The Keys to Launching a Successful Web Project

I listened to a podcast recently (which is alsot available as a webinar) that gave a great overview of things to consider when embarking on launching a new web project. The podcast (or webinar), Matt Report’s Startup Platform Episode 1, definitely is worth a listen to learn about or get a refresher on some key elements of a successful web launch. I especially liked the emphasis on:

• Content is king. Before engaging with a designer or developer (if you’re going that route), you should already be working on prepping the content for your site.
• Know your audience. Build a site based on your target customer’s needs.
• Headlines are important. It’s worth spending some time to make your site headlines (which will become your h1, h2, etc.) fit your business. The headlines are what pull in your visitors, and bland ones (or using what your competitors are using) will not help your business grow.
• It’s ok to start slow. This podcast discussed how a business could start with a simple site (Ex. a basic WordPress site or blog) and then see how their following grows go before investing in a more custom site. It often makes sense to see if there is a market for the product or service offering, for example, before investing more time and money on the site.
• Measure your results. Some good tools were mentioned for evaluating a site’s performance (business-wise), including Google Analytics and Crazy Egg.

The slides for this podcast are also available on Slideshare.