It hardly bodes well to wait until after a launch to start planning content. It is not enough for a site to appear complete In terms of the type of content on your website, considerations should go beyond how long or short a blog post is. Can visitors obtain an informative white paper or e-book? Studies also show that video and audio content can increase how long visitors stay on a website. One study showed that up to 57% of website visitors stayed longer when video content was available.
 

Canva is an excellent tool for creating all sorts of content for the web, whether text, audio, or visual. Grammarly, which can help you avoid embarrassing typos, is another solid investment that integrates seamlessly with Google Docs or WordPress. Both of these tools offer free plans and premium access options.
 

Because of the nature of drafting, recording, and editing video or audio for the web, you may need a larger preparation window before launch. However, taking the time to create excellent content for your website is an important step when building your website.
  

• Creating a Mockup:

If you had to explain what a website looked like or how it functioned to someone who had never heard of the Internet, how would you go about doing so? Sometimes words only go so far; a complete visual impression may be the best solution for conveying the intended look
 

• Enter the Mockup:

A standard mockup is a webpage creation that accurately conveys the expected final form it will take upon launch. While not the functional and completed version, they help you or others visually understand the intended website. 

Determine if an idea is realistic or functional before committing, saving time and money if it doesn’t work out

Assist in selecting the best aesthetic choices for color themes or fonts

Demonstrate how the website will appear on different devices, letting you make adjustments for ease of use or visual attraction well before launch

Once you settle on a mockup that best reflects the website you want to build, it is time to consider the best method for bringing your site into reality. 

• Using a Website Builder:

Thanks to the advancement of code-free software and related tools, practically anyone can develop a website without needing to learn Python or JavaScript. These days many powerful website builders function by letting you “drag and drop” virtually every aspect .

•  Some of the most popular website builders that we recommend include Weebly: Weebly is affordable, easy to use, and very flexible. It is a great option for smaller businesses and individuals and also provides e-commerce options.
• • Squarespace: One of the best-known website builders, Squarespace pairs award-winning templates with a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor.
• • GoDaddy: Who knew creating a website could be as easy as answering a few simple questions? In addition to domains and web hosting, GoDaddy provides customers with a straightforward web builder to put them on the path to a quick and easy website launch.
   
• What About Discovery?
• Whether working with a single developer or dev team, you must set aside time for discovery. This crucial initial phase involves research and data analysis that will answer the dev’s questions about how best to set up the website according to the business and customer’s needs. The dev may ask questions or raise concerns about potential user experience issues.
• Depending on your website’s complexity, the process could take anywhere from a few weeks to half a year. By the end, everyone should have a concrete understanding of the intended design and site function.
• Testing and Review:
• Once you build a website, a period between its completion and intended launch should be reserved for review and testing. Items to check before letting the site go live Site speed. One study found that a website loading time of four seconds or less is ideal for e-commerce conversion. That said, Google determined that bounce rates increased by 32% when websites look longer than three seconds to load.
• User experience (UX). Does your website include navigation tools such as a menu or “return to top” feature? Is the font too light or small and so hard to read? Do you use AI chatbots or can a customer reach a live human being during business hours? It is crucial to ensure that when you design a website, you are doing so with visitor ease and comfort in mind.
• Content quality. Businesses with persistent website typos lose out on twice as many customers as their more grammar-minded competitors. Before launching your website, check back through for writing errors. If you lack confidence in your ability, consider hiring an editor or using a tool, such as Grammarly.
• Plugins. One crucial reason to be mindful of website plugins is that incompatibility can cause various issues. Your webpage might not load correctly due to a plugin error. Run all necessary checks to ensure any plugins are compatible and up to date.
• After testing and making necessary changes, you can finally move on to the most exciting part—a successful website launch.   
  
   

Written by Terry Higgins  01/06/2023