Offboarding a Client (Final QA)

In this clip, Puno walks you through the full checklist for client handoff.

 

Final QA (Quality Assurance)

Before you set the site live, you’ll want time to send the client the site with a final quality assurance.

  • Set your site title (always) and add a logo (optional). Logos replace site titles, but the site title will still appear in other places, like search results.

  • Review that your fonts, colors, spacing, and other details are consistent.

  • Read through the text on every page at least once. Check for typos, broken links, and placeholder text from demo content.

  • Optimize images. Compress images files, change image file names, and add Image Alt Text.

  • Add a favicon, the image that displays in browser tabs.

  • Check URL slugs for all pages and google for broken links.

  • Check all buttons and links. If you turned any images into links, click them to check they lead to the correct place.

  • Check that all contact forms are linked to the correct email.

  • Check that all newsletter blocks are connected to the correct storage.

  • Check every integration, special block (OpenTable, Bandsintown) and third-party code customization on your site to make sure they are connected and working correctly.

  • Check Social Links. Click each social icon and check that they lead to the correct profile.

  • Check the site on different devices and in different browsers.

  • Create a custom 404 page.

  • Add a cookie banner (optional).

Mobile:

  • Check mobile on your phone across each page.

  • We often leave mobile last, consolidate all design decisions from Desktop to Mobile.

  • Don’t forget the mobile header and menu!

If your site has a store page, ensure it's ready for customers:

  • Add a payment processor to accept payments.

  • Set any required tax rules and learn about collecting VAT or GST.

  • Add at least one shipping option if selling physical products.

  • Run a test order to see what checkout is like for customers. This is a good time to check how shipping options display and how email notifications look.

  • Confirm every product has the correct price, at least one product image, and a complete description.

  • Disable test mode to prepare for accepting orders.

If you’ve added custom code to your site:

  • Check that custom code is rendering correctly.

  • Make sure your code is organized and labelled.

  • Consolidate code.

  • Delete any code that’s duplicated or not necessary.

 

Setting the website live:

  • Have your client choose a plan and pay.

  • Set up basic SEO:

    • Be aware of having a Site Migration plan.

    • If there are any URL redirects then create them in Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings.

    • To set up the site’s SEO description: Marketing > SEO > SEO Site Description

      • Make the description compelling, concise and readable (don’t be too cute)

      • 160 characters

      • Don’t pad it with just a list of keywords

    • To set up each page’s SEO click on the page’s gear icon > SEO

    • Image SEO

      • Make sure all images have an SEO friendly title and alt text

        • Image ALT Text
          (SEO and accessibility)

          This is a great article about Image ALT Text.

        • Image File Name
          Similar to ALT text, the file name can be useful for SEO.
          Good: brandname-black-persian-kitten.jpg
          Bad: IMG00023.JPG.

          That doesn’t mean keyword stuffing. Keep your filenames descriptive and straightforward.
          Good: dog.jpg
          Bad: dog-puppy-pup-pups-puppies.jpg


          Tip: You can export a spreadsheet of all the files in a specific Google Drive folder. This way it’s easier for your client or yourself to document file name and alt text revisions.

      • Reduce Image File Size, see this article.

        • Image File Type

          • JPG/JPEGs - photographs

          • PNGs - vector illustrations or images on a transparent background

          • SVGs - vector illustrations (line drawings, text)

          • GIFs - frame-based images

        • Image File Size
          (
          Large ~1MB each or Small ~300KB each)

          The goal for website image optimization is to get each image file size as small as possible without sacrificing viewing quality. Under 1MB is ideal for large images and under 300KB for small images. It is generally best if you can keep a webpage’s total weight under 2MB in size. You can check the size of your page by doing a Site Audit per page. We use Photoshop or Lightroom to resize images, but you can also use Tinyjpg.

        • Image Dimension Size:
          (
          Large ~2000px wide)

          If the image is used as a header and is full width, you can resize down the image to 2000px. If the image is not going to be used as a header, you can resize and make the width smaller. This will significantly reduce the file size. Double check how your images look on mobile!

    • Index Your Squarespace Site on Google

      • Submit to (optional)

        • Bing

        • Yahoo

        • Google My Business profile

    • SEO (continued)

      • Create Quality Content

      • Weekly Newsletter

      • Instagram CTA

      • Brand Partnerships

  • Connect (or transfer) the domain (allow 3 days in the event anything goes wrong).

  • Set up Google Analytics or make your client aware of Google Analytics.

  • Set website to Public.

 

After the website is live:

  • Take photos and videos of the website for your portfolio and records.

  • Back up all of your code (including styles).

  • Create a video tutorial for the client so they know how to upkeep the website.

  • Send the client the final invoice.

  • Once the client has paid you in full

    • Switch the client to being the owner of the website.

    • Ask the client for a testimonial.

  • Set a reminder to follow up with the client in 1 month to see how everything is. It’s also a good opportunity to offer other services.