There was time on the internet where companies would put up an “Under Construction” sign on their website, to raise anticipation of their new, and improved, web design or development efforts. But we're finding out that people just end up never checking back for a new version of your website…killing the reason to have a big web launch.
Improve, don't launch
If you have a website currently that you are embarking on revamping, improving, or pivoting the idea completely, with the ability to make pages private, or not promoting sections of your site until the time is right, putting your site under construction does more harm than good, as you want to always offer your visitor something. Improve your user experience as the years go on, over time.
A webpage isn't going to be found by a visitor to your website unless you tell them about it. So if it's not linked somewhere, and you're not promoting it via your marketing channels and efforts, then you can keep improving on that section of your site until it's ready.
Iterate, don't wait
The iteration of a website can look different for an eCommerce store versus a informative, educational blog. This website you're reading on has gone through major design changes through the years, and I recently just debuted this new design last week, but that's iteration. As design trends and the web gets more accessible to more people, it's good to revisit, and iterate over what works and what doesn't work for your visitors.
Starting fresh? Get something valuable out there
While you're working on your major release to the public, because we understand a website takes time, think about something you can get out there right now that provides value to your visitor. Registering your domain name and getting at least a one page website up has great SEO benefits, as search engines such as Google and Bing trust websites that have been around for awhile. The longer, the better. So the sooner you have something that represents what you're doing, even if it's just explaining what is coming and how they can learn more, will help you in the long run when you finally reveal your finished product.
