3 July 2009
The things you need to know about the Launch of a new website and how to make it less traumatic

The launch of a new website always holds different feelings for me and I am shore all other designers and developers.

There is the excitement and relief that your creation that you have worked so hard on for several months is finally ready to go out into the wide world and be seen by hundreds or even millions of people. There is also fear that people won’t like what you have done however much testing and research you have carried out before hand. There is even sadness that something you have been working so close to for so long is finally finished.

The client and the clients customers also go though an array of feelings when a new site is launched.

Away to reduce these feelings and to make the transition for old to new easier is to launch a website in phases. This has several advantages for both client and designer and more importantly the clients customers.

It allows the client to spread payments over a longer period of time instead of paying one lump fee on completion. Instead a fixed monthly fee can be set up. This helps the client to budget and manage there cash flow.

It allows feedback from the clients customers to influence and enhance the next phases. This enhances the community feel to your site and makes customers feel there comments are taken on board.

It allows a more natural development and growth to a website.

It allows new ideas and technology to be easily incorporated into the next phases.

It allows the clients customers to become accustom to the new development and not worried that the companies has changed or even gone out of business.

Phase development even works for brand new websites. For example I have just launched ScreenPoster.com this website is being developed in phases. Our first phase was to get a presence on the internet so that the new product begin to build a presence as well as it being an important tool for the sales team. The second phase for the site is to add more content and at this point in time those are all the phases that have been planed.

The advantages for this website being developed in phases was time scale. The product needed to be launched earlier than the completed site could be finished due to content issues and so phase development was the best choice. Allowing the product to be sold while the second phase is being created.

Summary

Phase development has several advantages including cost spreading for the client and a more natural progression and growth of a website and the encouragement of community.

Keep Smileing

Gem
www.aarkdesign.com