New Website Pre-Launch Action Plan
Before you start the 'load' phase of your new website you may find this Action Plan useful. It contains invaluable tips on what documentation/images will be needed to ensure that the loading of your site occurs as smoothly and as quickly as possible and ultimately so that you can get your site LIVE. Alternatively you may wish to print it so that you can refer to it as you are collating your information. Familiarise yourself with your Zeald website and watch the 'Content Loading' training videos.
The Zeald Website Management software works on most major web browsers, however it works best with the web browser Mozilla Firefox. You can browse faster, more safely and more efficiently with Mozilla Firefox than any other browser. You can download Mozilla Firefox from www.mozilla.com.
The Zeald Management software system has been designed in a very user-friendly way. We actively encourage customers to load and update your content regularly in a 'self-service' or DIY website model. If you are finding that the help files and videos are not making sense or you have questions about them, please give our Support Team a call. They are here to help you with any issues. However we do recognise that your situation may be different and that you may require extra support from one of our trained Website Administrators. This Website Administration is ideal if you are stretched for time for instance, and can be an invaluable service in terms of time and cost efficiency. We are more than happy to organise this for you but it is important to note that there is an additional charge for such services. Please refer to the Zeald Online Store for more information on what Website Administration is or to order Website Administration, Copy Writing or Bulk Import Loading.
You will find it useful to have your original Web Plan which you completed with a Zeald Website Results Specialist to refer to, so if you are unclear about the contents please discuss this with them before completing this.
Once you have completed this Plan you should have a better understanding of what is needed to launch your site. It may now be apparent that there are matters that need addressing or which you require further assistance with. Zeald do have a comprehensive library of Help files online and telephone/Live Chat support however please let Zeald Support know if you need any more help.
We just wanted to remind you that the monthly charges on your website will be kicking in soon whether your website is live or not. So get as much value as possible by getting this done as quickly as possible! Always keep in mind you don't need to get your website perfect. Focus on the areas of most importance and when you have something better than you have already you are good to go public.
If you have already purchased Website Administration from Zeald the contents of this Plan will form the basis for the first discussion you have with your Website Administrator. It is therefore important that you consider each section carefully before this meeting is scheduled and prepare the necessary documentation as this will ultimately save time.
The Zeald Website Management software works on most major web browsers, however it works best with the web browser Mozilla Firefox. You can browse faster, more safely and more efficiently with Mozilla Firefox than any other browser. You can download Mozilla Firefox from www.mozilla.com.
The Zeald Management software system has been designed in a very user-friendly way. We actively encourage customers to load and update your content regularly in a 'self-service' or DIY website model. If you are finding that the help files and videos are not making sense or you have questions about them, please give our Support Team a call. They are here to help you with any issues. However we do recognise that your situation may be different and that you may require extra support from one of our trained Website Administrators. This Website Administration is ideal if you are stretched for time for instance, and can be an invaluable service in terms of time and cost efficiency. We are more than happy to organise this for you but it is important to note that there is an additional charge for such services. Please refer to the Zeald Online Store for more information on what Website Administration is or to order Website Administration, Copy Writing or Bulk Import Loading.
You will find it useful to have your original Web Plan which you completed with a Zeald Website Results Specialist to refer to, so if you are unclear about the contents please discuss this with them before completing this.
