Launching a new website (or a new product, service, etc) is more party planning than anything else. Why? Because you’ve already put in the work for the first 4 phases: Planning, Design, Development, Testing + Launch. Spending time getting your ducks in a row + testing the outcome can make this final phase your time to unwind… with a tiny bit of structure.
Phase Five — Launching your new website
For most business owners + bloggers, this is the perfect way to follow the non-sexy testing phase. Think of it like throwing a party… the planning is done, the catering company is on-site and set up, the DJ is getting folks onto the dance floor + the party is being enjoyed by everyone.
Your website launch is that party!
It’s time to celebrate
All of the hard work that went into (re)designing or revamping your site is precisely why I recommend turning your launch into a celebration. You, your designer + your developer have been staring at this beautiful thing for weeks (errr, sometimes months) and now it’s available for the rest of the world to explore. Pretty cool, right?
How do we celebrate? Share the heck out of your link!
Post it on Facebook, create an Instagram story of you scrolling through, add a screenshot on Pinterest, include it in your email signature, tell your parents, yadda yadda yadda. Seriously though, tell your biggest cheerleaders. My parents have shared tinyblueorange.com with folks that have contacted me for quotes. Let your fans sing your praises too.
Cue the awkward dancing
When your pretty new site is ready for the public, I want you to get ready to awkwardly dance. What am I even talking about? Send the link, along with some flattering words, ideas of how to collaborate, or ways to make your service offering über special to your top 3 dream clients / contacts / collaborators.
Don’t be afraid of being truly awkward. And don’t be afraid to ask for a dance — whether that is working together, selling them a product or service, or even literal dancing at a social event coming up. Time to shine + tell your online crushes that you exist.
Do “The Wave” when launching your new website
Even better than telling the world (including those that you are nervous to contact) about your pretty new website, is telling them in stages.
Instead of posting a link on every social network that you are on within 5 minutes, try posting to Facebook in the morning. Then post a TikTok about it in the afternoon. Spend time emailing your family at night. And schedule a blog post about your hot new site for the next day. Honestly, you could spread your link sharing out even more than that.
The sharing wave a good idea for 2 reasons:
- It keeps your site traffic consistent, instead of spiking. Depending on how much of an increase you get, drastic traffic spikes can take your server down. Sad panda. This traffic spread can also give you time to implement feedback that you get from the first site visitors. But only if it’s valuable feedback.
- You have the chance to catch your audience at different times of the day. Your biggest fans might be on Zoom all morning + not catch your latest Facebook status. But if you go live on IG later in the day, they could see it while decompressing from the long meeting.
Speaking of, please decompress after making it through these 5 phases.
Your site will never be “done” + there is always work to do. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat yourself to some quality free time, whatever that means to you. You’ve been working hard on this thing for a while. Treat yourself to a date night, massage, day off of work, whatever speaks to you as something rejuvenating.