In today’s competitive business environment, building a high-quality application is just the first step toward a dynamic online presence with staying power. Especially in organizations with smaller web teams and limited resources, the pressure to launch quickly often runs counter to the huge complexity of a web app launch or revamp project.

To keep your app launch project running smoothly, you’ll need to turn to a number of tools to help achieve consistency and quality, and for reliable monitoring and reporting of key metrics.

Insightful End User Experience and Website Quality Tools

Here are six tools to keep your site launch on track in terms of professionalism, end user experience (including load time), content quality and search placement.

1. CheckDog

CheckDog has a simple goal: eliminate spelling errors. In the crunch to take a site live, especially one with thousands or tens of thousands of pages, spelling errors in copy can easily slip by. Use this tool, launched in 2008, before your site goes live and as you add content post-launch. CheckDog’s spellFOCUS engine keeps false positives to a minimum, to save you time and hassle.

2. Redbot

Redbot is an Open Source tool that checks for problematic HTTP headers. The tool detects common HTTP issues like invalid header syntax, missing headers and incorrect messages such as content-length. Poor headers can result in mobile browsers displaying incorrect pages, among other problems.

3. WebsiteTest.com

WebsiteTest.com checks the performance and speed of your site, showing you exactly what your users encounter. The tool provides a number of customization options, such as checking your site or mobile site in a specific browser or comparing it across browsers. WebsiteTest.com can test across single or multiple locations, and it provides advanced scheduling options and the ability to capture screenshots.

4. Copyscape

Most professional writers know about Copyscape, but it’s also a great tool for marketers and IT professionals who publish content. This online service detects plagiarism and finds instances of content theft. Ensuring that you’re not running duplicate content on your site is critical for search-engine placement.

5. Google tools

You’re probably familiar with crucial tools Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools. Google Analytics provides detailed information about your traffic and its sources, while Webmaster Tools help with creating your robots.txt file, checking for broken links and other tasks. But the full extent of the capabilities of these tools, especially Google Analytics, have more to offer than many people realize. This post covers 5 ways you can leverage the tools beyond just tracking basics like bounce rate and traffic volume.

6. PRChecker.info

PRChecker.info can analyze single pages on your site or your entire domain for PageRank, Google’s algorithm that ranks sites’ importance. To develop PageRank scores, Google analyzes incoming links to a page for their importance. Spiders use PageRank as one metric in selecting URLs to visit, and Twitter uses it to generate accounts that users may want to follow. Whether or not an app is mobile-friendly also affects Google search rankings now.

Key Takeaways

Application owners are expected to wear many hats, and staying on top of all aspects of managing a complex site can prove challenging. Use these tools to achieve professionalism and polish.

• Website performance tools play a critical role in keeping sites running smoothly with minimum downtime.
• Google provides a wealth of free information and assistance through its Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.
• Consistently checking for spelling errors and duplicate copy keeps the focus on content.

Sources:

• Forbes
• Rackaid
• Wikipedia
• Smashing Hub