CONTENT |
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| Go through the Site Map which was created in your original Web Plan document (this should form the basis of ALL the pages/products on your site which you will need to load with Content). | |
| Do you have an existing website from which you will copy documentation and images? If so decide which pages you are going to replicate and which pages they will map to on the new site? You will need to redirect old website links to new pages as a matter of priority just before you launch. If you have purchased Zeald Website Administration, your Website Administrator will assist you with this. | |
| Before any copy is written for your site you need to look at the keyword phrases searchers will use to 'discover' your site through the search engines. Your web copy together with the site's navigation and structure will need to include those keyword phrases. You will also need these keyword phrases when you are adding meta data to each of the pages (see later in document). More information on keyword research Read about how to optimise your web page content |
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If you have already written copy are you satisfied that any reader will be able to grasp in the first 5 seconds -
You should also look to build trust and add some incentive......but focus on the basics first. Trust and credibility can be the inclusion of Testimonials from existing happy customers, adding that you are a member of professional body or including logos from Business Partners for example. If you have answered no to some of these points then perhaps a review of your copy is needed. Do you require further assistance with this from Zeald? We have extensive help files on Content Creation or Website Administrators and Professional Web Copy Writers depending on your assessment. |
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| Collate as much actual website content as possible to load onto the site. If you have purchased either Website Administration or Bulk Upload electronic copies are by far the most effective and time efficient form of content. They will need to be provided in a Word.doc.format | |
| Have you thought where on the Content Pages (this is not relevant for product pages) an image will appear? What sizes will they be? Please refer to the Images Help documentation | |
| If you have purchased the Copywriting Product, has this been completed and reviewed? | |
| If you have purchased Website Administration they will contact you when your site is being designed. If you are writing your own copy then the Website Administrators can assist you in optimising that copy to ensure that it is search engine-friendly and that the copy is structured in a customer-focused way as writing copy for the web requires different writing techniques to hard copy. If your site is particularly large may want to decide what pages you will require them to upload? We suggest using your Website Administrator to load those pages which are more complex – eg Home Page or those with forms or tables. | |
| How will Headings/ Bullet Points/ Sub-headings/ Paragraphs/ Capitalisation be addressed throughout the site? Content pages can easily be templated on the Zeald system using the Rich Text Editor. |
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| How will Pages be linked ie pop up page/in existing page or new window? Consistency throughout the site is advised. For linking pages within the site we would recommend using the 'in existing window' option. To link to other websites consider using the Pop-up or new windows. Refer to the Links Help file | |
IMAGES |
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| Do you have all the images to be used on your site in a jpeg/gif format? More information on using images | |
| Do you have a list of all the images to be used on the site/linked to content and/or products? | |
| How have you named the images? (note: Image searches are becoming popular suggest name_name.jpg format rather than 0001.jpg). | |
| Are you using Stock Photography? If so, have you purchased the images? you will need to ensure before you go live that all images with watermarks are removed for copywrite purposes and replaced with those that have been purchased under the appropriate license. | |
| Have you used a professional Photography service or are you using in-house team? If you are producing your own images consider file size/optimisation and download speed issues. Do you require any additional training in preparing images or using graphics packages from a Website Administrator? | |
| If you have a large catalogue to upload you may wish to consider importing your images via the Automated Batch Image Upload method. IF you decide to do this please note in the help files how you name your images. PLEASE NOTE: Automated Batch Image Upload via a spreadsheet does not include any 'additional images' for products other than a thumbnail, main product image and a large image. If you envisage needing 'additional images' this can be purchased separately as a standard customisation. | |
ITEM PAGES (PRODUCTS)PLEASE NOTE: THIS SECTION DOES NOT RELATE TO E-PROFILE OR E-PROMOTION SITES |
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| For your products you will need the following information: a complete list of SKUs, Prices, Options (such as size/colour variations), Descriptions and Images together with any price promotions and stock inventory if applicable? More information on Item Pages | |
| How will Headings/Bullet Points/ Subheadings/ Paragraphs/ Capitalisation/ SKUS be addressed? | |
| How do you envisage supporting documentation/PDFS to be linked ie pop up page/in existing page or new window? Read further information on Uploading Documents | |
| Do you require further assistance in the upload of your products from a Zeald Website Administrator? | |
| If you have a large number of products you may wish to import the information via a spreadsheet. If so refer to the Import/Export Documents from Excel documentation for more clarification. If you are using Website Administration then please ensure that you have all the information to hand before you pass it onto them. PLEASE NOTE: The Standard Bulk Upload file manager cannot accommodate any Product Options. To enable product options to be imported via a csv or excel spreadsheet will require extensive customisation. If you have a small number of Products with options these can be added separately after the Products have been uploaded. However for customers with an extensive catalogue of products customisation or integration with third party software may be more appropriate. Any customisation requested does involve additional costs and requires a separate quotation before they are embarked on. Contact us for more details on Customisation. | |
| How will you present your Products on the site? These can include style issues such as whether you want to display your SKU's to your customers, whether you want your prices to be hidden and to show 'enquire now' instead, whether you want your products to show GST and all these variables can be set up under Preferences>General>Product Display to be applied across the site. | |
| Have you considered Pricing? Will discounts be offered to individuals customers or set for larger customer groups for instance? You may have special promotions or you may have purchased the coupon/loyalty points add-on. Read more about the variety of Pricing Options that are available to you. If you are trading with International customers and you have purchased the Multi-currency add-on here is how to set up products with multi-currency | |
SEO |
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| Do you have a clear understanding about the SEO components located on each page in the site? | |
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| The SEO Components of the HOME PAGE are located in the 'Standard Pages' menu found in Content Tab>Content Tree. By clicking the + sign at the left of Standard Pages it displays a list of pages >Home Page>Edit Page. It is here that you enter the Home Page SEO information. Due to the importance of the Home Page is it vital that you do not leave these blank. | |
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| Do you require further guidance on SEO elements of your site with a Zeald Website Administrator? You will need to require to the Keyword analysis your Website Results Specialist provided in the Web Plan | |
PREFERENCES |
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| It is best to consider your website preferences for shipping methods, membership/groups, accepted payment methods, default Email addresses, Tax etc these can be set up in the Preferences Tab. More information on Preferences | |
ContactsYou may need to consider setting up different email addresses for different services that you provide. This can be done through the Contact Preferences under Preferences Tab>General. Zeald do offer various mail box products including mail forwarding services together with Registration of your Domain Name.
