Your Showcase Website has now been handed over to you, and you are working through the online training course. There are a few final steps to complete before releasing your website to the world. Please review the recommended steps below to complete before pushing your site live:
Complete the Showcase Training Series – Through the Support Hub, you can watch a Training Series designed to help you learn how to navigate the content management area of your website, edit your site, and access the supporting resources available to you.
Get Familiar with Canva – Canva can be used to access a number of template imagery files for use across your site. Get comfortable with logging in, accessing the files, and making edits to the design before uploading them to your website.
Check for Lorem Ipsum Text – Your Showcase website has been handed over to you with pre-built areas ready for you to add your content, with lorem ipsum text as placeholders. This may be visible on your pages, within dropdown sections, or in pop-ups accessible via clickable links. Check your site for this placeholder text and ensure it is either removed or updated.
Check for Broken Links – Your site includes various call-to-action buttons, allowing visitors to navigate from one area of your site to another or to external URLs, such as a booking system or store. Be sure to check all of these links to ensure they direct visitors to the correct locations.
Check Social Media Links – Within the website pages and the header menu, you can display links to your social media channels. Ensure these links are directing visitors to the correct social media accounts, and update them where necessary.
Update Your Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, & Cookie Policy – Your site comes pre-loaded with recommended Terms and Conditions, a Privacy Policy, and a Cookie Policy. These pages are accessible to website visitors from the footer menu. Ensure you have edited these pages to reflect your specific policies before launching.
Test Your Contact Forms – You have a "Contact Us" page pre-built for general inquiries, as well as specific contact forms embedded on your pages. Test these forms by submitting inquiries as if you were a customer. Verify that the inquiries are received in your email inbox and that customers receive an auto-response.
Subscribe to Your Mailing List – Your website is integrated with your MailerLite account, allowing customers to subscribe to your newsletter or a specific list through the website. Test this functionality by subscribing to your mailing list via the section at the bottom of each page.
Register for Google Business – This is essential for increasing your website's visibility online. Get a FREE listing on Google so your customers can find you through search and Google Maps.
Turn Off Maintenance Mode – When handed over, your website's maintenance mode is activated to prevent users from accessing it while you're adding content and images. Once you're ready to launch, deactivate maintenance mode so visitors can access your site's pages.
By following these final steps, you'll ensure that your Showcase website is fully optimized, functional, and ready for your audience. Taking the time to check for placeholder text, broken links, and ensure key integrations like contact forms and mailing lists are working will provide a smooth experience for your visitors. Once you've completed these tasks, you’ll be ready to take your site live and start reaching your audience online with confidence.