through this checklist of things that you need to look into before the launch.

1. Mobile-friendly and modern template

One of the things you probably learned about how to publish a website for free is choosing the right template for your project. It’s important to test your website and see how it renders on various devices before publishing. It would affect the user experience on your website if your pages appear distorted when viewed through a smaller screen.

Strikingly has a wide collection of website templates that are all mobile-responsive so you don’t have to worry about publishing web site that will not look good on mobile devices.

2. Search engine optimization

For the most part, your website will rely on search engines to direct traffic to your pages. Setting up your website in a manner that Google and other major search engines will understand ensures that you get better rankings and your content will stay visible on relevant search results. Aside from having a mobile-friendly theme, you want to do on-page SEO by editing your page metadata before you publish website content.

As one of the leading web site publishers, Strikingly has a built-in SEO tool that lets you edit and optimize your page meta description. You should also add alt text to your images and links to make them search friendly.

3. Social sharing buttons

Before you publish website free your mind from the unnecessary worry that your site may end up being an ineffective digital marketing tool. Make sure your site is connected to your social media pages so users can share your content to their network. Connecting your social media pages is another effective way of directing traffic and quality leads to your website. Strikingly also has a social stream feature that lets you update your website when you update your Facebook or Instagram account.

4. Customize your favicon

The favicon is that small icon you see on the tab of your web browser. It’s like that colorful G logo when your browser is on Google. This small element may seem unobtrusive but it can help with your branding. Whether you’re a new business or one that has a massive following, you need to use every piece of online real estate to solidify your branding and create online awareness for your company. Make sure you add a custom favicon on your site.

5. Proofread your content

The last thing you need after you’re done with web site publishing is get bad publicity for site content that is rife with typographical errors or worse, politically tone deaf. Before you hit publish, make sure to proofread your content several times over. Go through your message and make sure it is framed in a way that will not offend anyone. In this era of political correctness, you don’t want to find yourself on the receiving end of negative publicity because of a message taken out of context.

And while you’re at it, test all links and forms to make sure that they are working and they are directing users to the right pages. It hurts the user experience when people don’t get what they are expecting from a site.