Before Going Live
1. Verify the Settings for Site Title, Tag Line, and Administration Email Address
Go to Settings > General.
Site Title
Tag Line is used to enhance SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Administration Email Address should be the site's contact person or a group email. This email is used for a number of purposes and is essential for any site using the Gravity Forms plugin. The admin email receives all form results and notifications pertaining to Gravity Forms.
2. Search Engine Visibility
Go to Settings > Reading. Make sure the Search Engine Visibility option is unchecked. If left checked, this will block Google and other search engines from listing your content in their search results.
3. Check for Broken Links
Go to your Dashboard and check to see if there are any broken links. If there are, be sure to repair them before you go live. Remember to check for broken links after the site goes live, some links with the draft domain will need to be manually updated.
4. Accessibility Check
Every site should have contact information in an obvious place (footer, main navigation, homepage). Read through the Accessibility Guidelines and perform spot checks on any pages you think might be problematic.
5. Request Live Site Address
Submit the Go Live Request form. Once the change is made, you will be notified. Some will see the changes immediately, although it may take a few hours for everyone to see the new version of the site. You can reboot your computer to see the change immediately, or if you’re comfortable in the command line you can clear your DNS cache.
After Going Live
You will receive an email notifying you that the site is live. Now, you should complete the following items:
1. Check for Broken Links Again
Run Broken Link Checker
Depending on how you made your site, it is possible that there could be broken links in the Navigation, Footer, or Homepage after the site address changes. Run one more check to be sure everything is working properly.
Tools > Broken Links.
Click the Search button on the top right.
Leave all fields blank, and click Search.
Manually Check Any Widgets
The Broken Link checker does not scan the contents of widgets like the visual editor and others. On your homepage, in the footer and any page that uses sidebars, check the links by clicking on them to make sure they work correctly.
2. Search Engine Visibility
Go to the Dashboard, and get to Settings > Reading. Make sure the Site Visibility is set to Public Access to allow Google and other search engines to crawl and index your new website.
3. Google Setup
Optional, but recommended.
Analytics
Aurora uses Google Analytics to track site-specific traffic information. If you are interested in site traffic statistics, please follow the instructions to set up Google Analytics for your website.
Crawling
Google will eventually find your site and index it. With Google Webmaster Tools, you can speed up the process. This requires Analytics to have already been set up on your site, so if you have not done that yet, do that now. While verifying your ownership, use alternative methods: Google Analytics. You may have to clear the site cache under Settings > WP Cache in order to properly verify.
Requesting a Google Crawl of Your Site
4. Remove Old Site
It’s always a good idea to deactivate the old site to prevent your visitors from accessing the old/incorrect information. Old sites can show up in Google search results even after you have moved your address to the new site.
To remove old sites from non-ITS servers (Business, NEAG, Libraries, Law, Health, etc) please contact the administrator of that server.