You just put a lot of planning and late nights into perfecting your website. You 100% shed some tears, and after all the struggles and roadblocks (because let’s face it, there were definitely a few) today is the day — it’s LAUNCH time. You might think this was the moment it was all leading up to but I’m here to tell you, it’s just the beginning #Sorry #NotSorry.

I’d like to share my pregnancy analogy with you. If you don’t want to hear it, too bad. I’m big into oversharing so I’m sharing it anyways.

Trimester 1 | Creating Life

It begins. You and your partner are ready to start a family. Your parents are ecstatic and if you’re the first of your friends, they all think you’re crazy. This is a HUGE decision. You may have tried before but got scared when thinking of the investment and time commitment involved OR maybe life just got in the way and you had to bench the idea for a later date. This time though, this time, it stuck.

There may never be a “perfect time” to start building your website. If you’ve done the research, taken the time to think it through and still think it’s the best decision for you and your business, then go for it! This could be the moment that changes everything. So once that seed is planted, you have to start planning. Working with an agency is sort of like having two sets of grandparents, all your uncles, aunts, and your cousins all there to support you. The phrase “It takes a village” really applies here. This can be incredibly helpful in figuring out what the best strategy for your website will be.

Trimester 2 | It’s Growing

During the design and development phase of your site, you’re basically pregnant. This period of time is filled with late night food cravings, hormonal outbursts (usually around QA) and endlessly second guessing your discussion to do this in the first place. You know that thing where people pack their bags and create a hospital check list?

I repeat. DON’T. PANIC

There is a good reason for this kind of preparation. Without it, the launch process for your website could be complete chaos. Don’t panic, just make sure you’re prepared and have a checklist. If you have everything accounted for and you’ve completed all the necessary steps you’ll have a much smoother, stress free launch.

Trimester 3 | PUSH…the Button ( just kidding — we don’t just push a button to go live)

Launch day comes around and you’ve just given birth to your site. Congrats! It’s a healthy bundle of sleek modern design and best practises! You look at your site and instantly all your doubts go out the window as you immediately fall in love. It’s. PERFECT.

Is my analogy weird? Yes, probably, but at the same time it makes total sense (at least to me anyway). You don’t just give birth to a baby and call it a day so why do the same for your website? It needs you and your attention now more than ever. In order to see a good return on your investment, it is essential you continue to shower your site with attention. Not only will this help keep your googling ranking high but it’s important to stay relevant and provide additional value to your visitors.

As the primary caregiver you should know how to do most of these updates yourself. However, as your parent will probably tell you, everyone needs a little help from time to time and there’s no shame in asking. That’s where an agency comes in. Some updates you just shouldn’t do on your own. So let them know you need help and a good agency will be there for you.

To further prepare you, Nuscreen will also be posting a blog tomorrow. There will be additional tips and checklists which you can use to customize your own site launch.