So, you’re launching a new website and you can’t wait to get the ball rolling. Whether you’re a web designer in Chicago or a business owner, before you get started, you’ll need to grab hold of a website pre-launch checklist. Having a pre-launch checklist is essential for every business. Remember, if you fail to plan – you plan to fail. Here is what you will need…

Check Web Content

Check Grammar & Spelling

You may want to have more than one person review your content. Make sure you comb through the site to check for typos and obvious grammatical errors. Having a couple of minor errors is one thing (we’re human), but having embarrassing errors will kill your message.

Reading your content out loud can help you spot errors. Also, be sure to check for any leftover ‘lorem ispum’ text in your content. Content will always reign as king. Make sure you get it right the first time.

Terms & Privacy Policy

Don’t forget to include links to your terms of condition and privacy policy on your website.

Check Contact Details

Make sure you check (double check) for mistakes or misspellings in your email addresses and phone numbers. Send a test email and call the number to posted on the site to make sure it works, especially if you have a number similar to:  1 855 33 APPLE.

Check Functionality

Links

Make sure your internal and external page links work properly. This is where a professional web designer in Chicago comes in very handy. He or she will thoroughly analyze your website to make sure that it is up to par.

Logo

Don’t forget – link your logo to the index page.

Compatibility

Make sure your website works well on ALL platforms and browsers.

Social Media Integration

Your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc. should be integrated into your site. Also, make sure each one links directly to the right social media site. There is nothing worse than clicking onto a Facebook icon only to discover that the link is broken.

Alt Tags

All of your images should have a clear descriptive ALT tag. It’s not just important for the search engines, it’s important for viewers who may be visually impaired.

Text Size

Your text should be large enough for people to read without having to adjust their screen size.

Sitemap

Don’t forget to include a sitemap on your website. This will ensure your website is properly indexed during the crawling phase.

Site Speed

This step should have gone on the top of the list. Make sure you check the speed of your website. You can check the load times of your Web pages via Google Page Speed.

Analytics

Regardless of what industry your website falls is in, it is crucial that you have Web analytics running. The information you gather will help you move forward and progress in your business. You can use analytic tools, such as KISSmetrics or a free tool like Google Analytics.

If you are launching a new website, consider having a professional Chicago web designer analyze your website. This will ensure you have a successful launch for your new and existing customers.

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