Our SSC (Secret Simple Checklist) for web projects

11 things to keep in mind while developing a webpage

Working on web projects for our clients over the years has taught us that launching even a “simple website” - at least a public one - is not quite as simple as it seems at first. Sure, there is design, copywriting, and coding, but there are many other elements that need to be taken into account in order to have the “simple website” deliver on its true objective. Here’s our Secret Simple Checklist which we run through for every project that involves building a public website. We liken it to an instrument check that the co-pilot performs before each take off - it’s not all you need to fly a plane but you are clearly better off running through the list before hitting the runway. Hopefully you will find this checklist useful as well. We’d love to hear if you have items we’re missing, or if you have questions about the ones we already have. Enjoy!

1. Proper usage of HTML5 semantics

Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and phrases in a language. When it comes to implementing, the key is to know how with the usage of HTML5 to implement the website content structure the way we want to and to be assured that the code is clear and used efficiently.

2. Unique title meta-tags provided for each page

Using unique title meta-tags for each page allows search engines to process the information identifying the differences between the pages. Duplicating the titles in every page most likely will not make search engines index them separately and only one of your subpages will be shown in search results.

3. Unique description meta-tags provided for each page

The general purpose of making descriptions meta-tags unique is to give the description of the content of each subpage, which will be displayed in search results. The reason for that is similar as in point 2, but giving the exact description of the subpage function might also boost the CTR.

4. Unique page keywords meta-tags provided for each page

Although recently believed to be less recognized by the Google Algorithm than other meta tags when it comes to SEO, keywords are still an essential element of every page meta tagging process.

5. Social media meta tags provided for each page

Social media meta tags (for example open graph tags) allow you to manage which of your pages’ information will be shown in the social media while somebody shares a link to your page.

6. Alt tags for images provided

The general function of giving the alt descriptions of images is to enable crawling them by the search engines. The 'alt' tag simply describes what actually the image is showing. As an example, Google will not scan the text shown on the photo - it needs an alt tag including text which is the same as the text on the photo to make your image indexed.

7. Favicon installed

Favicons are the tiny icon you see next to the URL of your site on the URL bar in the web browser. They may seem insignificant, but they give your page the extra edge and provide additional visual identification the users are more likely to remember.

8. Custom landing pages for common HTTP errors (404, 50x) in place

Having landing pages made specially for your site allows you to make the error pages consistent with your page design, rather than showing your visitors some standard, ugly error pages.

9. Site registration with traffic statistics solutions (Google Analytics, piwik etc.) completed

These days it's super easy to access information that may be essential to understand how people are using your website. With this knowledge you can optimize the website structure, content, or mechanisms in order to gain more traffic and/or conversion.

10. Site registration with the Google Search Engine console completed

The Google Search Console is the #1 tool to use when it comes to search engine optimization. It gives you search analytics, basic info about the keywords based on your content, and allows you to manage the current page indexation.

11. Website performance matched with expected traffic

We’ve all heard stories of (or, worse, witnessed) fabulously designed websites crashing on day one. How many hits are you expecting at launch? How many during the following months? We won’t consider the work complete until we have a clear picture of your traffic projections and make sure we can match the website’s performance accordingly. We want to avoid the site crashing without overshooting the budget and generating unnecessary costs. Properly performing websites have a positive impact on the overall user experience, which may be noticeable in lower bounce rates, higher conversion rates and a longer average duration of individual visits.