Launch Planning
As you approach completion of the content on your site, it's time to begin thinking about setting a date for launch. These resources are designed to help you move through the launch process smoothly.
To help organize launches and reduce confusion and errors, Web Strategies is scheduling launch days regularly every other Tuesday. To find out what launch day will work for your site, use the Launch Date Calculator below.
Checklist for Launch Request
- Does your site meet the Visual Identity Guidelines?
- Are there any blank pages still on your site?
- Have your stakeholders had a chance to review all content?
- Are there any typos or grammatical problems?
- Are all your graphics created and uploaded?
- Have you identified any URLs that need to be transferred to your new site (such as anything in print or linked from another website?)
- Are there any broken links on the site?
- Are there any pages that are slow to load?
Behind the Scenes in Web Strategies
When you hand off your site for review, it becomes the responsibility of Web Strategies to go through steps for site launch. To understand more what is happening behind the scenes when you request a site launch, read through our steps below.
Three weeks before launch
- Launch Request Submitted
- Visual Identity Review begins
- Content Review begins
- Submit Webtrends request
- Submit Endeca Subsite search request
Two weeks before launch
If website passes Visual Identity Review and Content Review, an email goes out to the department that lets them know the site is going through code review and stress testing in development. If they don’t pass, then there is communication with the stakeholders and a new launch date is selected.
- Visual Identity Review Ends
- Content Review Ends
- Code Review Begins (if applicable)
- Stress Testing Begins
- Set up user with Web Analytics
One week before launch
- Code Review Ends
- Content Review Ends
- Request URL shortcut/vanity URL
- Soft launch – add anonymous read/upload to production environment
Week of launch
- Launch website (note: launches are generally scheduled for each Tuesday)
- Block access to old site
- Activate URL Rules/Block old rules
- Log site in Web Strategies Database
- Restore authoring rights to customer (launch + 3 days)
- Activate Endeca for local site search
- Implement Webtrends Analytics
One week after launch
- Create archive of the old site, then remove from server (completed by Web Team).
- Notify Web community/Outlook/Communicators group that the new site has been launched.
