Preparing for Launch: How to Announce a New Website
Digital is forever changing with search engine updates, website trends, new and evolving features and functionalities and so much more. This can make it challenging for your brand to maintain an attention-grabbing online presence and keep ahead of the competition. However, a redesigned website, or even a new website, can help you attract potential customers and online visitors by improving the overall performance and usability of your new website.
With the amount of time, money and effort that goes into redesigning or announcing the launch of a website, you should want to show it off to as many people as possible! Doing so in an exciting way can create more opportunities for your business that you just don’t want to miss out on. Additionally, preparing current customers, employees and team members for upcoming changes and updates to your website is critical. With all of this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of exciting ways to introduce a new website and what you need to prepare for before launch.
Examples of New Website Announcements Help Showcase Your New Design
When you’re redesigning your website, whether to modernize or rebrand, it’s a good idea to give your current and new customers a heads-up in advance and a reminder after it happens. This will prevent any confusion and can be used as a way to guide users through the new look and point out improved user experience details or key new features. The top 7 ways to announce a new website are:
- Email your subscribers
- Create a pop-up alert about your new website
- Write a blog to introduce your redesigned website
- Create a countdown
- Include a value-added promotion
- Promote on social media after the launch
- Encourage team members to share the news
Step into the spotlight with us as we unveil the ultimate playbook for announcing the launch of your website! From crafting compelling teasers to orchestrating a social media blitz, let's pave the way for your website's triumphant debut!
1. Email Subscribers About the New Website Before Launch
Using your newsletter or email list is a simple and affordable way to announce your new website. You have the freedom to create suspense with some of your most loyal brand followers and customers by letting them know in advance that they can expect something new in the future! Your email subscribers are usually a list of loyal customers you’ve had positive experiences with and built over time, and they should be the first to know about the redesigned website with an exclusive email announcement. This is bound to stir up anticipation and excitement among your audience!
When your business introduces a new website design, you should already have an idea of what will be included in your redesign so you can reveal some of the major improvements in your announcement. That way, if there are any unsatisfied users, they will know there are improvements to look forward to. As for those who are already satisfied with your current website, a new look is always exciting and this tactic will create an opportunity for your audience to pass the news on to others.
If your business is redesigning your site, pop-ups are a great way to give your regular audience something to look forward to! It will give them a teaser of the new design and leave them wanting to come back again. Plus, this website launch announcement idea is hard to miss, ensuring that current site users will receive the exciting news.
To make your pop-up alert entertaining and personalized, keep the message short and brand-related. After all, it is a pop-up and should only take a few seconds to view at most. For example, if your business provides cleaning services, you might say, “We’re freshening up our site with a new design, come back next month to see!” This puts a unique spin on your alert and gives customers something to look forward to.
One major SEO website redesign mistake our experts notice is the creation of a new landing page designated to telling users you have a new website coming. This could harm your SEO efforts unless the message is placed on your homepage. You don’t want a temporary page gaining SEO value before you launch as that will serve no purpose after the new website is live. Instead of creating a landing page, we recommend creating evergreen content that showcases your brand’s creativity and the thought process that went into redesigning the website.
3. Write a Blog to Introduce a New or Redesigned Website & Share on Social Media
In a digitally driven world, it is becoming more and more important for brands to build a “personality” so that customers and potential customers can feel connected. Allowing visitors to feel involved with your brand’s story and mission and the goals you set to reach your overall vision makes them feel valued. Unfortunately, successfully building your brand’s personality and connecting with customers through a screen can present many challenges.
A blog gives you the opportunity to explain why your website needed a more modern look, share your brand’s research and thought process for the redesign and showcase some of the new features that will aid the user experience. For many people, this may be a simple story, but creating content that discusses the details could help your users adjust to the new look, as well as help them connect with the purpose of your website redesign and your brand.
We recommend releasing a redesign or user experience (UX) blog the same day you launch your updated website. Sharing the blog on social media will help drive more users back to explore your site and can encourage your followers to share the news with others, helping you gain more traffic.
4. Use a Countdown When Announcing the Launch of a Website
We've included countdown clocks in our examples of new website announcements because if you want to add hype around the launch, a countdown clock is the way to go! You can use it to track how many days or minutes until the new site is pushed live. Having a countdown provides an exciting element of anticipation for your users and keeps them coming back to see the final product.
Our experts recommend being cautious with this approach. A soft launch, where a few people test out the website first, is usually best to work out any final pain points. This proactive approach helps ensure a seamless transition to the new design and functionalities of your website. It also provides an opportunity for customers and new users to send feedback and for you to make any necessary updates and changes before the official launch. This is also a great way to make your most loyal followers feel even more connected because they get to be a part of the process.
5. Encourage Users to Explore the New Website
Congratulations, your website is now live and ready to take on the world (of the internet)! This is where the fun begins - getting users excited to traverse your site. Getting people to visit can be as simple as creating an industry-relevant offer for users who sign up for your newsletter or take a designated action on your new or redesigned website. You could offer a discount on your services or a value-added promotion. These options entice users to not only buy your products but also interact with the new site.
Another alternative is to get creative and turn your website into a virtual scavenger hunt, then offer a gift card or small prize to those who take the time to complete the game and explore your redesigned website. For example, pick a handful of vital pages on your new site to share with users. They should be pages that help the user learn more about your brand and mission and that include exciting features or products to help convince users that they would enjoy doing business with you. If a user visits all of the pages you’ve chosen, award them with a prize.
We believe it’s important to keep the buzz going after the initial launch day so the newness of your website won’t wear off for a while. Plan to follow up a successful launch day with social posts or more email promotions weeks after the redesign goes live. This will help you sell your brand and show your users you are dedicated to making the online customer journey as convenient for them as possible. It will also keep the word about your new and improved site alive so that more potential customers, those who may have missed out on the news on launch day, hear about it and visit.
7. Ask Your Team Members to Share About the New Website
Imagine all the connections your team members have to expose your brand to new people. Whether it’s on social media, via email or through word-of-mouth, we believe having your team share the exciting news is a website launch announcement idea that will help promote your brand. Additionally, if users have any questions about the new site, team members will have the best answers for them and can help the user learn quickly. Your team can also highlight any special or new features you don’t want visitors to miss out on.
Are You in The Market For a New Website or Website Redesign?
The experts at Blue Compass can help you with your web design and development process. Whether it's creating visually stunning layouts, intuitive navigation structures, or responsive design elements, our team prioritizes delivering a website that not only looks impressive but also functions seamlessly across various devices and platforms. Our award-winning web designers, developers and digital marketers implement an SEO-first strategy to ensure your redesigned website will bring in more traffic.
Reach out to the Blue Compass team to find out how we can partner with you to launch your new and improved website!
Kevin McMurray
Kevin McMurray is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Blue Compass. He enjoys spending time with his family, cheering on Cyclones sports and leisure sports.