Launching a new website can be amazing and challenging all at the same time. Even if you've launched websites in the past, each new launch is different, and while you may have learned a lot, there is always something that sneaks in under the radar that you've overlooked.

Before we launch into some mistakes you can avoid, here is a quick reference in terms of some helpful resources referenced in this article: (Some of these are affiliate links).

• Webhosting: BLUEHOST (we have a great discount for you!)
• Email Marketing and Landing Pages that Convert: LEADPAGES 
• Email Marketing and List Building: CONVERTKIT
• Website Security and Monitoring: SUCURI
• Websites without coding: WIX
• Web Analytics: Google Analytics 
• Online Advertising: Google Adwords
• Social Media Scheduling: Buffer App
• Website User-testing: Usertesting.com 
• Build Online Courses or Membership Groups: KAJABI

1. Lack of Focus and Clarity

When starting a website, many people try to throw everything at it but the kitchen sink! One website to rule them all! When your offering isn't clear, it's confusing and cumbersome for someone who wants a simple solution to a single problem.

Your website needs to be organized and focused. Even if you have a lot to offer, you have to figure out a way not to overwhelm a first-time visitor. This can be challenging.

Try to narrow your website down to 3 to 5 core offerings and then make sure that the journey and experience once they choose an offering doesn't require more than 1-3 clicks to get everything they'd need.

2. No Marketing Plan or Monetization Strategy 

When building a website, you should consider how the website is going to get traffic in the first place, but also whether the website is supposed to be profitable and how it will generate revenue. Not having a marketing plan, or considering things like email marketing and list building and how that will fit into the design and functionality of the website, is a common problem, that causes too many people to have to start all over again.

In terms of generating traffic, if you are monetizing with a product or service, consider paid advertising with Google Adwords. Even a modest paid media spend can go a long way if your goal is getting more sales. You don't want to point those ads at a generic page on your website, you'll need a dedicated landing page optimized for the ad and the sale.

For landing pages that convert we use LeadPages and recommend them to our audience.

When you want organic traffic, search engines and social media are the answer, and that is going to mean content marketing such as blog post. Those blog post optimized for search engines will help you with inbound marketing. If you want a solid web hosting company for WordPress Blogs, Bluehost is one we recommend and they provide our readers a discount.

You can also distribute your content in Social Media and sites like Facebook and Twitter or even LinkedIn. To help automate and schedule this we recommend an app called Buffer.

Once you have traffic, you need to capitalize on that traffic by growing your email list. Content Marketing will certainly help with this but you can't let email marketing be an afterthought. One of the best email marketing solutions is ConvertKit, and this is partly because even if you have multiple offerings and lead magnets you won't pay for duplicate emails on your list.

3. Not Optimized for Mobile Devices and Speed

Having a good website design is one thing, but having a website designed to look good and load fast on mobile devices, is another thing entirely. In 2018 this has to be one the most important priorities in launching your website since we are living in a mobile-first world.

The mobile experience is going to often be the very first experience someone has of your website, especially if you've been referred to them via word of mouth or they've just recently met you and decide to search for you in Google.

You need to ensure that your website not only represents you well visually but that it loads quickly on those mobile devices because people value their time more than anything. 

In terms of fast and reliable web hosting we recommend:
Bluehost and they have provided this community a generous discount if you use our link.

If you want a website without coding or WordPress, we recommend WIX.

In the event you want a website to host online course or a membership group, we recommend KAJABI which is what Awesome Creator Academy was built on.

If you want great feedback on how your website is performing for mobile, we recommend Usertesting.com

4. No Google Analytics

Data Driven Decisions are becoming more important by the day in a fast-moving world. Whether you're running a business or managing your personal brand and reputation, making decisions backed by data matters.

Installing Google Analytics is something you should plan for in the early stages of your website. By having Google analytics you can identify where your website traffic is coming from, and also know if there are problems or issues you should address in how visitors engage with your website. This data also gives you a clear understanding of how your website visitors behave and what holds their attention.

5. Lack of Security and Monitoring

When you're running a website for your business, security, and monitoring isn't a luxury item, it's essential. The last thing you want is to have anxiety around your website, your online store, your source of income, being compromised in any way. 

While there are great plugins and tools that can help with some of this, the real answer is you just need to outsource this to people who are qualified so you can focus on your business. 

Our recommendation is Sucuri. The offer protection against DDOS attacks, as well as disaster recovery and can clean up a site that has been infected with malware.