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At Caledon Virtual, we’ve been in the business of building new websites for years. And if a brand new one is in your future, it’s handy to know the types of things to expect right after a website launch. Why? Because these are the things you might not be thinking about, and if you don’t know to expect them, it could cause you undue stress. Once that new site of yours is up and running, you’ll want to be prepared for what might come next – and you’ll want to know how to handle those things. So, here’s what to expect after a new website launch.

A launch isn’t the end of your relationship with the agency that built it.

It’s true, we don’t say goodbye just yet. A good website agency stays for the launch to manage it and make sure everything is running as it should. Beyond the initial launch, we recommend you consider website maintenance, which is a monthly service that allows the agency to go back in and check to ensure everything is working as it should.

There will be a few bugs to work out.

As with any new app or online offering, there are typically some bugs that need to be worked out when a website is initially launched. Our agency has pre-launch as well as post-launch checklists to ensure everything looks great and is working properly. However, every once in a while, there are still kinks that need to be straightened out, and we’ll work through them for you.

Your clients and customers won’t automatically know about your new website.

Your brand-new website is a work of art – designed for easy navigability and to show off your brand in a whole new way. But your client base won’t know about it if you don’t tell them. Make sure you’re getting them excited and promoting awareness of your new site by announcing it across social media accounts, to your email list, and perhaps by creating a contest for those who share your site or find a hidden Easter egg on it.

Your organic search traffic numbers may drop for a short time.

You can expect to see your organic search traffic drop about 5 percent in the first few weeks following launch. There’s no reason to panic, this is simply because search engines now have to re-index your website, which is part of the process of determining where your site should appear on searches. Every website has to go through it!

You’ll need to implement analytics tools.

You need to begin tracking your new website as soon as it launches to make sure it’s hitting those goals you set at the beginning. Compare these new stats to those of your old site to see what’s improving. Google Analytics is an excellent tool for tracking these kinds of statistics – plus, it’s free.

Long-term website success depends on fresh and updated content.

Last, but certainly not least, is to make sure you’re continually adding fresh and updated content to your website. Why? Because search engines love it, and it builds credibility within your industry and with your target audience. No matter what your website’s goals may be, adding content consistently post-launch can help you reach them. If you’ve got a blog, try posting once a month; if not, give your site a read-through every other month to make sure all of the content there is still up-to-date.

So now you know what to expect after a new website launch, and you’ve got a few ideas of how to handle what may come. If you’re interested in one of these new-fangled websites, let’s grab coffee and talk about your business’ goals.