I have a website, now what?

We all know the feeling, you have a website designed and there is all of this expectation in the run up to it's launch, you work hard on the content, finish the imagery, it finally launches (!) and... then what? 

Nowadays, the success of your website is not only dictated by your website design and content but also by what you do AFTER your website launches. We've helped countless client's go-live online and compiled our best advice about how to succeed online. 

We're also about not just good advice, but action. If you'd like support on any of the tips below, don't hesitate to get in touch as our talented team would love to chat. 

1. Embrace SEO, without fear

We know it's a buzz word, we know it's illusive and often seen as expensive, but SEO or Search Optimisation is just one of those necessary tasks online. Optimisation starts with your website itself, customising all of your page titles and tags, and can extend as far as paid advertising. 

Our best advice is to tackle all of the SEO activities you can do yourself first before considering paid routes. If you're short on time, our SEO gurus are ideally placed to help with this and if you'd like more information simply get in touch and read our recent SEO blog for more information. 

2. Think through your social media strategy 

 Social media can be an after-thought for many businesses however, it is important to at least spend some time considering your social media strategy. Our recent blog on 'What Makes a Winning Social Media Strategy' is a good place to start. 

We support many of our client's through managing their social media presence so we know first hand the benefits of investing in social activities. For MC Designers, we have built their entire Twitter following and enable them to engage with their suppliers online as well as offline. 

3. Consider your website photography 

Your website visitors will form an opinion on your website within seconds and the quality of your photography will be a key part in this. Website photography can be in the form of re-shooting your product photos, creating lifestyle shots for your banners or creating promotional shots.

A little known fact is that the iPages Senior Designer, Emma Simpson, once directed photoshoots at the Gaurdian so we are proud to lend her to our clients occassionally to conduct photoshoots. 

4. Understand the brand experience of your clients 

This is not rocket science but your clients experience of your brand is more than just your website. Your website is part of your overall brand awareness covering your printed materials, email marketing, footers, packaging and so much more! 

The best brands become well established through consistent, branded messaging. If you would like support in building a brand experience, do not hesitate to get in touch.

5. Persist in regularly updating your content! 

The web is primarily a content contest. We all use search engines daily for information and for your web presence to succeed, you should aim to give your target audience relavent, useful information. This does not even have to be directly associated with your products or services however, it should benefit your market, helping you to be seen as an expert in your field. 

We recommend that client's regularly update their website news and content however, it can be hard to keep this up. If we had one word to new website owners, it would be to persist! Persist with new content, it will reap its rewards in due course however, it can be hard at the time. 

Can we help? 

If you have any doubts about how to boost your online presence, or what you should be doing after your new website goes live, do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.