Test and launch your website

Once you design and develop your website, you will have to carry out testing to make sure that it is ready to go live. These processes are known as 'implementation'. You will go through several phases during the implementation process.

Provide staff training

When you are getting your website ready for launch, you will need to train your staff on relevant procedures and maintenance tasks. You should encourage staff involvement and feedback, as staff buy-in can make or break a technology project.

Before arranging training for your staff, you should carry out a training and learning needs analysis to ensure that your training is cost-effective and worthwhile.

You should also consider setting up a cross-departmental task force to manage the implementation process. It will help with staff buy-in and help ensure the website is compatible with other business systems - for example, your accounts package or customer database.

Carry out system testing

Before putting the website live, you need to test it sufficiently. Poor testing or no testing is extremely risky. Errors that appear later can be expensive to correct - and may damage your business's reputation.

The main purpose of testing is to assess your website's:

• usability - can users complete the tasks easily
• accessibility - screen readers, keyboard navigation
• functionality - forms, payments, links
• performance - load times, especially in periods of peak traffic
• compatibility across different devices (mobile vs desktop) and browsers 

See more on best practice in web design.

Plan the launch of your website

Choose between a soft launch (to existing customers) or a full public launch. Ahead of the launch, you will also need to consider:

• How you will market the site - both offline and online?
• Who will maintain the site - will you do it in-house or outsource?
• Will your staff need any additional training to maintain the site?
• Who will manage customer feedback and any online orders?

Promote your website and engage with online customers

When you launch the site, you need to encourage existing customers to use it. Ensure that you promote the web address in your marketing material and that the website is accessible through search engines. Use search marketing techniques like search engine optimisation and pay-per-click and paid search advertising to drive traffic and raise visibility of your site.

See also how to develop a digital marketing plan.