Top tips for a Successful Website Launch

How to Create a Launch Plan for Your Website

by Marielle Reussink

Imagine this: you and your team have been gearing up for a big website launch, you’ve invested time and resources into a beautiful and functional site. You’ve made sure everything is perfect and, at long last, the time has come to hit the publish button to share it with the world.

The site goes live and… nothing! Where are those leads or sales?

Just building a website is not enough. The internet is a crowded place, and competitors are equally vying for your customers’ attention. To get people to your website, you have to do more than just push it live – even if it’s SEOd really well.

For your website to make an impact on your business, you need to have a launch plan to reach the right audience and get them excited about what you have to offer.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies and entrepreneurs tend to underestimate this part. So today, we’ll show you how to create a great communications plan for your website launch, whether you’re giving your existing site a refresh or launching a brand new one. Plus, we’ll share some examples as inspiration along the way to get those creative juices flowing.

Create Your Own Website Launch Plan

A website launch is an exciting milestone for you and your customers, so make the most of this opportunity to engage your audience anywhere and everywhere you can. Your launch plan doesn’t need to be overly complicated, but it should include at least three considerations:

Your messaging
Your marketing channels
Your timeline

1.Define your Website Launch Message

First and foremost, your message matters - especially if you’re doing a refresh. Why do you have a new website?

If your new website solves a problem or does something new, don’t just tell your audience that you launched a new website. Celebrate your wins and what it means for your customers by

sharing what you did, how you did it and, most importantly, how it benefits them.

For example, when Canadian bedding company Resthouse launched their new website, they sent an email telling their followers exactly what new features they could look forward to: they created a five-step process that enables customers to create the perfect sleep environment through their new website. They also explained why they did it: to simplify the process for customers, eliminating compromises and confusion.

This is a great example of using the launch of a refreshed website to re-engage an existing audience by offering something new that improves the user experience.

Equally, Singapore-based restaurant Wild Honey launched a new website in 2021 with the goal of improving the guest experience - even before they enter the dining room. Leveraging a variety of features, people could more easily find the restaurant online, make a booking on the go, arrange delivery or pick-up, buy vouchers as gifts and even order birthday cakes and more directly online. A fitting move for a restaurant that takes advantage of technology throughout the in-person dining experience as well.

A new website often coincides with a rebrand or a brand refresh. If your overall message has changed, make a point of reintroducing your business in your communications.

For example, when Laura Yates relaunched her website for The Hummingbird Life, she used her personal LinkedIn to highlight the services she offers on her new website.

The Hummingbird Life Website Launch Post

As these examples show, your website launch is an opportunity to do more than just announce your website. It’s a fantastic time to give your audience a reason to come and see what’s new and re-engage with your business.

2. Consider Your Website Launch Channels

Once you know what you want to say, consider how you will say it. Social media and email are a must but don’t just post on launch day and consider the job done.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Lean on your network and consider offering an incentive to people to help spread the word
If you have a team, encourage them to share the news on their LinkedIn or other personal social media channels, and make it easy by drafting sample copy or creating a shareable graphic
If you work with influencers or other partners, coordinate a campaign to help build buzz around the new website launch
Create a special offer for your customers to entice them to make a purchase on launch day
Offer your followers early access to your new site to create a sense of urgency
Get personal and share a video message with your followers explaining why you’re so excited to be launching your new website

This is the time to take advantage of every marketing channel you’ve got, so get creative and do everything you can to get people to your new site.

For example, when Recruitment Boost launched their new brand and website they were armed and ready to go with a multi-channel campaign. The CEO sent a personalized email to all existing customers and prospects, explaining how the platform would provide new features for users. They also published a blog with a more in-depth look at the updates and (of course) supported the launch with social media posts. In addition, everyone on the team updated their email signatures to a new branded template and updated their LinkedIn to coincide with the new launch. The result? Everyone was very excited about the relaunch and it ignited new opportunities for the company.

3. Plan Your Website Launch Timeline

Beginning with your target launch date, work backwards to figure out what you need to do and when.

While it might be tempting to keep things hush hush until the big reveal, a pre-launch campaign can help to drum up excitement so you can really make a splash on launch day. Go behind the scenes, give a sneak peek of the website with screenshots, mockups, team photos during a meeting or even a video snippet.

You can also consider running a promotion to drive email subscriptions ahead of launch day. For example, Amplio B eauty created a landing page to collect emails before their big launch, which allowed them to let already interested people know the minute their new website was live. This was further amplified by working with different influencers, media publications, designers etc. in the lead up to the launch to create some real buzz. Combined it created a lot of hype and excitement around the brand.

For a successful pre-campaign like this, make sure to consider everything you need to have in place and make sure you have enough time to create them. For instance, images, shareable copy and graphics for social media can all be created well ahead of time and sent out to your network.

By the way, launch day is only the beginning! Make sure you have a marketing plan to continue to promote your website and keep up the momentum.

Bonus: Try This Strategy for Any Launch

Now that you’ve learnt how to successfully launch a website, you can launch just about anything. Do you have a new product coming out? Is there a big sale in your future? Are you working on bundling up your services or offering something new?

The same tactics shared here can be applied again and again in your business. Each time you launch something, chances are you’ll learn something about your unique audience. Apply those lessons next time around and you’ll be well on your way to developing your own secret recipe to promoting your business!

Still need help to (Re) Launch your website? Get in touch with us at The Emms to schedule a consultation.