Website go-live strategy
Discussion
Evening all,
A question regarding go live strategies fro websites.
I have benn building my website over the last 6 weeks or so and it's probaboy about 50-60% complete in terms of the products/services.
If I wait unti every page is complete, it will probably take me until the end of November at the earliest to get it 100% ready.
The navigation, core components, front page, overall message, coprorate brand and style is all there, it's the specific content on what are subjects that are time consuming and tricky to write.
So, my question is this - and some honest feedback would be gratefully received:
What kind of message does it send out when you have a website where for example some of the links are active and some are not?
So for example, say your services are A B C D E and you have specific pages for A B and C but not D and E. Does it create a negative impression of the site if not all hte pages are clickable?
On the other hand I also understand that search engines give higher rankings to sites that contnually add new content.
I am in a quandry as to what to do.
Cheers
A question regarding go live strategies fro websites.
I have benn building my website over the last 6 weeks or so and it's probaboy about 50-60% complete in terms of the products/services.
If I wait unti every page is complete, it will probably take me until the end of November at the earliest to get it 100% ready.
The navigation, core components, front page, overall message, coprorate brand and style is all there, it's the specific content on what are subjects that are time consuming and tricky to write.
So, my question is this - and some honest feedback would be gratefully received:
What kind of message does it send out when you have a website where for example some of the links are active and some are not?
So for example, say your services are A B C D E and you have specific pages for A B and C but not D and E. Does it create a negative impression of the site if not all hte pages are clickable?
On the other hand I also understand that search engines give higher rankings to sites that contnually add new content.
I am in a quandry as to what to do.
Cheers
100% complete or forget it.
Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
V8mate said:
100% complete or forget it.
Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
I have to design and write it myself. The material is simply too personal to let someone else write it - not beacause of a sense of ownership, just that the company message and content are so specific to me.Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
drivin_me_nuts said:
V8mate said:
100% complete or forget it.
Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
I have to design and write it myself. The material is simply too personal to let someone else write it - not beacause of a sense of ownership, just that the company message and content are so specific to me.Assuming your are properly 'launching' it, you will get one crack at a whole pile of customers who may only give you one opportunity to impress.
Can you not get any help finishing the site? Is any of the work simply administrative stuff, e.g. uploading info/pics into a database/online catalogue? If it is, and the Christmas market is crucial, it'll be well worth paying a temp for a couple of weeks.
ukvoyager.info said:
You could always launch it with the content you have? But the content must be 100% finished and don't show any links to any unfinished content.
What I was going to say.Then again, if it is related to your therapy business, you could leave broken links in to get people annoyed... it's kinda drumming up business.
ukvoyager.info said:
You could always launch it with the content you have? But the content must be 100% finished and don't show any links to any unfinished content.
I totally agree with this. I do this for a living (I have my own website development company) and now way would I have broken links on a live site.If you want to get it out there asap then if you must stagger content. Dont under any circumstances have "coming soon" or "under contruction"...just looks amateur and unprofessional and people won't come back. You dont get many chances with fickle web users!
You don't have to have broken links. Just remove the broken links from the navigation, and only add them when the content is ready for the new pages, as and when they are ready.
Either way, make sure it hangs together and has a proper feel of a complete site. If you can't achieve that with the incomplete content, then you are damaging your brand, so wait until it's all ready before launching.
Either way, make sure it hangs together and has a proper feel of a complete site. If you can't achieve that with the incomplete content, then you are damaging your brand, so wait until it's all ready before launching.
I would suggest placing the site live and adapting the navigation to a 'coming soon' style page* for those areas that are not complete.
It takes months / years to be established in search engines, so the sooner you have relevant content up and linked to the better.
It takes months / years to be established in search engines, so the sooner you have relevant content up and linked to the better.
- Make this page useful, ie. 'we are building this site and it will be complete by $date. If you have any queries please ring Bob on $number' etc.
shadowninja said:
ukvoyager.info said:
You could always launch it with the content you have? But the content must be 100% finished and don't show any links to any unfinished content.
What I was going to say.Then again, if it is related to your therapy business, you could leave broken links in to get people annoyed... it's kinda drumming up business.
"404 - Page not found, you must have done something wrong, how do you feel?"
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