Launching a new website is an important milestone for your business. With the level of online competition in the world today, however, you probably know that it’s not a case of “If you build it, they will come.”
You should be as excited about your new website as you would be about a new puppy. But you can’t expect the rest of the world to get equally excited… unless you share your news.
What to do when your new website launches
Google has nearly all the market share and Bing owns Yahoo, but it only takes a second, so submit to all three. If your web team has already done this (Haden Interactive always does), then you don’t need to. In any case, this only needs to be done once. Sign up for webmaster tools (Search Console, for Google) and submit a site map to make things really easy for the search engines.
- Tell your current customers about your website, and give them a reason to check it out. A store might choose to have a drawing among all customers who go to their website and fill out the mailing list opt-in form, a coupon available at the website, or a sale on online purchases only. A doctor’s office might let patients know that they can request an appointment or a prescription refill. Whatever you have to offer, let your current patients and clients know.
- Take the opportunity to announce your new website. Press releases, articles in your local or industry papers, mentions in your newsletter (and while you’re at it, start transitioning to an electronic newsletter), and face-to-face invitations to visit your new website are all completely appropriate.
- Tweet, add a link to Facebook, request links from your clients and vendors — any place on the internet that you have access to is a good place to mention your new site. While “We have a website!” isn’t news, “We have a new website!” is, so go ahead and share your exciting news with your online community as well as in the physical world.
Chances are, you feel a little bit like someone with a new puppy, anyway. Go ahead, while you feel like bragging, and brag a little bit. Check your rankings and analytics after a couple of weeks and see whether your site has naturally done what you want it to do, and at that point you can get started with an online marketing plan.
What to do going forward
Just like a new puppy, a new website is a commitment. You don’t have to take it on walks, but you can be fairly certain that if you don’t take regular action, your new website won’t give you a good return on your investment.
Set a budget for ongoing strategic content marketing, regular social media promotion, and perhaps some digital ads. Without this support, you won’t see the results you want. Digital marketing is not set it and forget it, no matter how awesome your new website it.
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