What's Next
Moving Forward
Congratulations on your brand new website! You must be so excited! We sure are!
So now what? What are the next steps? How do you keep a website alive and fresh? How do you drive traffic and keep your audience engaged? And how do you keep the site safe from hackers?
Reviews
Reviews are a great way for any business owner to get feedback. It’s always good to know where you are doing great, and where you can improve. It’s also important from an SEO standpoint, especially if the reviews are positive, obviously, but also if they are spread around the internet.
If you have your Google My Business setup (we can help with that) people can leave testimonials there. This will help your ranking, and other people will see them when they google you.
You can also direct people to leave reviews and feedback on your Facebook page, where it is easy to share.
Testimonials
If you don’t have a testimonials section on your website already it is a good idea to add it, as many people will look for them. You can gather them by email, but with a form on your website you have a chance to ask questions that make your clients give you feedback on specific aspects of doing business with you. Here you also have the opportunity to choose which ones you want to post.
When you gather reviews and testimonials in one location you can copy them into another yourself. I would advise you to ask the reviewer before you do, and make sure to copy it the exact way it was written, or at least save the essence of what was said without changing any of it’s meaning.
Get the word out
The doors to your new website are officially open! Now it’s time to invite people in. This will not only benefit your business, but it will help Google index it faster, and start improving your ranking in the search results. Here are some ways of spreading the word:
Word of Mouth
The most powerful way of letting people know about you, your business and your website is by word of mouth. Let friends, family, acquaintances, business contacts, potential clients, anyone you can think of, know about your new website. Ask them what they think of it, let them know where they can find information that applies to them. Make note of their feedback, it can be useful down the line when you want to make updates and add content.
Social Media
Your social media accounts are great for spreading the link to your website. Facebook and Instagram are the perfect places to create a big launch event with special offers etc., when your website goes live, much like you would if you were to open a physical store front. And this can be done for services just as much as physical products. Also make sure to share on your other social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter etc. where people are likely to re-share and spread your posts. A blog on your website creates good opportunities to spread your site on social media as well.
Email Newsletter
A newsletter or email list is the perfect way to make announcements. I recommend using MailChimp for this, it’s a powerful yet simple way to stay in touch with your audience. At Scanway we can help set it up for you, and if you want we can take care of your email campaigns as well.
Get the word out
The doors to your new website are officially open! Now it’s time to invite people in. This will not only benefit your business, but it will help Google index it faster, and start improving your ranking in the search results. Here are some ways of spreading the word:
Word of Mouth
The most powerful way of letting people know about you, your business and your website is by word of mouth. Let friends, family, acquaintances, business contacts, potential clients, anyone you can think of, know about your new website. Ask them what they think of it, let them know where they can find information that applies to them. Make note of their feedback, it can be useful down the line when you want to make updates and add content.
Social Media
Your social media accounts are great for spreading the link to your website. Facebook and Instagram are the perfect places to create a big launch event with special offers etc., when your website goes live, much like you would if you were to open a physical store front. And this can be done for services just as much as physical products. Also make sure to share on your other social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter etc. where people are likely to re-share and spread your posts. A blog on your website creates good opportunities to spread your site on social media as well.
Email Newsletter
A newsletter or email list is the perfect way to make announcements. I recommend using MailChimp for this, it’s a powerful yet simple way to stay in touch with your audience. At Scanway we can help set it up for you, and if you want we can take care of your email campaigns as well.
Reviews
Reviews are a great way for any business owner to get feedback. It’s always good to know where you are doing great, and where you can improve. It’s also important from an SEO standpoint, especially if the reviews are positive, obviously, but also if they are spread around the internet.
If you have your Google My Business setup (we can help with that) people can leave testimonials there. This will help your ranking, and other people will see them when they google you.
You can also direct people to leave reviews and feedback on your Facebook page, where it is easy to share.
Testimonials
If you don’t have a testimonials section on your website already it is a good idea to add it, as many people will look for them. You can gather them by email, but with a form on your website you have a chance to ask questions that make your clients give you feedback on specific aspects of doing business with you. Here you also have the opportunity to choose which ones you want to post.
When you gather reviews and testimonials in one location you can copy them into another yourself. I would advise you to ask the reviewer before you do, and make sure to copy it the exact way it was written, or at least save the essence of what was said without changing any of it’s meaning.
Update!
It’s a good idea to update images and graphics once or twice per year. It shows that your website is live and active. Minor design changes to colors or layout will also help reinforce that message, that your site is still fresh and interesting, and thus your business. Always make sure that information such as hours, staff, contact information and services is up to date. Even staff photo’s should be updated often enough to stay current. If you have a calendar of events, or any announcements that involves specific dates and times, those should come down as soon as that date/time has passed. Outdated information sends the message that you don’t care much about your website, and customers might wonder how you care for your business.
Keep adding content in the form of blog posts and new pages, and update your services page as you business changes and evolves. Remember to make your content SEO friendly.
Protect your website
It’s important to update the backend of your website frequently. Having the latest version of WordPress, plugins and themes keeps your website from crashing, and prevents hackers, spammers, bots and malware from taking over your site. We highly recommend you to join us for one of our monthly maintenance packages to keep your site protected and secured. Our security plans will let you (and us) sleep better at night knowing that your site is protected.