Back to: Web Design for All Ages
After you are done testing your site, the last step is to launch the site! This might entail removing a “coming soon” page and replacing it with the new home page of the new web site. Or, for redesigns, it might entail a url redirect that switches a domain from the old site to a new site (located in a different directory on the server). Depending upon the client and the site, there are several different ways to launch a site.
Soft Launch
In some cases, clients choose to do a “soft launch” by launching the new site live, but doing so quietly by not announcing it to the public right away. Soft launches can be helpful when testing new features and functionalities on a live production server.
In this case, as a student class project, a “soft launch” is a great way to share your site with family and friends and get feedback while you still have some time to make changes. So go ahead and tell your parents, siblings, and friends to go to your url (e.g. https://iwebstudent14.github.io) and ask for feedback. Be sure to listen closely to their comments and ask them questions for any areas of your site that you are unsure of. If possible, visit the site with them and watch them interact with the site. This is a quick and easy way to do user testing.
The sooner you launch, the sooner you’ll get feedback and the more time you will have to make any last minute changes/revisions. When you are done… the last step is to celebrate!
Final Launch
Once the site is 100% complete, tested and done, then you can share it with the world with a final (hard) launch. Companies often times do this via social media, news announcements, and other marketing and public relations venues.
In your case, as students working on student sites, consider sharing your site by submitting it to student contests and competitions. For example, for this class the instructor has set up a few fun in-house contests in various categories. Go ahead and submit your site and/or UI designs to win!
Congratulations, you just launched a website and you successfully completed this course!
Go forth and have fun designing websites!