Announcement of New Website: Best Practices for Launching Your Company’s Next Big Thing
The time has finally come to send the all-important “announcement of new website” message and release your work to the public. This is a huge step for most business owners, and it can help lead you to increased revenue and more customers in the future.
If you’re looking to take your company’s online presence from average Joe to rockstar, then the launch of your new website is not something that should be taken lightly. While there are plenty of options for making this transition seamlessly with such services as blogging and tweeting, most people don’t realize what steps need to be taken beforehand in order to ensure success on day one (or month two).
If you are looking for help with launching your website, see our 10 Steps for Successfully Launching New Websites blog post, where we share our top tips.
Here at Sanders Design, we know all too well that launching can feel like an overwhelming challenge. That’s why I decided it was time to share our top tips for ensuring a successful launch every single time.
Do you need to make a launch announcement for your new website?
A launch announcement is a perfect way of advertising your business and making everyone aware of any changes to your web address. This lets current customers and new friends know where they can find you on their devices any time they’re in need of your services or products.
The time is right to pique your audience’s interest in sharing with you how your new website relates to them. In addition, the launch of a new website can begin conversations about past work as well as present opportunities that may benefit from reconnecting.
What does the new website mean for visitors in terms of how they can interact with it – what sort of features have been added, will there be more information about their favourite services etc.
These are all questions you can answer with a new website announcement. When crafting your message, the inclusion of important information will help keep your customers reassured and introduce you to new opportunities.
When should you announce the launch of your new website?
When you are busy creating your new website, it is easy to forget that your work will soon become open for public feedback. For this reason, it is essential to consider how you want your new site announced and by who.
A well-crafted announcement can help build excitement, and interest in the website’s content as an integral part of a much larger strategy for engaging with customers online. It is also advisable that if possible this work should be done before reaching out proactively rather than reactively after the changes.
To build excitement and ensure that no one is caught unawares, it is best to plan ahead and build the announcement’s content, including a release date before launch – be careful not too far in advance.
What is a website soft launch?
Launch day is a significant event and one that you should not take lightly.
How do you want to approach it? Do you want to make a big splash on day one or release the site with smaller announcements like restaurants often do for soft openings first before making your grand debut! No matter how hard designers and developers work, there will always be errors in a great website, which is why we recommend small releases at first before releasing them widely and making it a big new event.
The work doesn’t stop with launching the site. Once it’s public, you’ll want to be able to monitor traffic metrics so you can change features as appropriate.
When the website has been tested in the public domain as part of a soft launch, now could be the time to launch a new campaign and announce the website with gusto!
Should you announce all changes on your website?
Your website should be a congruent representation of your company. What you change on the site should be in line with what is happening offline and online -your brand voice needs to remain consistent across all channels.
This means that it is highly likely that a business will regularly add new content and features to your website. When making minor changes, your visitors should generally not notice any significant changes or distractions when using your site.
For bigger changes, it is best to take time and plan before rolling out the new site. You need to know how a change will impact your audience and if they’ll like the updated version or not.
When creating your website announcement, make sure to focus on your new website’s benefits, where you hope visitors will stay with you and become loyal customers. This may include booking pages, product searches or any area requiring customer logins.
Is the launch of a new website newsworthy?
With so many websites launched every day and the internet’s popularity, launching a new site is now easier than ever. But with over 576,000 sites launched every day, people may not notice your fresh website launch.
This is why your new website announcement should focus on your business mission and how you deliver on your vision. The launch of a new website should come second to your business’s success and impact on the community.
People visit your website for the content and ideas behind it. If you’re a charity, use the new website announcement as your opportunity to tell people about your story. If you run a business, release your announcement of a new website during an anniversary or service/product launch.
When you have a new website launch, it is crucial to make sure your press release is exciting and entertaining. One way of doing this is by using the launch as an opportunity to form partnerships with local organisations or sports teams, such as becoming a sponsor for them or releasing a promotional offer through your site.
Should you write a blog post about your new website?
Your company blog is a great place to announce your company’s news. Your blog post will be the perfect opportunity for you and potential customers, clients or partners alike a chance at reading about what has been accomplished in your business.
