You and your team probably worked day and night for months to create the perfect website for your company. Now that it’s live and you have visitors coming in and out of your site, you might think that your job here is done. Unfortunately, running a website is a long-term job, and it’s far from being over.
Launching a website isn’t the end of your design process — it’s only the beginning. Sure, you’ve developed the basic structure of your site and have thrown in important elements. Still, there are a ton of complexities you need to consider. You need to continuously hit your targets, reach benchmarking stats, and optimize your site to the digital landscape’s ever-changing trends.
For this reason, many Canadian business owners work with Winnipeg web design companies to ensure that their website is in top shape from the beginning stages of the design to maintain its performance in the long run.
Unfortunately, some business owners aren’t aware of how challenging maintaining a website can get, especially after post-launch. Here are some common post-launch website mistakes that you should avoid.
Mistake #1: Ignoring Analytics
Data and numbers can be intimidating for most people. But this information is crucial to help improve your website’s performance and your business operations.
Reviewing your analytics is the best way to know whether your website is working at its best or if you need to make significant improvements. Most of the changes you need will only show up once your website has gotten significant traffic, which is why it’s crucial to track your numbers.
Here are some data and metrics you need to keep an eye on:
- Conversion rates
- Bounce rates
- Click-through rates
- Page views
- Average visitor time
- Referral source
Mistake #2: Incomplete and Empty Pages
One of the worst things a website visitor may experience is being interested in browsing through a specific page only to find it incomplete or empty. When this happens, your leads will look for a better alternative to help them with their issues. Because of this, it can damage your brand’s online reputation, making you miss out on various opportunities.
When you launch your website, know that it’s not going to stay permanent. Instead, you’ll need to move around so pages, fix their structure, and optimize your site. For this reason, remember that your pages are working fine for a fantastic user experience.
Here’s how you can monitor your website and its pages after launch:
- Run a broken link check before launching your website;
- Fix all broken links;
- Use Google Web Developer tools to examine errors, search results, and more;
- Make sure your 404 hits are not high;
- Check if your landing pages and keywords are optimized.
Working with a reliable Winnipeg web design company will help you cross-check and make necessary changes to ensure a smooth website launch. Besides that, they’ll be able to make changes post-launch, too!
Mistake #3: Forgetting The Details
Websites need to have fresh and regular content constantly to remain relevant, fruitful, and dynamic. This is why it’s essential to think of your website as a living, breathing extension of your business. With that being said, avoid setting elements and content and forgetting to update them in the future.
Here are some ongoing elements that need your constant attention:
- Call-to-Action;
- Landing page forms;
- Landing pages;
- Articles, news, and blogs;
- Calendar section.
To help you deal with this, it’s best to hold a meeting with your team every quarter to map out the changes and updates your site needs to improve your users’ experience. Having your web designer there to help you with the task can save you more time and is more efficient in the long run.
The Bottom Line: Your Website is an Important Tool, So Make Sure It’s Providing Top Performance
Just because your website is finally live doesn’t mean your job here is done. Ensuring that your customers have excellent experience on your site is key to your company’s success.
With constant website improvements and avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll be able to reach significant business milestones, all with the help of your powerful website.
Are You Looking for Reputable Winnipeg Web Design Companies?
Website design and development can be complicated; that’s why working with credible and creative website designers and developers is your secret weapon.
At Hello Digital Marketing, we create fantastic digital solutions for all types of businesses. From designing a website to building a brand, delighting our clients and your audience is our goal. Learn more about our services today!