5 Website Pre-Launch Questions
If you are designing a website yourself or working with a designer, it’s important to stay on track with your website strategy, goals, and always be thinking about the user experience.
A website design project is not a simple task, so before you launch, it’s best to circle back with these 5 questions:
1. Is it easy for people to find important information?
This might sound like an obvious question, but sometimes, the answer to simple questions can get lost in detailed content. Always refer back to your website strategy and the goals of your content. What questions is your audience trying to find and are you being quick with your answers?
Pro Tip: Can users find the answers to their questions by skim reading your content? Most people ready website content will skim-read the website headers and sub-headers before reading paragraph text
Pro Tip: Have someone test out your website before you launch. Give a user a few tasks and ask them about their experience. Ideally, you would like someone who falls into your target audience category. Don’t forget to test the readability of your content on desktop, mobile and tablet.
2. Is it easy for people to join your mailing list?
If you are collecting sign-up information from new users, is an email sign up form easy to find? In most cases, users are going to join your mailing list because you are offering something that they want, whether that be a freebie, event updates, content notifications, discount codes, etc.
The easier it is for users to sign up, the more sign ups you’ll receive.
✳ A common location for an email sign up form is in the Footer.
Important: If you have prompted users to sign up with a pop-up, know that they might not want to commit to signing up right at that moment. Make sure there is another way for them to sign up if they miss the website pop-up.
3. Is it easy for people to contact you?
Whether you are a service based business or e-commerce, always make sure it’s easy for users to contact you. This could be to inquire about a service, ask questions, or other customer service options.
Pro Tip: If you are worried about time-consuming inquiries, set up custom contact forms for different inquiry types (i.e refund form, event booking form, bulk order form, etc.)
4. Is the layout of your text/copy on each page scannable (easily readable)?
As mentioned in the first question, most website users will read headings and subheadings before paragraph text. Use the heading/subheadings or your website to draw the reader’s attention to more important information.
Important: Be careful not to overdue the use of headings/subheadings. The use of larger text is meant to catch the reader’s attention when they are scanning your website.
5. Are you answering the right questions?
Are all the stress of designing the website and writing the content, have you spent the time researching and getting to know your target audience (this exercise would have been done during the website strategy process).
✳ Do you know what questions your audience is asking?
✳ What information about your product or service is your audience looking for?
✳ Is the language used in your copy familiar to your target reader?
✳ Are you telling your audience what problem you are solving for them?
