The 5 most common questions we’re asked about website Go Live
Once we’ve finished all the web design and development work on your new website, the only thing that’s left for us to do is to push the button and ‘Go Live!’
We’ve been launching sites for more than 17 years now, so we know how to make the whole process go smoothly. Having said that though, we’ve noticed that certain queries can pop up particularly frequently at this stage of the process – so we’ve answered five of the most common ones below.
1. When is the best time to launch my new website?
We’ll take care to launch your site on a time and day that causes minimal disruption for your business. To do this, we monitor your web traffic well in advance, so that we can identify the busiest and quietest times of the day for you. We’ll then schedule the launch your site during one of these quieter periods, so that there’s minimal disruption to your operations and user experience.
2. How quickly will Google index my site?
According to Google, indexing your site can take Google anywhere between 4 days and 4 weeks. Now, that’s the official line, but in reality, we tend to find that the sites we build will be indexed within just a few days of their launch.
3. How long does the DNS take to propagate?
Up to 48 hours.
Not sure what a DNS is? Well, if you need a quick crash course, the DNS – or Domain Name System – is basically one of the key foundations of the modern internet. It’s often been compared to a planet-wide phone book. Put simply, it matches the names of each website with its corresponding IP address.
4. Will the switchover affect my SEO, rankings and current traffic?
The short answer is that the launch of your new site shouldn’t have any dramatic effects on your SEO of your existing one, mainly because we take great care to ensure that’s the case! We have an established set of checks we complete before and after the launch of your site, which we recently explored in more detail in this post. If you’ve already read it, you may already know that one of the most important steps in this process is the implementation of 301 redirects.
We’ll spare you the exhaustive technical detail; as the name suggests, 301 redirects basically work by redirecting your web visitors away from dead 404 pages, and towards the new, actively maintained pages. People who find themselves on a 404 page are likely to ‘bounce’ (in other words, leave and not return), so 301 redirects help to ensure that your site doesn’t lose traffic, preserving your SEO ranking.
5. How will I be able to measure web traffic?
You’ll be able to measure web traffic on your new site in exactly the same way as you probably do on your existing one – namely, with Google Analytics. As part of our standard practice here at 21Digital, we’ll also set up Google Analytics for your new site, so that you can tell how many people are visiting your site, what they’re doing, and whether they’re interacting with it in the way that you want them to. (And if that’s going to be an ongoing focus for the new site, that’s where our Conversion Rate Optimisation service can help!)
These are just a few of the most common questions that we’re regularly asked here at 21Digital. If you’ve got any further questions or you need any additional clarification, we’re only too happy to help. You can get in touch with us by giving us a call on 01254 660 560, or dropping us a line on hello@21digital.agency.
With 17 years of experience in the Home and Garden Sector, we are a multi-award-winning agency specialising in lead generation and e-commerce, with a range of digital marketing services including web design, web development, Google Ads, digital consultancy, social media marketing and email marketing.
