How to Launch a Website

Co-authored by Ryan Conway

Last Updated: October 11, 2024 Approved

Launching a website is what you need to do after you've designed and built a website (on your computer), and before you tell the world about your internet-accomplishments. This can be a tricky process if you're not very comfortable with how websites are placed and hosted on the internet, so take care to learn the right way to do it the first time.

You probably know that the content of your website is its most important aspect, but it's also very important that its intended audience are able to find it, and that visitors to your site can quickly locate the information they are seeking. It's also a good idea to check that it's thoroughly optimised to attract new visitors and track their activities.

1

Choose a domain name.

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Select and register a domain name. Choose a domain name that is brief, easy to remember, and suited to the content of your website. ^{[1]
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- Some common top-level domains include .com, .edu, .org, and .net, which stand for commercial, education, organization, and network respectively. Try to match the top-level domain to your website's purpose. However, some top-level domains have no real restrictions (such as org and com), so if the name you want is taken under one domain, it may be available in another. ^{[2]
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2

Choose a web host.

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Find, choose and purchase web hosting. Obtain a host and secure the bandwidth necessary to keep your website running smoothly, given the expected traffic. Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer you are allowed within a given time period.
- You may need to buy more bandwidth as your website grows or else your visitors may experience lag, which could drive them away from your website. Many hosts also provide software to aid you in building your website. ^{[3]
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3

Backup all your website files.

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One is kept solely on your hard drive where only you can see it and use it for editing, while the other is used by your web host and its content is viewable by anyone with access to the Internet. ^{[4]
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4

Create an easy-to-navigate site.

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If a person cannot find what they are looking for on your website within 30 seconds, there is a good chance they will leave and never return. Organizing your website into specific sections and then providing links to those sections at the top of each page is an effective and simple way to make your website easy to navigate. ^{[5]
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Expert Source

Ryan Conway
Marketing Expert

Expert Interview. 17 March 2021.} ^{[6]
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EXPERT TIP

Tyrone Showers
Technologist
Tyrone Showers is a Technologist and the Co-owner of Taliferro Group, an IT consulting company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 35 years of professional experience, he specializes in API Design, e-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, and website development. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of Technology.

Tyrone Showers
Technologist

Boost your website traffic by offering an RSS feed. This helpful tool allows your users to stay updated with your latest content. Users can subscribe directly to RSS feeds on your website or through RSS reader applications, like Flipboard, which organize RSS feeds, making your content easily accessible to more readers.

5

Validate your code.

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This ensures that your website has clean code and functions as intended for visitors. There are several programs available online that validate each type of code. ^{[7]
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6

Implement a site map.

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A site map is a collection of the various URLs comprising your website. By creating a site map, you allow search bots to find and display the essential pages of your website. ^{[8]
X
Expert Source

Ryan Conway
Marketing Expert

Expert Interview. 17 March 2021.}

7

Test your website.

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You should thoroughly test your website to confirm that your design and page structure are displayed as intended. Specifically, view your website with the most popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari, as those browsers are used by the majority of people who are browsing the Internet.

8

Use SEO-friendly code.

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Utilize both Meta and ALT tags to ensure that your website not only appears in user searches but that pertinent keywords from the content of your website are displayed. Doing so will more likely pique searchers' interests and will facilitate more visits to your website. ALT tags are merely a written description to go along with the pictures on your website, and so they are necessary to tell search engines and searchers what kind of pictures you have on your website.

9

Install website analytics.

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The statistics you'll be able to monitor include the number of visits your website receives, the amount of time visitors stay, the average number of page views for each visitor, and many other useful statistics. Making use of such software will enable you to make adjustments to the website to increase its effectiveness.

10

Transfer your website's files to your web host.

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The copy of your website on your computer is called the local version, and the copy on the web host is called the production version. Now your website's launch will be complete.

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Question

How expensive is a domain name?

Community Answer

Domain names are inexpensive if they are new and not owned by anyone else. If the domain you are looking for is already taken, the price depends on the person who has bought it, assuming they are willing to sell it.

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On average, how much does it cost to have a basic website?

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With Go Daddy I pay $1 for my domain name and $9.99 a year for privacy which protects me from hackers and the like. It's not terrible expensive.

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Can I send news on my website?

Community Answer

If you happen to possess a website of your own, you are capable of putting text contents and images of any (legal) kind on your website, including news. However, basic HTML knowledge is required for images unless you're using a website creator like Weebly or Wix.

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Regularly update your website's content. Remain diligent in maintaining and updating your website after its launch. Creating new content and updating old content will be important to encourage visitors to return. ^{[9]
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Ryan Conway
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How to Launch a Website

Steps

Choose a domain name.

Choose a web host.

Backup all your website files.

Create an easy-to-navigate site.

Validate your code.

Implement a site map.

Test your website.

Use SEO-friendly code.

Install website analytics.

Transfer your website's files to your web host.

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