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ShippingIf you have an Ecommerce or B2B site Delivery and Shipping Preferences need to be set up. eg: Do you want to offer free shipping, have a flat postal rate for New Zealand and another for overseas, will your shipping be based on the weight of your shipment or on its value or even on the number of items in the shopping cart irrespective of value? If you use 'drop shipping' from other companies you will have to consider this aspect very carefully indeed before you go live. The Shipping Editor can be found under Preferences Tab>Delivery Tab> or Under the Preferences Tab>General>Delivery>Shipping Editor.
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Tax/GSTIf you have an E-Commerce or B2B site and you ship internationally you will not have to charge GST. You can change the Tax levied on products using the Tax Configuration Set up Tax Tab in the Preferences. You will also have to decide on whether products will display prices Inclusive or exclusive of GST. (For instance B2B customers will need to show prices Net of GST so that when an invoice is produced the GST element is shown separately). This is handled under Preferences>General>Product Display.
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Product DisplayRefer to the earlier section on Products for Product Display Preferences.
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| Most search engines offer various versions of a free web analytics tool offering detailed visitor statistics for your site (Google Analytics for instance). In order for this to be able to function correctly additional coding (which the search engines provide) would need to be pasted into your site. This code is inserted into the Preferences>Content Page- take a look at the Inserting Google Code demo. However, recent upgrades to the Reports section of your website manager means that Zeald now provides a comparable summary of data to help you measure the performance of you website automatically. | |
MembershipMembers are basically visitors who have registered on you site. You can set the preferences that pertain to Members under Preferences>Membership. Refer to this Membership help file. You can also import an existing customer list from an excel spreadsheet and assign members to a Group which can then be used for email marketing purposes or for setting different prices level for various groups. For further information on Setting up Customers and Groups read more
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PaymentsWhen setting up an E-commerce or B2B website you need to decide exactly what methods of payment you are going to provide your customers with. The most common form of payment on a website is a credit card, but there are a number of other payment options. These can be set up under Preferences>Payment.
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Website AdministratorsIt may be necessary for a number of staff to have access to the website. You can give all administrators the same username and password however you may prefer to assign different ones. To create a new user or to edit/delete a user Select Preferences>Website Administrators Tab.
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Once you have completed this Plan you should have a better understanding of what is needed to launch your site. It may now be apparent that there are matters that need addressing or which you require further assistance with. Zeald do have a comprehensive library of Help files online and telephone/Live Chat support however please let Zeald Support know if you need any more help.
We just wanted to remind you that the monthly charges on your website will be kicking in soon whether your website is live or not. So get as much value as possible by getting this done as quickly as possible! Always keep in mind you don't need to get your website perfect. Focus on the areas of most importance and when you have something better than you have already you are good to go public.
If you have already purchased Website Administration from Zeald the contents of this Plan will form the basis for the first discussion you have with your Website Administrator. It is therefore important that you consider each section carefully before this meeting is scheduled and prepare the necessary documentation as this will ultimately save time.
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