Launching a website requires more work than just publishing the site to the web. There are many tasks required on the back end to ensure that things work properly. The domain name settings must be updated, redirects put in place so old weblinks get users to the new corresponding pages, search engines must be alerted to the changes and more. 

University Communications and Marketing and MSU IT Services manage all these activities as part of the launch process. A website is typically launched in approximately one to two weeks from the time that the University Communications and Marketing project lead is notified. The launch will be scheduled in conjunction with the unit and MSU IT Services. 

When the website is ready for launch (i.e., content is complete or very close), units should:

1. If replacing an existing website or making major changes to a website, contact University Archives and Historical Collections to determine if the original website needs to be crawled for archival purposes in accordance with MSU's electronic records management practices. To initiate a request, email archives@msu.edu.
2. Complete any peer reviews or leadership reviews and approvals.
3. Run scripts to check for very large (uncompressed) files or unused files.
4. Remove any test pages or unused pages and components in Sitecore.
5. For existing websites only: Develop a plan for decommissioning the current website after launch (if applicable). Your University Communications and Marketing project lead can assist.
6. Optional, but encouraged: Contact the MSU DigitalX Team to schedule a website accessibility review.
7. Notify your University Communications and Marketing platforms group project lead that you are ready to launch. 
   1. Select a preferred launch date — this must be confirmed with IT Services.
   2. Determine if a soft launch will be needed. This means the site is live and visible, but the domain name and URL has not been transferred from the old site. The public could find the new site if they know the URL.
   3. Provide Gmail accounts for those who will access your Google analytics.
   4. Confirm which QA users should have Production access after launch.
8. Technical review: Complete any changes your University Communications and Marketing project lead recommends based on the website’s technical review.
9. Redirects: Review the spreadsheet provided by your University Communications and Marketing project lead and verify that old pages will be redirected to the correct new pages.

Documentation updated: Nov. 1, 2024