When you’re ready to launch your website, you’re understandably impatient. You want to see your hard work go live so you can start reaping the benefits of your new or improved online presence. However, you’ll benefit significantly from spending time on conversion rate optimization (CRO) prior to launch.
CRO best practices can prove most helpful before your website ever goes live. It’s like the pre-flight checklist pilots conduct before they head for the skies. It ensures all of your website elements are in perfect condition for converting leads.
User Testing
User experience (UX) can make or break a website. If users have trouble navigating to desired pages or filling out webforms, they’ll go someplace else. Pre-launch user testing is like a test drive for your website. If users find kinks, you’ll fix them before you present the site to your prospects.
You can solicit beta users yourself or employ a user testing service. Either way, ask participants to report any bugs, broken links, confusing content, or other hazards they find as they explore the beta site.
Page Speed
Page lag can slow down conversions.
Ideally, each page on your website should load in three seconds or less. Take the time to test each page’s load speed and to earmark any laggards for further inspection. Otherwise, users will click away before they ever get to view your compelling content
There are several ways to speed up a slow web page. You might have too many images, for instance, or your images might be too large. Consider reducing the resolution so the page can appear faster. Slimming down your pages will also make them easier to process when users arrive at them.
Code Optimization
Elegant, lightweight code improves a website’s performance and makes it more user-friendly. Before you launch your website, inspect your code for any unnecessary lines, unvalidated HTML, JavaScript errors, or browser incompatibilities. Test your web forms to ensure they operate properly and that you’ve included all the code necessary for web analytics.
Additionally, make sure to test your website on as many devices as possible. Use desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile devices, and tablets — preferably with a wide range of operating systems and browsers.
Quality Assurance
After you’ve completed the above steps, give your website a final pass before launch. Using a pre-launch checklist will ensure you don’t forget to check critical elements. If possible, wrangle two or three other eyes for QA so you don’t miss anything.
During the QA stage, test all the forms and links yourself. If you find any issues, flag them for correction immediately so you don’t forget. Additionally, give the overall design another once-over. Does it reflect your brand image? Are you comfortable with the layout, colors, and other components?
Taking the time for a CRO audit can make your website’s launch more successful. You’ll be prepared to convert as many prospects as possible with the inevitably tidal wave of visitors arrives. To learn more about how to improve your website’s conversions, read our tip sheet: Top 10 CRO Tips.