When it comes to building your church website, knowing when you’re officially ready to launch is key to your success. There’s nothing worse than announcing a big, exciting launch only to reveal a half-finished, poorly working website.

Nobody wants that!

No, instead you want to celebrate the launch of an incredible product—one you’re proud to display to your congregation and community. But in order to do that, you have to make sure your website is fully launch ready.

And we’re here to help! Take a look at just five things you can do to ensure your website is fully functioning and ready to launch.

Testing 1, 2, 3.

Walk through your site before you launch. Check every link, play every video, run every slideshow, use every media, and fill out every form. Test, test, and test again! It’s important to make sure that everything works as it should so that your people can easily connect with you and your church without any stumbling blocks.

Bring in the grammar police.

Content is key online. No matter how much or how little you have of it on your website, you want to be sure what you have is both well-written and easy to follow. Ask someone on your staff to read through your web content with fresh eyes. What makes sense? What isn’t clear? Look for both grammar and sentence errors throughout your content. Maybe even consider hiring a proofreader outside of your congregation to give it a read through with clear, unbiased eyes.

Ask your staff.

Bring in members of your staff who didn’t work closely on your church website team. Ask them to preview your site and walk through their specific ministry areas closely. Get their feedback. What do they love? What do they think is missing? Of course some things you can’t (or shouldn’t) change, but new eyes and support from your staff will be huge in making sure the major details are covered on your site before its launch.

Check the calendar.

Take a look at the calendar before you choose the day you want to announce your new website to your congregation. Make sure you pick a Sunday where attendance is typically high. Avoid holidays or weekends when people in your congregation are usually traveling. Your goal is to pick a day to celebrate your launch when you have optimal attendance so people can see, hear, and celebrate it all with you in person.

Plan your promotion.

Of course you’ll be talking all about your website once it’s live, but be sure to leave room to promote it beforehand as well. Once you’ve chosen your official launch date, take some time to plan a promotion strategy leading up that day. When and what do you want to post on social media? How many email blasts do you want to send? Do you want to make announcements on Sunday mornings before the launch? Make sure you work to promote the launch date to not only build excitement for what’s ahead, but also to make sure that people are present and eager to see the work you’ve done on the actual launch date.