I have launched a lot of websites in my career. When I worked for a local marketing agency, I was usually the one who drew the assignment to launch a site. Just being honest, I welcomed the opportunity to be part of a team in this part of the job.
I never had to launch a website by myself. One person pointed the domains, one person moved the site from one server to the other, I executed the post-launch checklist, and that was after executing the pre-launch checklist.
I didn’t usually miss anything, but once in a while, we will have to do some cleaning up afterward. One time, I forgot to deselect the check in the WordPress admin area telling search engine robots to ignore. It cost us some time getting the website indexed. Lesson learned.
What have you missed while launching a website? Do you launch a site using a team or do you launch a website solo?
What kind of process do you go through getting a website launched? It is all part of project management. Having a list of things to check off when we are executing a project is vital, especially in a team environment.
Today we are going to take a look at a few checklists that you can use in your business including WordPress maintenance checklists.
If you really like checklists, then you might be like this lady.
Google Analytics checklists
I really hadn’t thought about a checklist for Google Analytics, but it is so important. Just setting up a Google Analytics account in an agency setting can be complex. We had to figure out how to cram over 200 sites on to our accounts.
Once you figure out your process, then writing them down in detailed instructions is necessary for the next person.
The Google Analytics Setup Checklist from ClickInsight helps with this process. The checklist has the necessary steps to set up Google Analytics for your client.
Google Analytics Setup Checklist
Your company may not do all of these tasks, but it is a great place to begin documenting what it is you do.
Now, what if you are evaluating your client’s Google Analytics? Maybe the client is new to you and you need to see where they are using the software. Well, Distilled has created a checklist to do just that.
The Google Analytics Audit Checklist
Once you have set up your analytics, know and improve the tool for your business, the next step might be to audit your website content.
Content Audit Checklist
There are dozens of content audit checklists on the interwebs. There may be more than dozens. Everyone has a different way to accomplish the task and it often includes spreadsheets. If you are spreadsheet junkie, you will be in heaven.
Ryan Steward at WEBRIS posts a checklist that is more about cleaning up bad content. The great thing about this process is it includes more than your blog content.
Stewart answers the question of why clean up bad content when he says, “Because having dated, irrelevant and flat out bad content can negatively impact your SEO.”
The team at WEBRIS takes you through the process and offers a template (for an email) that can help you with the process.
[FREE TEMPLATE] Step By Step Content Audit Guide
Digital Marketing Institute displays one of the most comprehensive process analysis I have found. The article does a great job of explaining what you should audit as well as the tools to use.
Content Audit Checklist: Templates & Guidelines for Your Next Audit
Curata has a similar post with similar items. They give an example of your report and the items that should be included.
How to Conduct a Content Audit [Template]
Launching website checklists
Launching a website includes a lot of moving parts. It really is best to have a list and know what needs to be done so that you don’t miss anything crucial. We had a master checklist for our launches and I’m sure you do as well.
Jamie Spencer from Make a website Hub has a great infographic that includes many of the tasks for a checklist a new website. While his audience is more for beginners, the checklist contains some great tasks for anyone with a new website.
2018 WordPress Website Checklist for Launching a New Website
Orbit Media has a fantastic checklist with over 55 items. Owner Co-Founder Andy Crestodina points out in the article that this is actually a master checklist containing more than one.
https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/website-launch-checklist/
WordPress Maintenance Checklist
WordPress maintenance is something we all do whether you do it for your own websites, for your clients’ websites, or you run a maintenance business. It is important to keep a list of tasks to keep these sites up to date. It helps to have your own WordPress maintenance checklist.
Forgetting to do a task can cause lots of problems. A maintenance checklist that you follow every time creates a systematized process that anyone in your company can do.
Therefore, putting together a checklist is crucial. When you think about finding the core of tasks, this list by WP Beginner will get you moving in the right direction.
13 Crucial WordPress Maintenance Tasks to Perform Regularly
Sitepoint teamed up with SiteGround to post this checklist. The checklist is broken into sections based on how often the tasks should be checked.
Your Regular WordPress Maintenance Checklist
If you think you need a visual representation of a maintenance checklist, then this infographic by Big Rock Coupon might be for you. In all, the infographic lists 51 tasks in an easy to digest manner.
WordPress Website Maintenance Checklist (Infographic) – 50+ Essential Tips & Practices
Maintaining your WordPress maintenance checklist will create the process and stability you need for your websites.
Wrapping it up
Checklists keep us on track and help us avoid missing crucial tasks. They also help us establish a system and allow us to scale our business by adding help. What checklists do you use in your WordPress business?
A maintenance checklist goes a long way to helping us keep our websites up to date and running optimally. Thankfully, you can use MainWP to create an even more systematized approach to your business. MainWP will help reduce the time you spend on executing that maintenance checklist.
Why not get started today?
1 thought on “Checklists you can use to run your WordPress design business including a WordPress maintenance checklist”
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