TL;DR
Launching a new website should be fun and exciting. However, many people jump straight into the next task in their diary, often unrelated to their website, and usually because they are not sure how to leverage their new website. Here's a 12 week plan that will help you make the most of launching your new website.
Phase 1: Promote Awareness
The first phase focuses purely on raising awareness of your new website across your existing customer base, staff networks and physically in your local community. Completing one focused task per week, this phase should take no more than 1 hour a week.
Week 1: Reengage Existing Customers
Goal: Notify all current email contacts and physical customers of your new website. This will start driving initial traffic.
Core Tasks:
- Write a new blog article introducing your new website and highlighting the most useful sections or features customers will enjoy. Tell a story about your favourite part of the website. Or simply let people know how doing business with you will be easier. (15 min)
- Email a link to the blog post out to your full customer email list, sharing some of the key highlights. (15 min)
- Add a one sentence website call-to-action + link to your email signature. Example: “We recently launched a new website, check it out here www.example.com!” (5 min)
Metrics to Track:
- 100+ Email Opens
- 25+ Email link clicks
- 5+ Calls/in-person customers referencing the email
Week 2: Mobilise Staff & Partners on Social
Goal: Leverage your employees’ and local partners’ social media networks to drive further awareness.
Core Tasks:
- Select 2-3 images or screenshots from the website that look appealing for social media. (5 min)
- Write a short social media post for staff to use. Example: “I’m excited to share that [the business I work for] has recently launched a brand new website highlighting our community services! Check it out here www.example.com”. (10 min)
- Email partners and staff asking them to share the images and pre-written post on their social channels. Of course, staff and partners are free to write their own thing too. (10 min)
Metrics to Track:
- 12+ Shares of your website from partners/staff
- 100+ Social impressions
Week 3: Refresh Instore Signage with QR Codes
Goal: Place signage across all your storefronts allowing foot traffic to easily access the website.
Core Tasks:
- Generate a free QR code linked to your homepage on a site like https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/ (2 min)
- Print 10 flyers and 5 posters with the QR code and some compelling text like “We recently launched a new website - check it out!” (10 min)
- Place posters prominently across multiple storefront windows and add flyers to countertops for customers. (10 min)
- Record a quick personalised video message for visitors who land on your homepage from the QR code. (5 min) Add the video to your homepage. (10min)
Metrics to Track
- 25+ Website sessions from QR code clicks
- Visitors spend 2min+ on site coming from QR code
Week 4: Distribute a Press Release to Media Contacts
Goal: Spread further local awareness by securing media coverage for your new website.
Core Tasks:
- Make list of 10-15 local publications, news sites, and community partners. Include key contact names and positions where possible. (15 min)
- Write a press release announcing your new website tailored to resonating with your local community. Follow press release template best practices. (30 min)
- Distribute the press release via email outreach asking if they would be interested in covering your recent launch. (15 min)
Metrics to Track:
- 25%+ open rate from outreach list
- 3+ media contacts engage for more info
- Secure 1+ local coverage placements
Phase 2: Engage Site Visitors
With the initial awareness now building, Phase 2 focuses on keeping visitors engaged once they are on your new website through adding regular fresh content and showcasing community impact.
Week 5: Develop Blog Content Strategy
Goal: Build a content roadmap around FAQs, staff insights, and local events.
Core Tasks:
- Review common customer questions and identify 10 FAQs around your products, services, company, etc to turn into idea starter content. (15 min)
- Ask staff from different departments to share 1-2 ideas for articles showcasing their work and insights. (15 min)
- Develop a Content Calendar that simply has titles and publish dates for 8-10 initial blog articles. (15 min)
- Have each staff author draft their article expanding on their idea. (1-2 hours over the week per author)
Metrics to Track
- Compile list of 10+ FAQ articles ideas
- 5 staff authors identified
- Have authors complete first draft of their posts
Week 6: Begin Cadence of Content Releases
Goal: Start publishing weekly blog articles per your roadmap.
