A website launch is always very exciting. You have worked for all those days to create dazzling design, organize and upload the content and choose a good CMS for your website. And now you are ready to share your hard work with the world! You are impatient and eager to get the website live, but this eagerness can be detrimental to your end cause. Most of the time in their eagerness, to launch the website, the web development companies forget some of the last minute checks that are essential for the health of your website in the online world. A checklist of these common facets would come in handy while you are giving the finishing touches to a website before the go-live! And here we would dwell on some of them.
Is the Favicon set?
A Favicon is a means to brand the tab where your website is open in the user’s browser. It can also be saved with the bookmark and helps the users easily identify your web pages from the others. Most of the browsers pick up the Favicon from the root directory, but you need to test it out. If the Favicon has not been auto-picked you would have to code it.
Is it showing perfectly on all browsers?
Today there are so many browsers to surf the Internet and your website must appear pixel perfect in all of these. Overlooking any of the major browsers would mean that there is a chance of your website having a broken and pixelated appearance for some visitors. Yes, there might be very small variations in the designs and features, but most of the appearance and user experience should remain the same. Make sure to test it out on Chrome, Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, Opera and iPhone.
Is you website working with JavaScript turned off?
There are many users who would visit your website with their JavaScript turned off due to security concerns. Your website should be ready for this degradation. Today, the browsers offer an easy option to switch off JavaScript and your website should modify accordingly. So, if you are implementing any cool AJAX stuff or forms make sure they are tested sufficiently with the JavaScript turned off.
Have you checked the Contact Forms?
Contact Forms are important lead earning mechanisms in a website. While you were busy building all the other complex functionality, did you test out the functionality of the contact forms? Whether you have or not, it is essential to test them out before the launch. Try to use the contact form yourself and see how the information is being sent to the intended email address. Also ask your family members or friends to fill the Contact forms. It would help you find the glitches, and rectify them before the launch.
Are your links working as they should?
Most of the time we just assume that the links would work just fine, and later suffer for this conception. It is easy to forget adding “http://” to external website links. Also check whether a click on the logo is routing traffic to the home page. Also make sure that the links stand out from the common text. A good practice in this regard is to underline nothing but the links within a web page.
Do you have the Analytics in place?
Installing an analytics tool helps the business measure statistics regarding the website’s performance. You can track the daily traffic, page views, conversion rates, etc. This is why you should always install analytics tool for the website. Google Analytics is the all-time favourite in this regards, but you may also consider others such as StatCounter, Kissmetrics, Clicky and Mint.
At Keyline, we make sure that all these essential checks are carried out before a website launch. If you need a web design and development service that would help you launch a perfect website, then check out our services. A Quick Check of your Website before your Website Go Live is very much essential.