You could use this as an avenue because blogs are great places where people can find out information about your new business services or products and somewhere where you should be providing valuable content that your customers find helpful.
Should I send an announcement email when launching my new website?
Email marketing is a great way to increase customer engagement. If you don’t already have a mailing list for your business, now would be the perfect time to create one.
One tried-and-true way to drive customers and potential clients back into engagement with your website or company via a newsletter is by announcing the launch of something new.
Your announcement of a new website is a perfect opportunity to provide your email subscribers with a bit of insider information on what’s coming up next. Build up your subscribers’ anticipation for a new website, so they’re more likely to click through to it.
If you have a newsletter sign-up form, don’t forget to include the launch of your new website as an opportunity for those who aren’t subscribed yet but may be interested in what’s next from their favourite company or organisation.
Should I tell people about my new website on social media?
Having a social following is one of the best ways to get your message out, and it’s an excellent place for you, as an organisation or business owner, with something new coming up on its way.
It’s essential to use the right words and images when making announcements about a new website. Use fun, friendly text that includes the keyword “new website” and align it with something exciting like a new product, service or offer.
It’s time to get creative with how you’re communicating your new website’s launch and make it fun for people who are already following along on social media.
When launching a new website, make sure that you use phrases and hashtags relevant to your followers and potential customers. Try to include the keywords “new website” in your posts, company slogan, caption or video.
Keeping your tonality and images friendly will ensure that people are excited to hear about your new website. Remember, this is exciting news, not a time to get serious and formal.
As you start to plan your launch, make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for people outside the organisation who have helped with this project in some way to be recognised on social media as well – not just employees! This will show them how valued they were, which also encourages their future participation or word-of-mouth recommendations when increasing your referral network.
What if customers don’t like my new website?
It’s always unfortunate when a new website is met with negative feedback, but it needs to be expected. Not all customers will understand your vision or see a need for change.
With any change within a business, there is always a risk of rejection. However, this can be even more so with the launch and redesign (or rebranding) of an online presence like your website which customers are far less likely to have been exposed to before.
Once someone becomes familiar with your website, they may tend to use certain features more often. When a new design rolls out, you risk getting people’s rejection without giving them much time to adjust.
It is essential for marketers or business owners to launch their next big project to understand the dangers and provide a website launch announcement that answers these questions and provides a clear upsell.
Customers can’t find content, or if a service fails to deliver the results they are looking for, it would be best to make a clear offer of what to expect from the new website and how they can receive it.
The best way for you or your marketing team is to reassure customers that their needs will still be met, but in an incredible new experience that includes all these changes and some extras.
People should be respectful of feedback, but remember that not everyone will like your new website. All customers must understand this and know how to direct their feedback, so it doesn’t frustrate or course any delays.
This is your opportunity to create a positive feedback loop and ask for input on what you can do to make the experience better.
Where else should I make my announcement of the new website?
In all its glory and variety, the internet is the perfect way to share your big news. But you need more than just Facebook or LinkedIn – today’s world revolves around finding ways of getting people interested by using every outlet available.
You have an audience who will want to hear about what makes them tick daily. Social media can be used for that too. If they love podcasts, then why not start making one focused entirely on this announcement or update.
The key here is knowing exactly where your target demographic spends their time online, so find out how best to reach them through social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. There are endless possibilities when it comes down to sharing information with others.
Share your award-winning website launch announcement if you are guest blogging with a famous blogger in your niche or being interviewed on a podcast.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for announcing the launch of your website, but there are plenty out there that will work! You just need patience in finding what is best because you’ll have an eye on when people respond positively or need support.
Grow your business network to help spread the word about your new website but remember to give more help than you take.
Marketing teams often prepare for feedback that’s good or bad, but they must also be prepared for the extra feedback that’s created.
Conclusion
A website launch can be an exciting time for any business. It opens up your business to more possibilities and has the power to keep current customers satisfied. Make sure you announce this new project in a way that keeps your customers happy and excited!
If you would like help in delivering a new website that your customer will love, contact us today. We can make sure your messages get delivered in the best way possible.