Core Tasks:
- Polish your first blog article. Confirm if any imagery is needed. Give it to someone else to proof. (30 min)
- Create a New Post, and copy/paste your first blog article into it. (15 min)
- Spend a little extra time on the format of the post (ensure you're using headings well, bullet points, etc). Not only will it improve the readability of your article, but it will help create a template for future posts to copy. (15 min)
- Create a social media post about your new article. This might be a screenshot, or a great quote, or just the first 50 words (click the link for the rest of the post). (10 min)
Metrics to Track
- Publish Week 1 blog article
- 5+ social shares of your initial blog
- 2 more staff draft blog pieces for upcoming weeks
Week 7: Promote Content Across Social Channels
Goal: Market new blog content additions across social media.
Core Tasks:
- Share new blog posts links prominently across social channels (5 min per post per platform)
- Identify shareable supporting facts/stats/images from posts to make custom social snippets. (5 min per post)
- Develop optimal promotion cadence for future blogs (e.g Every Tuesday + Friday) and communicate expectations clearly to contributors. (15 min)
Metrics to Track:
- 10+ click-throughs from social posts back articles
- Increase spend reading blog content by 25%+
Week 8: Gather Content Ideas
Goal: Get active in groups. Look for other content ideas, and share any of your relevant content.
Core Tasks:
- When you are in other communities such as Facebook Groups, LinkedIn, or even at your local coffee shop, keep a look out for great content ideas. These might simply be a list of the common questions that people ask you when you're out and about.
- Create a list of these common questions. A spreadsheet or a document is great, but whatever format you like is ok. (15min)
- Review the list at the end of the week and select 2-3 that should be turned into great blog posts. (15min)
Metrics:
- 10+ blog post ideas (total)
- 2-3 blog topics that you'll turn into posts now
Phase 3: Review and Iterate
With a regular content schedule and initial awareness lifted, the final phase focuses on understanding how well your website is performing so you can improve it later on.
Week 9: Evaluate Site Traffic and Conversions
Goal: Audit performance data and qualitative feedback to identify improvement areas.
Core Tasks:
- Pull Google Analytics reports on overall traffic, traffic sources, popular pages and conversion metrics over the past two months. Document trends. (30 mins)
- Conduct 3 short customer interviews asking their opinion on the helpfulness of the new website and content. Identify common pain points. (30 mins)
- Compare analytics data with customer feedback and highlight pages to modify based on underperformance and irritations. (20 mins)
Metrics to Track:
- Increased overall website sessions by 25%+
- Higher engaged session durations from identified channels
- Create list of 3-5 priority pages/content to enhance
Week 10: Backlink Campaign
Goal: Drive even more traffic back to your website, via other people's websites.
Core Tasks:
- Make a list of all the websites that link to you (or should). This might include things like YellowPages, or your local business directory, or industry associations. Aim for a list of 50 websites. (30min)
- Start at the top and check that each has a link to your website. If they don't, add it. If they do, check that they are linking to the most appropriate page (may not be your homepage). (1hr a day)
- The more websites that link to yours, the more easily people can find you, and the stronger your domain authority will become. This takes time.
Metrics to Track:
- 50+ backlinks targeted
- 50% links improved
- track your website traffic over time.
Week 11: Update Website with Latest Facts
Goal: Your website has been running for almost 3 months, and you can bet that parts of it are already out of date OR the data you've gathered over the last few weeks is informing some changes.
Core Tasks:
- Select 2-3 pages that need improving, and make it happen. (30 mins)
- Review your User Flow through your website. Do you think people are using the website the way you thought? If not, make some tweaks. (1hr)
- Identify a list of 5x things that you might want to improve in the near future. (15 mins)
Metrics to Track:
- 2-3 pages improved
- Improved User Flow
- Creation of a backlog of website improvements for the future
Week 12: celebrate
Goal: It's been 3 months. It's time to celebrate.
Core Tasks:
- Make a list of all the things you love about your website. (30 mins)
- Email your database and give them a quick summary of the updates to the website since your email in Week 1. Focus on the elements that will make their life easier/better. (30min).
- Write to your website developer and update them how your website is going. (15min)
Metrics to Track:
- A list of 10+ amazing things that you love about your website
- A jump in returing visitors to your website, evident in your Google Analytics
- 1x happy website developer/agency 🤓